Iowa Enumerator Workshop & Objective Yield Survey Work (Des Moines, IA) August 29-31, 2011

NASDA’s NASS Program Director Charlie Ingram visited the Iowa NASS Field Office on August 29-31, 2011. He participated in the Office Enumerator Training Workshop for the September Crops/Stocks Survey, and spent two days working in the field with NASDA Enumerators to collect soybean and corn Objective Yield (OY) survey data. 

On August 29, Charlie and Iowa Field Office Director Gregg Thessen met with Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey to discuss the NASS-NASDA Cooperative Agreement, management issues, and state agricultural survey work. 
 

• FO Director Greg Thessen, Charlie Ingram and IA Ag Secretary Bill Northey

Charlie met with NASS Administrative Technician Shari Stall in the afternoon. The IA Field Office serves as one of several NASS Administrative Service Centers (ASCs) and Shari handles administrative, payroll and personnel issues for several states. 
 

• Charlie and Admin Tech Shari Stall

Late afternoon, there was an Enumerator Training Workshop to prepare NASDA’s phone enumerators for the September Crops/Stocks Survey. The Crops/Stocks surveys provide detailed estimates of crop acreage, yields and production, and quantities of grain and oilseeds stored on farms. The surveys are conducted in all states quarterly and commodities are collected according to their growing season.

There were 2 NASDA Office Supervisors and 17 Phone Enumerators who participated in the workshop. IA FO Director Greg Thessen opened the session and thanked the Enumerators for their important work.  Charlie spoke to the group and highlighted the NASDA-NASS program mission, goals and objectives. NASS Agricultural Statisticians Susan Cowles and Teresa Green led the training session and reviewed survey questionnaire. Teresa also serves as the NASDA Coordinator for the Office and Field Enumerators. In addition to the Crops/Stocks Survey—which has about 2,600 farm operations in the sample—NASDA’s Enumerators will also contact producers to collect data for the Hog Reporting Survey and the Ag Yield Survey for corn and beans. 
 

• Work shop participants
• NASDA Phone Enumerators at the Workshop   
• NASDA Enumerators Judy Blessington and Dan Sterling have a lot of knowledge. Judy has 20 years of experience; Dan has worked for NASDA for 24 years and is a former Enumerator of the Year honoree. 
• Ag Stats Susan Cowles and Teresa Green  
• NASDA Office Supervisor Joann Fischer and Enumerator Gail Edmonds  
• Office Supervisors Joann Fischer (l), Charlie Ingram, and Office Supervisor Carolyn Hove (r). Carolyn has been a Supervisor for 15 years and has worked for NASDA a total of 25 years. Joann has been a Supervisor for 8 years.   
• Enumerator Christina Butts gets an early start on survey calling

Soybean Objective Yield (OY) Field Work

On August 30, Charlie met Field Enumerator Anne Brockway in Olds, Iowa (about 2 hours east of Des Moines) to collect Objective Yield (OY) data for soybeans.There are a total of 5 Field Supervisors and about 70 Field Enumerators who work across the state.

The Objective Yield (OY) surveys provide data for monthly forecasts and end-of-season estimates of planted and harvested acres, yield, and production.  NASDA enumerators collect the data by visiting the field (with permission from the producer) and setting out sample plots.

• Charlie in the field with equipment. The GPS device hanging from my neck is used to locate the exact sample plot—we were far from the road.
• Enumerator Anne Brockway shows Charlie how to count rows/plants in the field

Each survey includes instructions for determining the geographic location of the sample plot, i.e. measuring the number of crop rows and paces, and marked with wooden stakes and/or colored ribbons.

•  Charlie learns how to measure the crop row
• Charlie in the soybean field learning how to count plants/pods
• Charlie cuts a soybean plant sample

Field visits are made monthly with the final visit occurring when the crop is mature or the farmer plans to harvest. Enumerators make monthly plant/pod counts, measurements, and maturity determinations. At maturity or immediately before harvest, crop samples are cut and sent to a NASS lab to determine weight and moisture content.

NASS Statisticians then use the data collected by enumerators for crop estimates and forecasts. Specifically, counts and weights are expanded to a per acre yield and adjusted to a standard moisture for the commodity. Estimates of harvest loss are computed and subtracted from the biological (gross) yield of the harvest plots to determine net yield per acre.

•  Enumerator Anne Brockway loading the truck after we completed the survey work

Why is all of this important and who uses this data? Farmers and businesses use the production estimates for marketing decisions, to evaluate expected prices, and to determine when to sell. USDA production forecasts are used to anticipate loan receipts and pricing of loan stocks. Production forecasts are greatly relied upon by the transportation sector, warehouse and storage companies, banks and other lending institutions, commodity traders, and processors. In addition, Congress takes into account changing yield and production levels in formulating farm legislation.

Soybean & Corn Objective Yield (OY) Field Work

On August 31, Charlie spent a second day in the field with Enumerator Kathy Appelhans to collect Objective Yield (OY) data for soybeans and corn. The survey work was in an area west of Davenport, IA and just like the day before, he learned how to locate and measure the sample plot, count plants (also the pods/branches/flowers, and determine the maturity of the plant. During his two days out in the fields, Charlie discovered this is not easy or simple work—and the field was wet and muddy, and the weather was hot! The data collection for this field took about 1 hour to complete. 

•  View of the field and sample plot marked with flags
• Field Enumerator Kathy Appelhans in the soybean field
• Charlie in the field counting pods and plants
• Charlie in the field counting pods and plants

Next, Charlie and Kathy met NASDA Field Supervisor Mary Ketelsen to learn how to collect Objective Yield (OY) data for corn. The survey work for corn is similar to the process and method used for soybeans. Enumerators visit the corn field, measure row distance to locate the sample plot, count corn stalks, measure the length of corn kernel rows, and measure the diameter of the ear of corn.

• Charlie in the corn field and locates the sample corn stalk marked with blue ribbon
• Kathy shows Charlie how to measure the ear of corn
• Charlie learns how to measure ears of corn
• Charlie measures ears of corn
• Charlie with NASDA Supervisor Mary Ketelsen