Supplemental Supporting Statement Part B

Supporting Statement – Part B

LOCAL FOOD MARKETING PRACTICES SURVEY

OMB No. 0535-0259

B. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

1. Describe (including a numerical estimate) the potential respondent universe and any sampling or other respondent selection method to be used. Data on the number of entities (e.g., establishments, State and local government units, households, or persons) in the universe covered by the collection and in the corresponding sample are to be provided in tabular form for the universe as a whole and for each of the strata in the proposed sample. Indicate expected response rates for the collection as a whole. If the collection has been conducted previously, include the actual response rate achieved during the last collection.

The target population for the Local Food Marketing Practices Survey is any farm that sells its products through one of the four marketing channels: 1) Consumers, 2) Retail Markets, 3) Institutions, and 4) Intermediate Markets. In 1975 the USDA, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Census Bureau agreed on a definition of a farm that is still in use today: “A farm is currently defined, for statistical purposes, as any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural goods (crops or livestock) were sold or normally would have been sold during the year under consideration.”

This substantive change request is to add an additional 30,000 farms to the already-approved sample of approximately 37,000. The additional samples will be drawn from NASS’s list frame and will consist of agricultural operations with unknown presence of local foods activity.

2. Describe the procedures for the collection of information including:

• statistical methodology for stratification and sample selection,

• estimation procedure,

• degree of accuracy needed for the purpose described in the justification,

• unusual problems requiring specialized sampling procedures

In 2020, the original Local Foods Marketing Practices Survey (LFMPS) Sampling Frame was comprised of operations in all states on NASS’s List Frame that reported direct market sales in the 2017 Census of Agriculture (CoA) or had a NASS List Frame direct market sales indicator. For this substantive change request, the LFMPS Sampling Frame was updated to also include operations in all states on NASS’s List Frame without a direct market sales indicator, i.e., operations with unknown direct market sales.

The LFMPS Sampling Frame’s first level of stratification, within region and state (Table 1), was direct sales type. Direct Sales Type is defined as Operations:

1. (Included in the original approval) Operations that reported direct market sales on the 2017 CoA (Type 1):

   1. Directly to consumers, and/or

   2. Indirectly to consumers.

2. Operations that did not report direct market sales on the 2017 CoA and;

   1. (Included in the original approval) Have a direct market sales indicator on NASS’s List Frame (Type 2), or

   2. (Included in this change request) Do not have a direct market sales indicator on NASS’s List Frame (Type 3).

For Type 1, the second level of stratification used 2017 CoA reported sales value as a measure of size. For Types 2 and 3, the second level of stratification was based on the type of commodities the operation produced/raised.

The samples for Region-State-Types 1 and 2 strata combinations were selected in 2020. The following sample size determination process pertains to Region-State-Type 3 stratum combinations.

The Region-State-Type 3 stratum combinations were defined similarly for the 2015 LFMPS Sampling Frame. The sample size determination process utilized 2015 Region-State-Type 3 stratum combination sample sizes and resulting number of usable reports to derive the initial sample size necessary to target useable reports – in 2021 - for each Region-State-Type 3 strata-combinations. The initial sample size was increased to 30,000 to account for a reduced follow-on data collection strategy.

Table 1: Region Definitions
Region 1	Region 2	Region 3	Region 4	Region 5	Region 6	Region 7
Arizona California Colorado Nevada New Mexico Utah Hawaii	Connecticut Delaware Maine Maryland Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Rhode Island Vermont	Alaska Idaho Montana Oregon Washington Wyoming	Iowa Kansas Minnesota Missouri Nebraska North Dakota South Dakota	Alabama Arkansas Louisiana Mississippi Oklahoma Texas	Florida Georgia Kentucky North Carolina South Carolina Tennessee Virginia West Virginia	Illinois Indiana Michigan Ohio Wisconsin

3. Describe methods to maximize response rates and to deal with issues of non-response. The accuracy and reliability of information collected must be shown to be adequate for intended uses. For collections based on sampling a special justification must be provided for any collection that will not yield "reliable" data that can be generalized to the universe studied.

As with the approved sample, NASS will provide operations in the additional sample with a variety of modes for completing the survey, including internet, mail, and telephone. A customer service phone number is included at the top of the questionnaire in case respondents have any questions.

Initially, a sealed letter will be mailed to all respondents giving them a secure access code to go on line and complete the survey using our Computer Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) system. Non-respondents will then be mailed a cover letter with the questionnaire that will again describe the importance of the data and how it will be used, as well as explain that individual data will be kept confidential. Instructions on how to access the CAWI questionnaire will be provided again along, with a return envelope if respondents prefer to complete the paper version and mail it back. After up to three attempts by mail, and if the response rate is lower than expected, or to ensure sufficient coverage, NASS will contact a subset of the remaining non-respondents by telephone.

Survey data are subject to non-sampling errors such as omissions and mistakes in reporting and in processing the data. Error is minimized by carefully reviewing all reported data for consistency and reasonableness.

4. Describe any tests of procedures or methods to be undertaken.

There is no change to this item from the original approval.

5. Provide the name and telephone number of individuals consulted on statistical aspects of the design and the name of the agency unit, contractor(s), or other person(s) who will actually collect and/or analyze the information for the agency.

NASS is conducting the Local Food Marketing Practices Survey through its Census and Survey Division. The Census Planning Branch Chief is Donald Buysse, (202) 690-8747.

Sample design is developed by NASS’s Sample Design Section. The Branch Chief is Mark Apodaca, (202) 720-2857.

The samples and survey data are reviewed by NASS Summary, Estimation, and Disclosure Methodology Branch, Methodology Division. The Branch Chief is Jeff Bailey, (202)720-4008.

Data collection is normally carried out by NASS Regional Field Offices; Eastern Field Operation’s Director is Jody McDaniel, (202) 720-3638 and the Western Field Operation’s Director is Troy Joshua (202) 720-8220.

October 2021