United States Department of Agriculture

Hello! I am Cheryl Turner the Ohio State Statistician for USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). I grew up in Maryland but received my master's degree in statistics from Virginia Tech. I am a huge football fan! Actually, I am a huge sports fan in general. I follow the Buckeyes, Virginia Tech, Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh teams, and the Baltimore Orioles.

I started working for NASS immediately after graduating from Virginia Tech. I began my career in the Remote Sensing Section of NASS headquarters in Washington, D.C. Remote Sensing uses satellite imagery to determine which crops are in the fields. I worked in Washington D.C. for about two years before moving to the great state of Ohio in 1990.

My first job assignment in Ohio was working with data collection and surveys. I was out in the fields collecting data, working with enumerators and farm operators. I loved being in the fields, loved my job! Next, I started setting estimates – for example, how many acres of corn are in Ohio? How many bushels of soybeans are stored on farms in Ohio? How many milk cows are in Ohio? After setting estimates for a few years, I became the State Statistician – the best job yet! I am the face of agricultural statistics in Ohio. I attend farm shows and conferences. I talk and interact with the farm community. I explain why it is important to respond to our surveys and how they benefit the agricultural community and agricultural programs. The farm bill is merely one example of NASS data being used to help Ohio farmers.

NASS does important work and is a great place to work. Stop by and visit me at the Farm Science Review or at the State Fair. We can talk about agriculture – or football!