Respondent Letter

September 28, 2011

Dear Reporter:

The National Agricultural Statistics Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is conducting its 2011 Capacity Survey of Refrigerated Warehouses. Your help in completing the enclosed questionnaire is needed to accurately tabulate the number of refrigerated plants (public and private) and the storage capacity in these facilities.

The summary report tracks the growth and location of the cold storage warehouse industry. It is used by warehouse operators, food processors, people servicing the warehouse, and food processing industries (equipment suppliers, financial establishments, appraisers, industry analysts, etc.). Government agencies also use it to determine the number of plants, location, and amount of refrigerated space on a State and National basis.

Your prompt reply is appreciated. Data from your firm will be combined with others to maintain the confidentiality of individual reports. The published report will be sent to all respondents who request a copy by checking the box on the back of the questionnaire. The report will be published in late January 2012.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Joseph J. Prusacki, Director

Statistics Division

Enclosure