As farmers finalize their planting decisions this spring, they are surely taking a hard look at their cost of production and expected prices for corn and soybeans to see how those factors affect their overall farm business.

Just as farmers complete this exercise for their individual farm, it is also important to monitor the financial health of the entire farm sector. To measure the current condition of U.S. agriculture, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is conducting the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS).

The ARMS project is one way USDA and producers work together to provide meaningful, accurate, and objective information to help monitor the financial health of the farm...