Sample Cover Letter

United States Department of Agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service

[Your] Field Office

[Date]

Dear Reporter:

Enclosed is your 2017 Refrigerated Storage Capacity Survey. Please complete the questionnaire at your earliest convenience. 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 that store 30 days or longer and store one of the 110 commodities collected in the Monthly Cold Storage Report. Your information is important.

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. Government agencies also use it to determine the number of plants, location, and amount of refrigerated space on a State and National basis. Instructions for determining gross and usable piling space is also included with the survey.

Please respond in one of the following ways:

• Online at www.agcounts.usda.gov beginning on September 23. Online reporting is fast, cost-effective, and secure. All you need is the 17-digit survey code on the enclosed form to begin.
  
  

• By mail or fax. Complete the survey questionnaire and mail it back in the return envelope provided or fax it to (855) 271-9801.

If we do not hear from you by November 24, 2017 we may contact you to arrange a telephone or personal interview.

The results of this survey will be available in aggregate form only, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified, as required by federal law. NASS will publish the survey results in late January in the Capacity of Refrigerated Warehouses report available at www.nass.usda.gov/Publications.

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

Sincerely,

[Name]

[State Statistician/Director/Title]

Enclosures

Mailing Address · City, State Zip

(000) 111-1111 · (000) 111-1111 FAX · www.nass.usda.gov

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, lender and employer.