Farmers always look for new technology or better production practices to sustain their farm and the environment. The production practices and inputs used to grow a crop each year by individual farmers may differ depending on the weather, soil type, prices, and other variables, but it is important to track the combined progress being made by farmers.

To help track how production practices and input use change over time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) annually conducts the Agricultural Resources Management Survey (ARMS).

ARMS is the primary source of information on the production practices, resource use and...