Reply Letter to Dr. Dennis Fixler BEA

United States Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural Statistics Service

December 5, 2022

Dr. Dennis J. Fixler
Chief Economist
U.S. Department of Commerce
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Washington, DC 20233

Dear Dr. Fixler and Ms. Burrell,
Thank you for the letter of support and sharing the specific uses the Bureau of Economic
Analysis (BEA) has for the data from the Objective Yield Surveys. NASS evaluates our
programs on a regular basis to see what changes can be made to improve and strengthen our data
in order to better serve the needs of our data users.
I will share that the notice seen in the Federal Register has an error that will be corrected in the
supporting statements and 30-day public comment period. The notice mentions that “The
Objective Yield Surveys objectively predict yields for corn, cotton, potatoes, soybeans, wheat,
citrus, almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts.” Potatoes was left in erroneously. Potatoes were
removed from the Objective Yield ICR from the substantive change request on February, 2020
(https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/DownloadDocument?objectID=100742601). The estimated
burden reported in the 60-day notice is accurate and does not include potatoes.
We will keep you informed of any other modifications through Federal Register Notices.
Again, many thanks!
Sincerely,

JOSEPH
PARSONS

Digitally signed by
JOSEPH PARSONS
Date: 2022.12.07 13:50:39
-05'00'

Joseph L. Parsons
Chair, Agricultural Statistics Board
U.S. Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural Statistics Service

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