Editors' Notebook

I've always been more of a listener than the guy who stands up and speaks his mind every chance he gets. Maybe it goes back to my childhood when I spoke up to Dad at a few of the wrong times and almost wound up in the irrigation ditch. I still believe there are times when it's better to just shut up and listen. But as I've learned over the years, there are times when you need to speak up or people forget you're in the room, or they may only hear the voices of a noisy few who have no idea what they're talking about.

This is one of those times when farmers need to speak up. USDA's NASS sent out the 2012 Census of Agriculture to farm and ranch operators in late December and is now reminding everyone to fill out the forms and return them by the deadline on Feb. 4. If you didn't receive the forms in the mail or lost your forms, you can call toll-free (888) 424-7828 or visit www.agcensus.usda.gov.

If you're like most of us, you probably grumble at having to fill out yet another time-consuming form. And, let's be honest, we're all a little cautious about how much we want the government to know about our lives. But when it comes to the Ag Census, it's critical farmers put aside those concerns and make their voices heard. As the folks at NASS point out on the Census of Agriculture website, the Census provides the only source of uniform, comprehensive and impartial agriculture data for every county in the U.S. The information that's collected -- and kept confidential -- is used by federal, state and local governments, agribusinesses, trade associations and many others to shape farm polices, programs and services. Not to mention that it's the law that everyone who receives a Census report form must respond.

Lately, we've been hearing more and more about how agriculture isn't as "relevant" now as it used to be. I don't know about you, but when someone tells me I'm not relevant anymore, I don't take that lying down. This is your opportunity to speak up and show the rest of the country that agriculture and rural America does still matter.

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