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.

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.

(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.

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

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.