Sample Cover Letter - Capacity of Refrigerated Warehouses

United States Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural Statistics Service

September 23, 2023
Why am I getting this letter?
Enclosed is your biennial Cold Storage Capacity Survey. Your
participation is important. The information collected is needed
to accurately tabulate the number of refrigerated plants (public
and private) and the storage capacity of these facilities. Please
complete the questionnaire at your earliest convenience.
You may receive an email reminder to complete your survey.
If we do not receive your completed questionnaire by
Thursday, November 9, 2023, we may contact you for an
interview. For your convenience, some previously reported
data may be prefilled on the online report form.

What should I do next?
Complete your survey in one of the
following ways:
Online at
www.agcounts.usda.gov. Online
reporting is fast and secure. All
you need is the unique survey
code on the enclosed form to
begin.
By mail or fax. Complete the
questionnaire and mail it back in
the prepaid envelope provided or
fax it to 855-415-3687.

How will the data be used?
The information collected 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.
We recommend you respond online. On the Respondent Portal, you can complete your surveys, track
upcoming surveys, access data visualizations and reports of interest, link to other USDA agencies, and
more.
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. We will publish
the data in January 2024 in the Capacity of Refrigerated Warehouses report at
nass.usda.gov/publications and in NASS’s searchable database, Quick Stats, at quickstats.nass.usda.gov.
Thank you for your participation and support of U.S. agriculture. For more information about this survey,
visit nass.usda.gov/Surveys/Guide_to_NASS_Surveys/Cold_Storage. If you need assistance, please contact
us at 888-424-7828.
Sincerely,
Joseph L. Parsons
Chair, Agricultural Statistics Board
National Agricultural Statistics Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue, SW · Washington, D.C. 20250
www.nass.usda.gov
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