American Horse Council Press Release
Contact: Sarah A. Chase
schase@horsecouncil.org

AMERICAN HORSE COUNCIL REMINDS HORSE INDUSTRY TO PARTICIPATE IN 2007 USDA CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE

WASHINGTON, DC December 4, 2007 – The American Horse Council (AHC) is reminding all members of the horse owning community to participate in the 2007 Census of Agriculture being conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA census, taken every five years, is a count of U.S. farms, ranches and the people who operate them. A link to the Census can be found on the front page of the AHC’s web site: www.horsecouncil.org

The USDA reports that the 2007 Census of Agriculture will help to measure land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures and many other areas. The AHC wants to ensure that the American horse industry is properly accounted for in the upcoming Census.

If your farm received a survey for census participation in the past (the last census was taken in 2002), the USDA will mail your farm a survey that you can fill in and mail back.

If your farm was not part of the 2002 Census, or you are not sure if you participated, you can fill out a basic USDA census registration form online by following the link from the AHC’s web site: www.horsecouncil.org. Once this form is submitted online, a survey will be mailed to you.

Beginning in late December 2007, the Census survey will be available to all farm owners and operators to fill out online even if they have not pre-registered.

Census forms will be mailed on December 28, 2007. The mailing will include further instructions about how to log in and respond to the Census via a secure web connection. All Census forms must be completed by February 2, 2008. Additional information on the 2007 Census of Agriculture can be found on the USDA’s web site: www.agcesnus.usda.gov.

For more information about the American Horse Council, please visit: www.horsecouncil.org or call 202-296-4031.

As the national association representing all segments of the horse industry in Washington, D.C., the American Horse Council works daily to represent equine interests and opportunities. Organized in 1969, the AHC promotes and protects the industry by communicating with Congress, federal agencies, the media and the industry on behalf of all horse related interests each and every day.

The AHC is member supported by individuals and organizations representing virtually every facet of the horse world from owners, breeders, veterinarians, farriers, breed registries and horsemen's associations to horse shows, race tracks, rodeos, commercial suppliers and state horse councils.