ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONS

• Citation: 7 CFR Part 3600
• Sections: 5

§ 3600.1 General.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) was established on April 17, 1986, by Secretary's Memorandum 1020-24, which renamed the Statistical Reporting Service concurrent with an internal restructuring. Primary NASS responsibilities are development and dissemination of national and State agricultural statistics, statistical research, and coordination of Department statistical programs.

§ 3600.2 Organization.

The headquarters organization consists of: The Administrator and Associate Administrator; Deputy Administrator for Field Operations; Four Divisions: Estimates, Survey Management, Research, and Systems and Information; and the Agricultural Statistics Board. In the field, each of the 45 State Statistical Offices, serving the 50 States, is under a State Statistician.

§ 3600.3 Functions.

(a) Administrator. The Administrator is responsible for the formulation of current, intermediate, and long-range policies and plans to carry out a broad statistical program for the agricultural sector and Departmental functions and activities assigned to NASS. Specific functions are:

(1) Administering an agricultural statistics program which includes estimates of production, marketings, inventories, and selected economic characteristics of the U.S. agricultural and rural economy.

(2) Administering a methodological research program to improve agricultural data collection and processing, data management, estimation, and forecasting.

(3) Administering programs to conduct surveys for other agencies, improve statistics through statistical standards for the Department, and coordinate statistical methods and techniques within the Federal Government.

(4) Administering statistical programs jointly developed through cooperative agreements with State agencies, universities, private groups, and other Federal agencies.

(5) Administering selected international agricultural statistics programs which provide foreign technical assistance, training on statistical methodology for developing countries, and exchange of information.

(b) Associate Administrator. The Associate Administrator is responsible for advising and counseling the Administrator and high-level policy officials on matters related to programs of NASS. Major functions include:

(1) Chairing Agricultural Statistics Board activities, designating Board membership, presiding at Board sessions, and formulating specific procedures.

(2) Chairing the NASS Strategic Planning Council which coordinates long-range planning, information resources management, and research reviews.

(3) Chairing the Resource Management Council which coordinates NASS hiring, promotion, and training activities.

(c) Deputy Administrator for Field Operations. The Deputy Administrator manages and coordinates data collection and estimating programs carried out by State Statistical Offices. This includes supervision of statistical programs with cooperating State and private groups, universities, and other Federal agencies. Major functions include:

(1) Formulating policies and programs that relate to functions and responsibilities of State Statistical Offices.

(2) Directing agricultural statistics programs established through cooperative agreements with State Departments of Agriculture, Land-Grant colleges and universities, or appropriate private organizations.

(3) Establishing and maintaining relationships with respondents, producers, commodity groups, data users, and other interested groups to gain cooperation in providing useful, timely, and reliable information.

(d) Director, Estimates Division. The Director is responsible for NASS estimating and forecasting programs. Major functions include:

(1) Defining input and output requirements, estimators and variances to be utilized, statistical standards, editing and summarization requirements, and analytic procedures.

(2) Collaborating with the Chairperson of the Agricultural Statistics Board to establish the annual programs of statistical reports.

(3) Developing appropriate systems parameters; processing, summarizing, and presenting current survey and related historical data for Agricultural Statistics Board analysis; and preparing official estimates and forecasts.

(e) Director, Survey Management Division. The Director is responsible for application of survey design and data collection methodologies to the agricultural statistics program. Major functions include:

(1) Constructing and maintaining appropriate sampling frames for agricultural and rural surveys.

(2) Designing, testing, and establishing survey techniques and standards, including sample design, sample selection, questionnaires, data collection methods, survey materials, and training methods for NASS.

(3) Reviewing specifications for special data collection activities for programs of other Federal or State agencies.

(f) Director, Research Division. The Director is responsible for researching statistical methodology for survey design, data collection, processing, estimating, and forecasting. Major functions include:

(1) Conducting statistical research to develop new and improved sampling techniques, develop improved data collection methods, and identify methods of controlling sampling and nonsampling errors.

(2) Researching statistical computing methods and developing efficient uses of computer technology including telecommunications, networking, and other applications.

(3) Developing new statistical theory and models and solving statistical problems, including numerical methods involving advanced mathematical statistics.

(g) Director, Systems and Information Division. The Director is responsible for NASS information management system and processing services. Specific functions are:

(1) Designing, maintaining, and providing access to an integrated and standardized information management system containing sampling frames, survey data, estimates, and administrative records utilized by NASS.

(2) Providing appropriate support for assisting users of the information management system through documentation, evaluation, training, and resolution of information management problems.

(3) Designing and issuing all reports releasing official State and national estimates and forecasts from NASS.

