AUSTIN — Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples has urged Texas farmers and ranchers to be on the lookout for a 2007 Census of Agriculture questionnaire and to promptly complete and return the survey by the Monday, Feb. 4, deadline.

“Texas agriculture reached a milestone in 2007 — for the first time ever, we estimated farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses generated more than $100 billion in the state’s economy,” Staples said.

Conducted every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the census is a complete count of the nation’s farms and ranches and the people who operate them. The census looks at land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, and producer income and expenses.

Census questionnaires were mailed the last week of December. Producers can complete the questionnaire online through a secure Web site or return it in the envelope provided. Producers receiving a census questionnaire are required by law to return the form, even if they did not operate a farm or ranch in 2007. The same law also guarantees strict confidentiality of the reported information, which is not shared with any other state or federal agency.

“Federal lawmakers use census data to develop agricultural and rural programs, and community planners use the information to target needed services to rural residents,” said David Abbe, director of the Texas field office.