The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has released the Watersheds report, the first in a series of six Subject Series reports supplementing the 2022 Census of Agriculture, Volume 1. This report offers a detailed breakdown of select agricultural census data, including farms, land use, fertilizer and chemical use, and key commodities, categorized by 6-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) watershed boundaries.
“Subject Series publications like Watersheds augment the already expansive collection of data from the Census of Agriculture,” said NASS Administrator Joseph Parsons. “Anyone concerned about the health of a given body of water or watershed should be interested in these data. The Watersheds publication provides agricultural and environmental data users with a novel way to examine and compare ag census data, in addition to the nationwide, state, county, and congressional district-level data NASS provided earlier this year.”
The Watersheds report presents data that can be instrumental for researchers, community organizations, policymakers, and producers to assess the impact of agriculture on the environment and water bodies. The information can guide decisions regarding government programs, grants, and policies that affect the agricultural industry and communities.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the U.S. is divided into 20 regions at the 2-digit HUC level. Eighteen regions cover the contiguous United States, while Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands constitute regions 19 and 20, respectively. These regions are further divided into over 200 subregions (4-digit HUC level) based on water flow patterns from major rivers, and these subregions are further divided into watersheds (6-digit HUC level).
The Watersheds report can be accessed at the NASS website.
Additionally, NASS has made available various resources from the 2022 ag census, including the Market Value of Ag Products Rankings; State and County Profiles; Congressional District Profiles and Rankings; and the Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Profiles. The 2022 Puerto Rico Census of Agriculture data, released on July 18, is also available on NASS’s ag census web page.
Upcoming releases include the American Indian Reservations Report on August 29, Ag Census Web Maps on September 10, the Specialty Crops publication on October 17, and Zip Code Tabulations on November 7. More Highlights publications covering topics such as producer demographics and commodity specifics will be released throughout the summer and fall.
The full ag census report, encompassing more than 6 million data points about America’s farms, ranches, and operators, can be accessed at nass.usda.gov/AgCensus. Data is also available through NASS’s searchable online database, Quick Stats.
As NASS prepares for the 2027 Census of Agriculture, it invites content change suggestions and encourages new producers who did not receive a 2022 Census of Agriculture questionnaire to sign up for future censuses and surveys. Forms for these purposes are available at nass.usda.gov.
