WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2008 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) announced that the annual meeting of the Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics (ACAS) will take place in Louisville, Ky., Feb. 25-26.

Each year the committee meets to advise the Secretary of Agriculture and NASS on the scope, content and timing of surveys and the five-year census of agriculture. The 25 committee members represent a broad range of agricultural disciplines and interests.

Items to be discussed at this year's meeting include USDA's information technology consolidation efforts and annual NASS program priorities. The committee will also look at ongoing NASS programs such as the County Estimates, Dairy Prices and Environmental and Chemical Use programs, as well as surveys such as the Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey, Energy Survey and Agricultural Resource Management Survey.

The meeting, which is open to the public, will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb. 25 and 26 at the Marriott - Louisville Downtown, 280 West Jefferson St., Louisville, Ky. There will be an opportunity for public questions and comments at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 26.

For more information about the ACAS, link to: http://www.nass.usda.gov/About_NASS/Advisory_Committee
_on_Agriculture_Statistics/index.asp