Soybean Producers Endorsement

September 2006
Dear Fellow Farmer:
You have been selected for an extremely important role: as one of the 2006 participants in the
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 conventional soybeans,
organic soybeans, rice and wheat. Your participation is crucial to ensure that soybean producers
are properly represented in the national sample. Every producer surveyed represents more than
100 other producers. 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 producers 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 crop industry – whether producers, 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 soybean producers throughout the United States, I thank you in advance
for your service to agriculture through participation in this important program.
Sincerely,

Richard Ostlie, President
American Soybean Association