The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently issued a survey to ascertain how the department can increase access to its programs and services.
The Nationwide Farmer, Rancher and Forest Manager Prospective Customer Survey is aimed at current and prospective customers, including those who have not previously worked with USDA, to offer feedback about the department's programs and services, according to a Nov. 9 USDA news release.
"A robust survey response that includes the perspectives of all of our customers, including underserved producers, will help USDA better understand the unique needs of both existing and prospective customers, while identifying opportunities to enhance government programs and services," USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Robert Bonnie said. "Please take the survey, especially if we haven't worked with you before. This survey will provide USDA with critical data to help USDA serve all of agriculture."
The survey will gather information on programs offered through USDA's Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Risk Management Agency. It is available in 14 languages including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Hmong, Korean, Navajo, Punjabi, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Urdu and Vietnamese, the release reported.
The survey completion deadline is March 31, 2023, according to the release.
The survey is an Office of Management and Budget requirement supported by President Joe Biden's administration's President’s Management Agenda, which identified Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service as high-impact service providers, the release reported.
"These agencies provide critical customer-facing services and are expected to use the survey data to make targeted improvements," the news release said.
