Reply to Public Comment - Jean Public

United States Department of Agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service

August 6, 2014

Dear Ms. Jean Public,

The mission of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is to provide timely, reliable, and accurate agricultural information to private industry, the public, and governmental sectors.  NASS regularly reviews and evaluates programs based on industry and data user input. We carefully examine questionnaires and published reports to make sure they provide the data users with useful information to help them make informed decisions.

NASS is a non-regulatory agency within the USDA. We collect and publish unbiased data that are used by politicians in making objective decisions. Our questionnaires are designed to collect accurate, timely data in the most cost effective manner as possible. This information is useful to the American livestock farmers, livestock markets, slaughter houses, meat packing facilities, cold storage operations, and numerous other groups. This information is necessary to help bring stability to the meat industry and to keep prices from fluctuating on a daily basis.

I trust this response helps address your concerns.

Best regards,

David Hancock

NASS OMB Clearance Officer

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.