A26-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 22, 2003
Editor’s note: This is a month
ly column from the Pennsylvania
Ag Statistics Service (PASS), a
field office of USDA’s National
Agricultural Statistics Service
(NASS) in cooperation with the
Pennsylvania Department of Ag
riculture (PDA). The Website is
H’WH'. usda.gov/nass/.
2003 AG
MEASUREMENTS
UNDER WAY
Even though you returned an
Ag Census form last year, we arc
about to conduct the usual annu
al surveys to measure the 2003
crop production and livestock
and poultry inventories at the
end of this year.
The upcoming surveys are for
2003 while the Ag Census asked
about 2002 crop year and inven
tories.
The surveys mentioned below
are conducted in all states in
order to publish agricultural pro
duction or animal inventories at
the county, state, and national
level for 2003. To see the current
or previous results of all these
surveys, see our Website at
www.usda.gov/nass/.
A Note Of Gratitude
In advance, I want to thank
you for your time in these impor
tant measures of the 2003 season.
It is only with your help that we
can have accurate “ Agriculture
Counts.”
Now, here is a brief list of the
end of year surveys happening
now through December.
County Statistics Survey
The Acreage and Production
Survey was recently mailed to
about 17,000 farms, which is 29
percent of all farms in Pennsylva
nia. The sample is unusually
large so that county statistics can
be published for various field
crops, fruits, vegetables, live
stock, and poultry.
County level statistics are cru
cial for those that assist growers
from county offices of extension,
conservation districts, Farm
Service Agency, National Re
sources Conservation Service,
and others.
To find county statistics, visit
www.usda.gov/nass/ and click on
“QuickSTATS.” Many additional
crop, livestock and poultry coun
ty statistics have been
recently added at that
site. Not all county
statistics are yet in the
QuickSTATS data
base; you can find
other county informa
tion in our annual
summary found at
www.nass.usda.gov/
pa/annsumm.htm.
Survey results for
the 2003 crop year be
gins with county sta
tistics for small grains
Millers Welding & Repair
54 Christiana Pike, Christiana, PA 17509
M693i6lil2aQulu InguirißS Irani
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NASS
Agriculture Counts
By Marc Tosiano
Pa. State Statistician
in mid-February, with row crop
data available in early March.
County estimates for hay are
usually released in mid-April.
Tobacco, livestock, fruit, and po
tato data available later in the
year starting with tobacco esti
mates in early June.
County agricultural statistics
are extremely important to Penn
sylvania farmers. Grower organi
zations, Extension, the Pennsyl
vania Department of Agriculture,
and others rely on this informa
tion for research, defining, and
promoting Pennsylvania agricul
ture.
Extension can re-evaluate
staffing in each county office
based on the number of farms
raising certain crops or livestock.
County data has been important
to determining the Farmland
Preservation Program and Grow
ing Greener funding.
Utility companies use this data
to reimburse farmers for crops
lost in right-of-way maintenance.
The Farm Service Agency uses
this data to measure crop loss
during times of drought or flood
ing.
Dec. 1 Crop/
Stocks Survey
This survey is going to about
1,300 Pennsylvania farmers. It
measures final acreage, yields,
and production for com, soy
beans, tobacco, hay, potatoes,
sorghum, and grains stored on
farms. A letter was sent to those
selected and we will contact you
for your help during early De
cember.
Off-Farm Grain Stocks
This survey was mailed to
about 200 Pennsylvania grain ele
vators and other off-farm storage
facilities. This survey, when com
bined with on-farm statistics, will
give a post-harvest picture of
grains in storage here and across
the Nation from 2003 crops and
earlier.
Dec. 1 Hog Survey
And Chicken/Egg Survey
Although we contact the larger
hog or chicken operations every
month, the Dec. 1 survey con
tacts many more of the medium
and smaller operations. This
more extensive survey sets the
end-of-year inventory and leads
Dump Wagons
Model HI 500
Haul up to 1500 lbs. using
garden tractor, ATV, compact
tractor. Removable sides for
bulky loads, 3 ton bottle jack
raises dump bed easily to
almost vertical
Model 750
Single axle, carries up to 750
lbs. Manual dump for light
loads. Removable sides
» h ' ♦ i M i’t
to production, disposition, and
income statistics for the year Dec.
