The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service will be reaching out to farmers and agricultural landowners starting in June to gather in-depth information about their conservation practices. This information informs U.S. agricultural policies and programs. It’s a part of the Conservation Effects Assessment Project survey, in partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
“Responding to the survey gives farmers the opportunity to provide the most accurate picture of conservation practices on their cropland,” says NASS Administrator Joseph Parsons. “Information from CEAP – which is made stronger by robust survey response – will help inform programs that benefit producers by protecting the natural resources on which their livelihoods depend.”
Findings from this survey are used to guide conservation program development and support agricultural producers and partners in making informed management decisions backed by data and science. The resulting products produced by NRCS, CEAP Cropland Assessments, evaluate the conservation benefits achieved through the adoption and application of conservation practices on agricultural lands.
Specifically, CEAP results may help:
- Evaluate the resources farmers may need in the future to protect soil, water, and habitat.
- Shed light on techniques farmers use to conserve healthy environments.
- Improve and strengthen technical and financial programs that help landowners plan and install conservation practices on agricultural land.
- Support the conservation programs that can help producers’ profits while also protecting natural resources.
Survey Details
First, in cooperation with NASS, local representatives from the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture will visit farmers and agricultural landowners between June and August to determine if those operations and properties are eligible for the survey. Next, those producers that are eligible may be contacted and asked to participate in the survey between November 2026 and March 2027. Lastly, NASS will provide the survey data to NRCS, the agency tasked with analyzing and publishing findings in their CEAP Cropland Assessments.
Nearly 23,000 operators nationwide will receive the 2026 Conservation Effects Assessment Project survey. Typical survey questions will ask about farm production practices; chemical, fertilizer, and manure applications; tillage; irrigation use; and installed conservation practices.
Data obtained will support the third set of national and regional cropland assessments delivered by USDA’s Conservation Effects Assessment Project, a multi-agency effort led by NRCS to quantify the effects of conservation practices across the nation’s working lands.
Information provided to NASS and analyzed by NRCS is kept strictly confidential, as required by federal law. The agencies only publish data in aggregate form, ensuring that no individual respondent or operation can be identified.
The data from this survey will be published as a report on the CEAP Cropland Assessments webpage at nrcs.usda.gov/ceap/croplands. If you have questions about the survey, please contact NASS at 888-424-7828 or visit nass.usda.gov/go/ceap.
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