Cover Letter

United States Department of Agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service

December XX, 2015

Dear Producer,

Enclosed are your Bee and Honey and Annual Colony Loss Inquiry survey forms. Please take a few minutes to respond to both. Your answers, combined with those from other apiarists across the United States, will help us accurately gauge U.S. honey production and value. With the growing interest in honeybee health, the results of these surveys will also help accurately measure the scope of problems your sector faces, such as the Colony Collapse Disorder.

As a honey producer, your participation is important. You have the following ways to respond:

• Online at www.agcounts.usda.gov beginning DATE. Responding online is the easiest, fastest and most secure way to complete your survey. All you need is the identification number on the enclosed forms to begin.

• By mail or fax. Complete the enclosed questionnaire and mail it back in the return envelope provided or fax it to (314) 595-9990.

If you do not respond by January XX, 2016, we may contact you to arrange a telephone or personal interview.

As required by Federal law, your responses are completely confidential. We safeguard the privacy of all respondents, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified.

We will publish the survey results in the annual Honey report, to be released in March 2016, and the annual Honey Bee Colonies report in May 2016.

Thank you in advance for your responding to the surveys and for your support of U.S. agriculture.

Sincerely,

Joseph T. Reilly

Administrator

U.S. Department of Agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service

Enclosures

1400 Independence Avenue, SW · Washington, D.C. 20250

www.nass.usda.gov

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.