If you’re a farmer or other operator, you may be asked to participate in a survey to gather in-depth information about the use of conservation practices on cultivated cropland.
The 2024 Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) Survey is a joint effort between USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). NASS will visit nearly 12,000 operators across the contiguous U.S. in August and September to determine survey eligibility. Surveying will be conducted into spring 2025.
This is the first of three years of surveys conducted by NASS. Once surveying is complete, NRCS will combine the data with information from the National Resources Inventory, NRCS field staff, and multiple data sources to estimate environmental and management outcomes of conservation on cultivated cropland across U.S. farms. NRCS will publish the findings as a CEAP Cropland Assessment report. CEAP Cropland Assessments quantify the effects of voluntary conservation efforts across the nation’s cropland at both regional and national scales.
“The U.S. has more than 300 million acres of cultivated cropland that are used by farmers and other land managers to grow diverse crops for food, fuel, and livestock feed for our nation and beyond,” said NRCS Chief Terry Cosby. “CEAP delivers critically important data that we use to guide our strategic, equitable, and voluntary conservation on cropland acres nationwide. This leads to healthier ecosystems, improved conservation, and stronger management of agricultural landscapes.”
