[Sc-aquaponics] Ohio Aquaculture Industry needs Your Help!

[Alycia Brehm]

Fellow Aquatic Culturists,

Please do me, the Ohio Aquaculture Association, and our Ohio aquaculture
and aquaponics industry, the favor of completing the following request.
The 2018 Census of Aquaculture has been mailed out to Ohio aquaculture &
aquaponics farms that exist in the current USDA database.  *If you received
a form, please, please fill it out and return it.  The new deadline date is
now March 22, 2019 due to an extension granted to the industry because of
the government shutdown. *With sales records in front of me, I filled out
the survey in 20 minutes.  Those selling multiple species will require just
a few minutes extra.

If you did not receive a census, you can *request one* by contacting the
USDA National Aquaculture Statistics Service at 1-888-424-7828.  *Please do
so!!!!  *This includes operations who have never filled out a census.  New
farms are not in the USDA database but your data is nevertheless critical
for assessing the status of aquaculture & aquaponics in Ohio!  I'm really
interested in seeing how the Census documents the rapid expansion of
aquaponics in Ohio - can only be documented if aquaponics farms participate
in the Census.

Fish farmers across the U.S. often express the following concerns as
excuses for not participating.

1.  "*Other federal agencies, especially the IRS, will have access to my
data and cause me problems".*  This simply cannot come to fruition.  The
data of the Census of Aquaculture is protected by federal law (Title 7 USC
2204(g) Public Law 105-113), preventing individual data being distributed
to other agencies, requiring the USDA to keep all information confidential,
and to use the data only for statistical purposes.

2.  *"In some way, competitors will know my production data"*.  Not the
case.  The same law referenced above requires the USDA  to publish data in
the aggregate and provide only summary statistics to prevent disclosing the
identity of an individual producer or operation.  When there are only
several farms in a state growing a particular species or when one operation
produces a large majority of that species, the census publication uses the
notation "D" to avoid any inadvertent identification of an individual
facility via deduction.

My top 3 reasons to participate:

1.  Myself, the OAA, and the National Aquaculture Association can best
advocate on your behalf from a position of strength.  One metric of
strength available via the Census of Aquaculture is the current status of
U.S. and Ohio aquaculture and aquaponics industries.  Obviously we want an
expanding picture, so all producers need to participate.  *If our advocacy
position is weak, then others, including legislators, agencies, and NGO's,
will promote rules and laws that in many cases may not be favorable to your
farm.  *

2.  Legislators use Census data when shaping policies and programs, and
evaluating and determining government funding for aquatic culture.

3.  University researchers, extension specialists, and administrators use
the census data to justify funding and programs for research and extension
programs to advance aquaculture and aquaponics production and
profitability.

*Again, please participate!  If you don't, you are essentially handicapping
not only our industry but your own farm.  A strong industry position will
help you.  *

Thank you.

Bill Lynch
President, OAA


-- 

*Alycia Brehm*

*OAA Program Assistant*

*8120 Wesley Chapel Rd*

*West Liberty, OH 43357614-595-9308*
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