Sample Cover Letter - Capacity of Refrigerated Warehouses

United States Department of Agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service

[Your] Field Office

[Date]

Dear Reporter:

In addition to the Monthly Cold Storage Report, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is also collecting data for the biennial Refrigerated Storage Capacity Inquiry. Enclosed is your 2023 Refrigerated Storage Capacity Survey. Please complete the form at your earliest convenience. Your response is needed to accurately tabulate the number of refrigerated plants (public and private) and the storage capacity of 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 final report will show the growth and locations of the cold storage warehouse industry. The data are used by warehouse operators, food processors, people servicing the warehouse, and food processing industries. Government agencies also use the report to determine the number of plants, locations, and amount of refrigerated space on a state and national basis.

Instructions for determining gross and usable piling space is included with the survey. For your convenience, the capacity data you reported in 2021 has been printed on the report form.

Please respond in one of the following ways:

• Online at www.agcounts.usda.gov beginning September 23, 2023. Online reporting is fast and secure. All you need is your survey code on the enclosed form to begin.
  
  

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

If we do not hear from you by November 19, 2023, we may call you to arrange a telephone interview. To protect the health and safety of producers, partners, and employees, NASS has suspended in-person survey interviews until further notice.

The information you provide will be used for statistical purposes only. In accordance with federal law, your responses will be kept confidential and will not be disclosed in identifiable form. NASS will publish the survey results in late January 2024 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

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