Farmers and ranchers making their own electricity and other forms of energy will be the focus of a new survey from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The first national On-Farm Energy Production Survey will focus on the use of wind turbines, solar panel, anaerobic digesters and other methods of energy generation. This survey is a followup to the 2007 Census of Agriculture.

"Given the growing national interest in energy efficiency, this survey is especially timely," Bob Battaglia, director of the Wisconsin field office of the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, said in a news release.

The surveys will be sent to farmers and ranchers nationwide who indicated on the 2007 survey that they were engaged in on-farm energy production. For more information about the survey, go here.

Story by Bill Novak, The Capitol Times, Madison, WI