Data to Serve 21st Century Agriculture: Expanding ARMS

1
ARMS Conference Stakeholder Discussion
Data to Serve 21st Century Agriculture
Expanding ARMS St. Louis, Mo.Dec. 4-5
2
State Government

• Data needs/uses
• Expand cost of production surveys across
  non-program crops, quantify/track GMOs, identify
  non-citizen producers, changes in production
  totals due to out-sourcing overseas, web-based
  availability in downloadable format.
• Usefulness to respondents
• Legislative accessment, prespectives on the big
  picture and comparisions with other
  groups/commodities/states.

3
State Government

• Additional Measurements Needed in ARMS
• Annual costs of regulatory compliance and
  licensing, measure returns to management through
  recordkeeping, compliance or licensing costs,
  source and cost of capital

4
State Government

• Value-added/rural development
• Whole layer of value added, costs of direct
  marketing, impacts of value-added ag, producer
  income tied to value-added ag, crops used in
  energy production.
• Emerging Key Issues
• Farmland preservation, business continuity plans,
  transition, retroactive property taxes

5
Farm Organization/Interest Groups

• How will ARMS data at the state level assist you
  in your work?
• Impact of property taxes on farms and rural areas
• Studying value-added enterprises, i.g. ethanol
• Increased information on issues surrounding CAFOs
• Cost of Production

6
Farm Organization/Interest Groups

• What else should ARMS measure?
• Correlate with RMA crop insurance data/FSA
• Value-added activities- propensity to invest
• Enhance rural development portion of ARMS
• Future plans of the operation (retirement,
  structural changes)
• In-depth information on CAFOs and technological
  implementations for resource management and
  conservation
• Cost share rates for states to implement for
  participation
• Utilization and impact of voluntary programs
• Data to consider what is a commercial operation

7
Farm Organization/Interest Groups

• What kind of summaries of ARMS data would be most
  useful to you? How should it be made available?
• By State, By Commodity, By Issue area (e.g.
  CAFOs)
• Make Available by Print, Web, and Other.
• What other data do you use in your work?
• NASS, RMA, Census, Ag Census, CARD, University
  record systems (FBFM, KFMA), SWAG, FAPRI, AFPC
• How can ARMS be used with these other data
  sources to be used together?
• To backstop each other, enhance the picture of
  agriculture and rural communities that is
  available, and provide more extensive ability to
  utilize smaller data set.

8
Farm Organization/Interest Groups

• What can be done to better demonstrate the value
  of this survey to farmers and encourage them to
  participate?
• Demonstrated impact of data on policies affecting
  respondents (personal impact is important)
• Need factual information for policy issues
• Chemical use survey to maintain access to
  chemicals for crops
• Have you made any connections today that will
  help you do your job?
• Yes

9
University Research/Administration

• How will ARMS data at the state level assist you
  in your work?
• Optimism for state data, specific data is better,
  some need monthly/weekly data.
• What else should ARMS measure?
• Conservation/environmental practices, marketing,
  different contracting arrangements

10
University Research/Administration

• What kind of summaries of ARMS data would be most
  useful to you?
• Summaries less useful
• How should it be made available?
• Greater and more detailed web access, more
  printed documents
• What other data do you use in your work?
• IMPLAN, BEA, Department of Commerce

11
University Research/Administration

• What can be done to better demonstrate the value
  of this survey to farmers and encourage them to
  participate?
• Better discussions on how it is used, work with
  commodity organizations, develop state impact
  document, communicate outcomes, 15 state media
  effort, get on conference programs
• CHALLENGE- ensuring confidentially of farmers
  while increasing use of data by researchers.

12
University - Extension

• How will ARMS data at the state level assist you
  in your work?
• Bench marking, econometric analysis/estimation,
  structural analysis, extension budgets
• What else should ARMS measure?
• Where do you sell (local, other), motivations for
  being a producer, custom rate information

13
University - Extension

• What kind of summaries of ARMS data would be most
  useful to you?
• More detail on fruit and vegetable crops
• How should it be made available?
• Internet with ability to download to Excel
• What other data do you use in your work?
• Commodity, price, production, etc.
• How can ARMS be used with these other data
  sources to be used together?
• Enhanced compatibility across different data
  sources

14
University - Extension

• What can be done to better demonstrate the value
  of this survey to farmers and encourage them to
  participate?
• Access to Internet questionaires
• Testimonials
• Heads up by state statistician
• Have you made any connections today that will
  help you do your job?
• Yes

15
Banks/Farm Credit/Consulting

• How will ARMS data at the state level assist you
  in your work?
• Use limited at present, but could be used for
  risk assessment of industry, farm household
  spending, company research of market potential or
  market performance
• What else should ARMS measure?
• State level estimates, family living expenses,
  alternative commodities, and business structures,
  What is a family farm?

16
Banks/Farm Credit/Consulting

• What kind of summaries of ARMS data would be most
  useful to you?
• State and commodity summaries
• How should it be made available?
• Interactive web-based data set
• What other data do you use in your work?
• Farm management data, industry data, FSA data
• How can ARMS be used with these other data
  sources to be used together?
• Periodic discussions with data-user groups to
  reconcile data and application

17
Banks/Farm Credit/Consulting

• What can be done to better demonstrate the value
  of this survey to farmers and encourage them to
  participate?
• Convince producers data has positive financial
  impact, will help and not hurt, and bring
  cookies.
• Have you made any connections today that will
  help you do your job?
• Connections to survey administrators and others
  for further collaboration and data use.