SuptStmt- Part B New Direct Marketing Directories 02-14-14

2014 Supporting Statement – Part B

Farmers Market Questionnaire

0581-New

B. COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

1. DESCRIBE (INCLUDING A NUMERICAL ESTIMATE) THE POTENTIAL RESPONDENT UNIVERSE AND ANY SAMPLING OR OTHER RESPONDENT SELECTION METHOD TO BE USED. DATA ON THE NUMBER OF ENTITIES (E.G., ESTABLISHMENTS, STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS, HOUSEHOLDS, OR PERSONS) IN THE UNIVERSE COVERED BY THE COLLECTION AND IN THE CORRESPONDING SAMPLE ARE TO BE PROVIDED IN TABULAR FORM FOR THE UNIVERSE AS A WHOLE AND FOR EACH OF THE STRATA IN THE PROPOSED SAMPLE. INDICATE EXPECTED RESPONSE RATES FOR THE COLLECTION AS A WHOLE. IF THE COLLECTION HAD BEEN CONDUCTED PREVIOUSLY, INCLUDE THE ACTUAL RESPONSE RATE ACHIEVED DURING THE LAST COLLECTION.

The estimate for the respondent universe is as follows:

On-Farm Markets 50,000 operations

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA’s) 6,500 operations

Food Hubs 250 operations

Total 56,750 operations

The data developed by this information collection will be used to populate three on-line direct marketing directories in these three marketing channels.

There is no sampling procedure used in this collection.

2. DESCRIBE THE PROCEDURES FOR THE COLLECTION OF INFORMATION INCLUDING:

- STATISTICAL METHODOLOGY FOR STRATIFICATION AND SAMPLE SELECTION;

- ESTIMATION PROCEDURE;

- DEGREE OF ACCURACY NEEDED FOR THE PURPOSE DESCRIBED IN THE JUSTIFICATION;

- UNUSUAL PROBLEMS REQUIRING SPECIALIZED SAMPLING PROCEDURES, AND

- ANY USE OF PERIODIC (LESS FREQUENT THAN ANNUAL) DATA COLLECTION CYCLES TO REDUCE BURDEN.

AMS has developed e-mail address lists for a large portion of farm operators in each direct marketing channel and continues efforts to gather additional e-mail addresses of, on-farm markets, CSA’s and food hubs operators. Upon the launch of these directories anticipated in June 2014, AMS will send out invitation e-mails to operators encouraging them list their operation in one or more of USDA’s Local Direct Marketing Directories. In addition AMS will announce the launch of the Directories on the Department’s website, contact appropriate farmer associations, and State Departments of Agriculture. These stakeholders will be informed that the directory listing forms are available and can be completed online and we will provide them with the address of the directory listing forms website.

We will again be working with Michigan State University’s Department of Community Agriculture Recreation and Resource Studies to develop the directory form website as we did when developing USDA’s National Farmers Market Directory. In addition to website development, MSU will develop the database used to save the data of farm operators listing in one or more of the direct marketing directories and will import that raw data into an SPSS database which will be used to develop each of the on-line directories.

No sampling procedure or stratification is required for this collection.

3. DESCRIBE METHODS TO MAXIMIZE RESPONSE RATES AND TO DEAL WITH ISSUES OF NON-RESPONSE. THE ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY OF INFORMATION COLLECTED MUST BE SHOWN TO BE ADEQUATE FOR INTENDED USES. FOR COLLECTIONS BASED ON SAMPLING, A SPECIAL JUSTIFICATION MUST BE PROVIDED FOR ANY COLLECTION THAT WILL NOT YIELD "RELIABLE" DATA THAT CAN BE GENERALIZED TO THE UNIVERSE STUDIED.

AMS will make every effort to contact all farm operators in each of the three direct marketing channels as outline in question 2 above.

4. DESCRIBE ANY TESTS OF PROCEDURES OR METHODS TO BE UNDERTAKEN. TESTING IS ENCOURAGED AS AN EFFECTIVE MEANS OF REFINING COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION TO MINIMIZE BURDEN AND IMPROVE UTILITY. TESTS MUST BE APPROVED IF THEY CALL FOR ANSWERS TO IDENTICAL QUESTIONS FROM 10 OR MORE RESPONDENTS. A PROPOSED TEST OR SET OF TESTS MAY BE SUBMITTED FOR APPROVAL SEPARATELY OR IN COMBINATION WITH THE MAIN COLLECTION OF INFORMATION.

AMS has tested this collection instrument with MSD staff to evaluate the time necessary to complete the questionnaire and to evaluate the instrument for understanding and clarity.

5. PROVIDE THE NAME AND TELEPHONE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS CONSULTED ON STATISTICAL ASPECTS OF THE DESIGN AND THE NAME OF THE AGENCY UNIT, CONTRACTOR(S), GRANTEE(S), OR OTHER PERSON(S) WHO WILL ACTUALLY COLLECT AND/OR ANALYZE THE INFORMATION FOR THE AGENCY.

AMS has consulted with David Hancock of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistical Service (202-690-2388) and Dr. Edward Mahoney Director of the Center for Economic and Spatial Analysis for Planning and Management, Professor Emeritus, Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies, Michigan State University. The AMS/MSD employee who will collect and/or analyze the directory information is Edward Ragland (202-690-1327).

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