1,2002 through Dec. 1,2003.
A letter was sent to about 325
hog owners and 100 owners of
laying flocks that were selected.
We will ask for your help during
early December.
Annual Turkey
Grower Survey
This survey was mailed to
about 200 owners of turkeys in
Pennsylvania. This survey will
show how many turkeys were
raised here and across the nation
and the average prices received
by growers for their birds.
End-Of-Season
Fruit And Vegetable Survey
These two surveys were recent
ly mailed to about 2,000 Pennsyl
vania fruit and vegetable growers
and processors. It asks for acre
age and production for the major
fruit and vegetable in each state.
In Pennsylvania, the survey is
limited to apples, peaches, pears,
cherries, grapes, sweet corn, to
matoes, snap beans, strawberries,
cabbage, cantaloupes, and pump
kins. Some of these are asked and
published by processing and/or
fresh market.
What Comes Out
Of All These Surveys?
The results of these surveys for
all states can be found in late De
cember and during January at
www.usda.gov/nass/ by clicking
on “Search for NASS informa
tion by.” Personally, I recom
mend using the “Commodity “
search tool to find the crop or an
imal of interest to you. Paper re
ports are still available to growers
at no charge by calling us at (800)
498-1518.
%’w. > 4r'o i'm
Northeast Order Uniform
Milk Price For October
BOSTON, Mass. Erik F.
Rasmussen, market adminis
trator for the Northeast Feder
al Milk Marketing Order, has
announced that the statistical
uniform price (SUP) paid by
milk dealers (handlers) regu
lated under the Northeast
Order during October 2003 is
$15.21 per hundredweight
($1.31 per gallon) for milk de
livered to plants located in
Suffolk County, Mass. (Bos
ton). The producer price dif
ferential (PPD) portion of the
SUP for October is $0.82 per
hundredweight for milk deliv
ered to plants located in Suf
folk County, Mass. The PPD
($0.82) combined with the cor
responding month’s Class 111
price ($14.39) equals the SUP
($15.21).
The SUP represents a
benchmark minimum price
paid to dairy farmers, prior to
allowable deductions, for farm
milk containing 3.5 percent
butterfat, 2.99 percent protein,
and 5.69 percent other solids.
The actual price received by
an individual dairy farmer will
vary as the composition of a
farm’s milk differs from the
component benchmarks. The
PPD represents each produc
er’s share of the value generat
ed by the marketwide pool.
The PPD is added to the pay
ment producers receive for
their milk’s components and is
adjusted for the location of the
receiving plant(s). The SUP
and PPD decrease by sched-
What Do These Farms o
Have In Common ■
Using High Bros, and Purina
For Nutrition Needs
HIGH BROS.
441 Centerville Road Gordonvilie, PA
717-354-0301
>';'t i’i >
tiled amounts the further
away the plant(s) receiving
the producers’ milk are from
Suffolk County, Mass.
The Class prices for milk
pooled in October are as fol
lows: Class I, $17.52 (Suffolk
County, Mass); Class 11,
$10.84; Class 111, $14.39; and
Class IV, $10.16. Comparable
prices for October 2002 were:
Class I $13.40, Class II
$11.12, Class 111 $10.72, and
Class IV price $10.50. The
component values for October
2003 are protein, $3.2815 per
pound; butterfat, $1.2553 per
pound; other solids, $0.0311
per pound; and nonfat solids,
$0.6642 per pound.
Milk receipts from produc
ers totaled 1.923 billion
pounds. Class I utilization,
milk processed as beverage
milk, was 49.7 percent of pro
ducer milk receipts. The Class
I utilization was 48.5 percent
in October 2002.
The manufacture of Class
II products such as cream, ice
cream, yogurt, and cottage
cheese utilized 20.1 percent of
producer milk. Milk used to
manufacture Class 111 prod
ucts such as cheese (American
and Italian) and evaporated
and condensed products uti
lized 25.9 percent of total milk
receipts. Class IV usage (but
ter, nonfat and whole milk
powder) equaled 4.3 percent
of the total.
X