Reply to Public Comment from JWS - Saunders Brothers Inc - 06-13-2024

United States Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural Statistics Service

June 10, 2024

JWS
Saunders Brothers, Inc.
Virginia
Dear JWS:
Thank you for your letter pertaining to the National Agricultural Statistics Service’ (NASS)
intention to renew the surveys in the Agricultural Labor Information Collection Request (ICR).
Your support of the Agricultural Labor Survey is appreciated. Your submitted letter included
some recommendations for the upcoming Agricultural Labor Surveys and use of the summarized
data from the survey, which will be addressed here.
Thank you for your willingness to complete the Agricultural Labor Survey. To ensure you are
on NASS’ list of farmers, feel free to complete a short form on NASS’ public website at this
link: https://www.agcounts.usda.gov/static/get-counted.html. Information provided here will be
used to update NASS’ information (including how to contact you). Keep in mind that to
minimize respondent burden, NASS conducts sample surveys with the goal of representing all
types of farming operations. Hence, all farming operations do not receive an Agricultural Labor
Survey.
NASS is transparent in our methodologies for data collection and estimation of the farm labor
data. More information about how the survey is conducted is included in the Farm Labor
Methodology and Quality Measures documents that accompany each Farm Labor publication.
The Quality Measures document can be found at this link on NASS’ public website:
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Methodology_and_Data_Quality/Farm_Labor/index.php
Hopefully, the Farm Labor Methodology and Quality Measures documents will answer your
questions on how data are collected and summarized for the Agricultural Labor Survey.
The Farm Labor Methodology and Quality Measures and other documents pertaining to the
Agricultural Labor Survey along with a proposed questionnaire and other comments NASS
received will be made available later this summer for a 30-day public comment period. A
Federal Register Notice (FRN) for OMB Control Number 0535-0109 will be published when
that happens; the FRN will include instructions on how to review and comment further on the
survey before official action is taken by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
As a reminder, the U.S. Department of Labor is responsible for all policy and implementation of
the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR). Federal Register Notices on AEWR provide a
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Department of Labor contact for more information about AEWR. Federal Register Notices may
provide the public an opportunity to comment on proposed methodology changes for setting the
AEWR.
We will keep you informed of the progression of the Agricultural Labor Survey through Federal
Register Notices.
Sincerely,
signed by
LANCE Digitally
LANCE HONIG
Date: 2024.06.13
HONIG 10:26:17 -04'00'

Lance Honig
Chair, Agricultural Statistics Board
U.S. Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural Statistics Service