Wisconsin ARMS III Workshop (Eau Claire, Wisconsin) January 31-February 2, 2011
The Wisconsin NASS Field Office held an excellent workshop in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on January 31-February 2, 2011 to prepare for the ARMS III (Agricultural Resource Management Survey).
More than 40 NASDA Enumerators and 5 Supervisors attended the session. NASDA’s NASS Program Director Charlie Ingram participated in the workshop activities, arriving just as a winter snowstorm blew through the upper Midwest. However, NASS Field Office Director Bob Battaglia, Deputy Greg Bussler and a guest speaker were delayed because of the heavy snow that hit Madison and the southern part of the state. Despite the weather and logistical challenges, the NASS team did a great job of making workshop successful and productive. Steve Stockdale, Survey Group Leader, along with Audra Hubbell, Craig Christianson, and Angela Byers-Krantz, reviewed sections of the survey questionnaire. On the evening of January 31, the NASS Team and NASDA’s Charlie Ingram visited with the 5 NASDA Supervisors at an informal dinner.
ARMS is a vital NASS survey which is the only source of detailed financial, economic and resource data on U.S. agriculture. The data is collected by NASDA supervisors and enumerators on behalf of NASS. Just about every federal policy and program that affects farmers and rural communities is based on information from ARMS. For example, ARMS provides annual cost-of-production estimates for more than 15 commodities and is used by policy-makers, agribusiness, suppliers, farm organizations and others.