Organic Survey Study
Cognitive Interviewing Guide
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POID: |
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PID: |
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Type of Operation (size, acreage, commodities, etc.): |
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Type of places they sold to (consumer, retail market, institution, intermediate market) |
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Date: |
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Before we begin, I want to tell you a little more about the project and what we will be doing today. The National Agricultural Statistics Service, known as NASS, will conduct the Organic Survey Study in 2025 and 2026. Response will be mandatory to the survey, but your participation today is voluntary.
Before NASS administers a survey, we want to ensure that everyone understands the questions and comprehends them in the same way. We are asking operators like you to review the questionnaire with us to see if the questions make sense to you and you are able to accurately answer the questions. During the interview today I am not as interested in collecting your exact answer to each question, but am more interested in understanding if it is possible for you to report the type of information at the level of detail we are asking about in each question.
First, I’ll have you fill out the first section of the questionnaire on your own. Please fill it out as if you received it in the mail for your operation and as if you were filling it out without me here. After you complete the first section, we will go back over some of the questions you answered. I am also going to ask you some follow-up questions on why you answered the way you did and what certain things meant to you when you answered. This will help us make sure that everyone who receives this questionnaire understands the questions and that it is easy to complete. We will continue to do this for each section of the questionnaire one-by-one.
Also, it is important for you to tell me if something in a question doesn’t make sense to you, a question seems hard to answer, the words in a question are hard to understand, or you have a hard time coming up with an answer. All of your answers and everything we discuss today will be kept completely confidential.
Show or read the OMB information to the respondent:
OMB No. 0535-0248
Approval Expires: 02/29/2028
The information you provide will be used for statistical purposes only. Your response will be kept confidential and any person who willfully discloses ANY identifiable information about you or your operation is subject to a jail term, a fine, or both. This survey is conducted in accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2018, Title III of Pub. L. No. 115-435, codified in 44 U.S.C. Ch. 35 and other applicable Federal laws. For more information on how we protect your information please visit: https://www.nass.usda.gov/confidentiality. Response is voluntary.
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB number is 0535-0248. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.
Do you have any questions on what we’re going to be doing today before we start?
[Hand the respondent the questionnaire and ask them to read the first section as if they had received this questionnaire in the mail. Have them circle anything that they find confusing or have a hard time answering. Have them stop after they have finished with the screening questions.]
INTERVIEWER NOTE:
Ask emergent probes as necessary, for example:
How did you arrive at an answer for this question? Can you tell me more?
Would you need records to answer this question? If so, tell me about these records.
What does this [insert term] mean to you?
I see you didn’t answer this question. Can you tell me why? <if the respondent asks for clarification, ask “what would you do if I weren’t here?”
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<Alternate between asking Questionnaire drafts with 2 and 3 reversed>. How did you arrive at the values for quantity in Item 2? What about pounds per unit? How about gross value of sales?
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<Alternate between asking Questionnaire drafts with 2 and 3 reversed>. How did you arrive at the values for quantity in Item 3? What about pounds per unit? How about gross value of sales?
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<Alternate between asking Questionnaire drafts with 2 and 3 reversed>. If you add values entered for commercial processing and fresh market, would they always equal the values entered for the total certified organic production sold? Why/why not?
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<Alternate between asking Questionnaire drafts with 2 and 3 reversed>. How did you arrive at the values for quantity in Item 2? What about pounds per unit? How about gross value of sales?
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<Alternate between asking Questionnaire drafts with 2 and 3 reversed>. How did you arrive at the values for quantity in Item 3? What about pounds per unit? How about gross value of sales?
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<Alternate between asking Questionnaire drafts with 2 and 3 reversed>. If you add values entered for commercial processing and fresh market, would they always equal the values entered for the total certified organic production sold? Why/why not?
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How did you arrive at the dollar amount for your seed, seedling, and planting stock expenses? Walk me through how you arrived at that amount. Could you tell me the total dollar amount you spent on all organic and non-organic seed, seedlings, and planting stocks? How?
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| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Hopper, Richard - REE-NASS, Washington, DC |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2025-05-27 |