The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct its biannual Agricultural Labor Survey this month.
The survey will collect information about hired labor from over 1,400 farmers and ranchers in Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.
NASS will publish the data May 24 in the farm labor report available on the NASS website at nass.usda.gov/Publications. Survey recipients who do not respond by April 19 may be contacted by NASS to arrange an interview.
In the survey, NASS asks producers to answer a variety of questions about hired farm labor on their operations, including total number of hired farm workers, total hours worked and total wages paid for the weeks of Jan. 8-14 and April 9-15, 2023. Survey recipients can respond online at agcounts.usda.gov or by mail.
“Agricultural labor data are critical in helping producers when hiring workers and estimating expenses,” said Nick Streff, director of the NASS Northern Plains Region Field Office. “The data that farm operators provide through NASS’s Agricultural Labor Survey also allow federal policymakers to base farm labor policies on accurate information.”
USDA and the U.S. Department of Labor use the survey data to estimate the demand for and availability of seasonal agricultural workers, establish minimum wage rates for agricultural workers and administer farm labor recruitment and placement service programs.
Source: jamestownsun.com
Photo Credit: gettyimages-pixdeluxe
Categories: South Dakota, Business