Agricultural Surveys Program

[Date]

Dear Mr./Ms. [Lastname]:

As a farmer, you rely on timely and accurate data to make informed business decisions that impact the success of your operation. This year, as you begin to evaluate selling and storage options, one of your most useful sources of information will be data from the June Agricultural Survey, conducted by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

The results of the June Agricultural Survey will provide the first clear indication of the potential production and supply of major commodities in the United States for the year. This information, as you well know, is highly anticipated by the entire agricultural community – from producers to international buyers, from elevators to transportation providers, and from processors to policymakers.

Your operation has been selected from a sample of all farms nationwide to participate in this survey, also referred to as the Crops/Stocks Survey. Your participation is vitally important, as your operation represents many others like it in [State] and around the nation.

Because we want to make it as simple as possible for you to participate in this important survey, we are offering you a number of options for reporting your information:

• You can fill out and mail back the enclosed survey form by [Date].

• You can follow the enclosed instructions for using our new, secure online response system.

• Or, if you would prefer to provide the information by phone or in person, a representative from the NASS [State] Field Office will contact you between May 29 and June XX.

You will be asked to provide information on the total number of acres planted, acres planted to specific commodities, and quantities of grains and oilseeds stored on your farm. Your responses will be combined with those of tens of thousands of your fellow producers nationwide and NASS will publish the results the annual Acreage report and the quarterly Grain Stocks report, both to be released June 29, 2007. These, and all NASS reports, are available online at www.nass.usda.gov.

Please be assured that your responses to this survey will be kept completely confidential, as required by federal law. NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondents and publishes only state- and national-level data, ensuring that no individual operation or grower can be identified.

Thank you in advance for your support of our programs and [State] agriculture. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact [Firstname Lastname] at (800) XXX-XXXX.

Sincerely,

[Director’s Name]

Director

Enclosures