Getting to know the numbers people at U.S. Department of Agriculture The National Agricultural Statistics Service, or NASS, an arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is a big part of American agriculture. It provides information that can help agriculturalists make better decisions. 5:30 am, May 12, 2021 × George Washington wasn't just America's first president. He also was the nation's first agricultural statistician, sending out eight survey questions on land values, prices and yields in 1791. Today, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, or NASS, an arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is carrying on that tradition, said Hubert Hamer, NASS administrator.