Agricultural Resource Management Survey

Stored: Agricultural Resource Management Survey

Agricultural Resource Management Survey Type: Research Program Parent organization: National Agricultural Statistics Service Top organization: United States Department of Agriculture Employees: Executive: Budget: Address: 1400 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20250 Website: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Surveys/Guide_to_NASS_Surveys/Ag_Resource_Management/ Creation Legislation: Wikipedia: Agricultural Resource Management Survey

Agricultural Resource Management Survey [{"name":"Agricultural Resource Management Survey","title":"\u003Ca class=\"mw-selflink selflink\"\u003EAgricultural Resource Management Survey\u003C\/a\u003E","lat":38.892062,"lon":-77.042314,"otherValues":{"HeadquartersAddress":"1400 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20250"}}] This map created from a Cargo query ()

Mission To collect comprehensive data on U.S. agricultural production practices, economics, and resource use. It informs policy, research, and decision-making for farmers, government, and industry stakeholders.

Services Data Collection; Economic Analysis; Environmental Impact Assessment; Survey Dissemination

Regulations

Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) is an annual survey program administered by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in collaboration with the Economic Research Service (ERS), collecting detailed data from approximately 30,000 U.S. farm operations to analyze farm economics, production practices, and environmental impacts.

It is the United States Department of Agriculture’s primary source of information on the financial condition, production practices, resource use, and economic well-being of America's farm households.

Official Site

Partners

Sponsored jointly by the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), ARMS began in 1996, as a synthesis of the former USDA cropping practice, chemical use, and farm costs and returns surveys, which dated back to 1975.

ARMS data underpin USDA's annual estimates of net farm income and fulfills a congressional mandate that USDA provide annual cost-of-production estimates for commodities covered under farm support legislation. ARMS also provides data regarding chemical use on field crops required under environmental and food safety legislation.

Mission

The Agricultural Resource Management Survey aims to provide a robust statistical foundation for understanding the financial health, production practices, and resource management of U.S. farms, targeting around 30,000 operators yearly across all farm sizes and types. Its data supports USDA policy decisions, farmer assistance programs, academic research, and industry planning by offering insights into costs, revenues, chemical use, and conservation practices, making it the only national source for such comprehensive farm-level information.

Parent organization

The ARMS is managed by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), with analytical support from the Economic Research Service (ERS), both under the United States Department of Agriculture, ensuring data collection aligns with USDA’s mission to support agriculture.

Legislation

The ARMS was not established by specific legislation but operates under NASS’s authority from the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 and earlier statistical mandates, evolving from prior surveys with its current format launched in 1996.

Partners

• State agricultural departments for data collection support
• Universities and research institutions for analysis
• Industry groups like Farm Bureau for outreach and participation

List of programs

• ARMS Phase I: Screening Survey (spring data collection)
• ARMS Phase II: Production Practices and Costs Report (fall data collection)
• ARMS Phase III: Farm Financial Survey (winter data collection)

Last total enacted budget

The specific budget for ARMS is not publicly isolated; it’s funded within NASS’s FY 2024 budget of $191 million and ERS’s $92 million, with ARMS as a core component of their joint efforts.

Funding

ARMS has been funded since 1996 through annual USDA appropriations to NASS and ERS, with costs shared to support its three-phase survey process, leveraging NASS’s statistical infrastructure and ERS’s economic expertise.

Services provided

The ARMS collects data via three phases—screening (Phase I), production practices (Phase II), and financials (Phase III)—to assess farm economics, chemical use, and conservation practices, publishing results like commodity cost estimates and environmental impact reports for public and policy use.

Headquarters address

1400 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20250

History

The Agricultural Resource Management Survey traces its roots to USDA’s early farm surveys in the 1920s, evolving through efforts like the 1970s Farm Production Expenditure Survey. Its modern three-phase format launched in 1996 as a NASS-ERS collaboration to replace fragmented surveys, becoming the primary source of farm-level data by integrating economic and environmental metrics.

Related

See Also Links to related programs articles or organizations:

• National Agricultural Statistics Service
• Economic Research Service
• Agricultural Research Service

External links

• http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/arms-farm-financial-and-crop-production-practices.aspx#.U4xsHnZfZVA.
•  This article incorporates public domain material from Jasper Womach, Report for Congress: Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, 2005 Edition, Congressional Research Service, http://ncseonline.org/nle/crsreports/05jun/97-905.pdf 
• Official Website
• wikipedia:Agricultural Resource Management Survey
• ARMS Data Products