Sample Cover Letter

United States Department of Agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service

[Date]

Dear Vegetable Producer:

Enclosed is the 2016 Vegetable Grower Inquiry questionnaire. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service is collecting information from vegetable growers on production, area of production, prices and sales of a variety of vegetable commodities. The results will provide an accurate overview of the vegetable industry for the most recent year.

Please respond to the survey in either of the following ways:

• Online at www.agcounts.usda.gov. Secure, online reporting is the easiest, fastest and most secure way to complete your survey. You need the identification number on the enclosed form to begin. Instructions are on the back of this letter.

• By mail. Complete the enclosed form and mail it back in the return envelope provided.

If you do not respond by [Date of Non-response calling], a representative from our office may contact you to arrange a telephone or personal interview. We will publish the survey results on [Month, XX, 2016] in the Vegetables Annual Summary, available at www.nass.usda.gov.

Thank you for participating and for your support of [State] agricultural statistics. If you have questions or concerns, please contact [Firstname Lastname] at (800) XXX-XXXX.

Sincerely,

[Director/State Statistician]

Enclosures