(h) Chairperson, Agricultural Statistics Board. The Chairperson reviews, prepares, and issues on specific dates, following approval by the Secretary of Agriculture as provided by law (7 U.S.C. 411a) and Departmental Regulation, the official State and national estimates relating to crop production, livestock and livestock products, dairy and dairy products, poultry and poultry products, stocks of agricultural commodities, value of farm products, farm inputs, and other assigned agricultural aspects.

§ 3600.4 Authority to act for the Administrator.

In the absence of the Administrator, the following officials are designated to serve as Acting Administrator in the order indicated:

Associate Administrator

Deputy Administrator for Field Operations

Director, Estimates Division

Director, Survey Management Division

Director, Systems and Information Division

Director, Research Division

Appendix A Appendix A to Part 3600—List of State Statistical Offices

Section 1. General

Information concerning NASS statistics programs and activities related to individual States may be obtained from the State Statistician, State Statistical Office, NASS, in the locations listed below.

Section 2. List of Addresses

Alabama, Sterling Centre, Suite 200, 4121 Carmichael Road, Montgomery, AL 36106-2872

Alaska, 809 South Chugach Street, Suite 4, Palmer, AK 99645

Arizona, 3003 North Central Avenue, Suite 950, Phoenix, AZ 85012

Arkansas, 3408 Federal Office Building, Little Rock, AR 72201

California, 1220 “N” Street, Room 243, Sacramento, CA 95814

Colorado, 645 Parfet Street, Suite W-201, Lakewood, CO 80215-5517

Delaware, Delaware Department of Agriculture Building, 2320 South Dupont Highway, Dover, DE 19901

Florida, 1222 Woodward Street, Orlando, FL 32803

Georgia, Stephens Federal Building, Suite 320, Athens, GA 30613

Hawaii, State Department of Agriculture Building, 1428 South King Street, Honolulu, HI 96814

Idaho, 2224 Old Penitentiary Road, Boise, ID 83712

Illinois, Illinois Department of Agriculture Building, 801 Sangamon Avenue, Room 54, Springfield, IL 62702

Indiana, 1148 AGAD Building, Purdue University, Room 223, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1148

Iowa, 833 Federal Building, 210 Walnut Street, Des Moines, IA 50309

Kansas, 632 S.W. Van Buren, Room 200, Topeka, KS 66603

Kentucky, Gene Snyder & Courthouse Building, 601 W. Broadway, Room 645, Louisville, KY 40202

Louisiana, 5825 Florida Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA 70806

Maryland, 50 Harry S Truman Parkway, Suite 202, Annapolis, MD 21401

Michigan, 201 Federal Building, Lansing, MI 48904

Minnesota, 8 East 4th Street, Suite 500, St. Paul, MN 55101

Mississippi, 121 North Jefferson Street, Jackson, MS 39201

Missouri, 601 Business Loop West, Suite 240, Columbia, MO 65203

Montana, Federal Building & U.S. Court House, Room 398, 301 S. Park Avenue, Helena, MT 59626

Nebraska, 100 Centennial Mall N., Room 273 Federal Building, Lincoln, NE 68508

Nevada, Max C. Fleischmann Agriculture Building, Room 232, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557

New Hampshire, 22 Bridge Street, Room 301, Concord, NH 03301

New Jersey, Health and Agriculture Building, Room 205, CN-330 New Warren Street, Trenton, NJ 08625

New Mexico, 2507 North Telshor Boulevard, Suite 4, Las Cruces, NM 88001

New York, Department of Agriculture & Markets, 1 Winners Circle, Albany, NY 12235

North Carolina, 2 W. Edenton Street, Raleigh, NC 27601-1085

North Dakota, 1250 Albrecht Boulevard, NDSU, Room 448, Fargo, ND 58105

Ohio, 200 N. High Street, New Federal Building, Room 608, Columbus, OH 43215

Oklahoma, 2800 North Lincoln Boulevard, Oklahoma City, OK 73105

Oregon, 1220 S.W. Third Avenue, Room 1735, Portland, OR 97204

Pennsylvania, 2301 N. Cameron Street, Room G-19, Harrisburg, PA 17110

South Carolina, 1835 Assembly Street, Room 1008, Columbia, SC 29201

South Dakota, 3528 S. Western Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD 57117

Tennessee, 440 Hogan Road, Holeman Office Building, Ellington Agricultural Center, Nashville, TN 37220-1626

Texas, 300 E. 8th Street, Federal Building, Room 504, Austin, TX 78701

Utah, 176 N. 2200 West—Suite 260, Salt Lake City, UT 84116

Virginia, 1100 Bank Street, Room 706, Richmond, VA 23219

Washington, 1111 Washington Street, SE, Olympia, WA 98504

West Virginia, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard E, Charleston, WV 25305

Wisconsin, 2811 Agriculture Drive, Madison, WI 53704

Wyoming, 504 W. 17th Street, Suite 250, Cheyenne, WY 82001