Apple Producers Endorsement

August 27, 2007
Dear Fellow Grower:
You have been selected for an extremely important role: to participate in the 2007 Agricultural
Resource Management Survey (ARMS) Phase II conducted by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in collaboration with the
Economic Research Service (ERS).
This year, ARMS will focus on the production practices used to grow apples. Your participation
is crucial to ensure that apple growers are properly represented in the national sample. Every
response counts! A NASS representative will interview you about your crop production
practices, cost of production, chemical applications, pest management practices, and irrigation.
Your participation in this survey will help show how growers use fertilizers and pesticides
responsibly, and apply beneficial land stewardship practices as you produce an abundant and safe
food supply for America and the world.
Everyone in the agricultural industry – whether growers, buyers, suppliers or others – relies on
this information to make sound business decisions. As we all know, conditions can change
almost overnight due to weather, pests, disease and other factors. But your cooperation ensures
that NASS is able to provide a timely, accurate, unbiased report on the current state of
agricultural crop production according to the frontline source – YOU, the grower.
Rest assured that your survey responses 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 from this survey, ensuring that no individual operation or grower can be
identified.
On behalf of your fellow apple growers throughout the United States, I thank you in advance for
your service to agriculture through participation in this important program.
Sincerely,

Nancy Foster, President & CEO
U.S. Apple Association
703 442-8850
800 781-4443
fax 703 790-0845
Web site www.usapple.org
8233 Old Courthouse Road, Suite 200 Ì Vienna, VA 22182-3816 USA