Information Quality
OCE Information Quality
In compliance with the requirement of the USDA Information Quality Guidelines, this page provides information pertaining to request for correction of information disseminated by the Office of the Chief Economist (OCE).
The USDA Information Quality Guidelines correction mechanisms are not intended to imply any rights of individuals to request amendments of their own records beyond those permitted by the Privacy Act of 1974 or other organization specific laws.
Where to Submit a Formal Request for Correction
All requests for correction of OCE information must be submitted by letter, fax, or email to:
Cindy Nickerson
OCE Quality of Information Officer
USDA/OCE
J.L. Whitten Building, Room 112-A
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20250
E-mail: Cindy.Nickerson@usda.gov
Telephone: 202-720-2455
Fax: 202-690-4915
Information to be Submitted with a Request for Correction
To seek a correction of information, please submit a written request as follows:
- State that your request for correction of information is submitted under Section 515 of Public Law 106-554 or under USDA's Information Quality Guidelines.
- Include your name, mailing address, fax number (or e-mail address), telephone number, and organizational affiliation, if any.
- Clearly describe the information you believe to be in error and want corrected. Include the name of OCE's publication, report or information product, the date of its issuance, and a detailed description of the information you feel should be corrected.
- State in detail why you feel the information should be corrected and, if possible, recommend specifically how it should be corrected. Please clarify which USDA Information Quality Guidelines were not followed or were not sufficient. Provide documentary evidence, such as comparable data, which will help in our review.
- Explain how you use the information and how you have been harmed by the alleged error
We do not intend this guidance to be a set of legally binding requirements. However, we may be unable to meet your request in a timely fashion, or at all, if you omit one or more of these elements. We do not intend to imply that, as an individual, you have any rights to request amendment of your own records beyond those permitted by the Privacy Act of 1974 or other organization specific laws.
Agency Review of Requests
Based on its review of the information you provide, OCE will:
- Determine whether a correction is warranted and, if so, what action to take. The nature, influence, and timeliness of the information involved, the significance of the correction, and the magnitude of the effort will be considered in deciding the level of review and any corrective action.
- Respond to you by letter, e-mail, or fax within 20 working days. Our response will explain the findings of the review and the actions we will take. If your request will require more than 20 working days to resolve, we will state the reason for the additional time and provide an estimated decision date.
- Inform you of your appeal rights and the appeal process, if your request will not be met.
Public Disclosure of Requests for Correction of Information Disseminated by OCE and Requests for Reconsideration of OCE Decisions.
Requests for Correction Received By OCE
May 14, 2015: Bill Bullard, CEO, R-CALF, United Stock Growers of America
- Letter of Request (PDF, 296 KB)
- Attachment 1 USDA Cool Report 2015 (PDF, 2.0 MB)
- Attachment 2 House Agriculture Committee Anti Cool News Release (PDF, 147 KB)
- Attachment 3 NCBA, AMI Motion for Injunction (PDF, 287 KB)
- Attachment 4 Exhibit 1 of NCBA, AMI Motion for Injunction (PDF, 6.1 MB)
- Attachment 5 Kansas State university Article Mandatory Cool Still Detrimental to Trade (PDF, 184 KB)
- Attachment 6 Taylor and Tonsor Study (PDF, 105 KB)
- Attachment 7 Promotion of Anti Cool Views (PDF, 86.2 KB)
- Attachment 8 Sparks Cover Letter and Study (PDF, 197 KB)
- Attachment 9 NCBA Commissioned Sparks Study (PDF, 872 KB)
- Attachment 10 Informa Study on GIPSA Rule (PDF, 120 KB)
- Attachment 11 Consumer Willingness to Pay for Cue Attributes (PDF, 11.8 MB)
- Attachment 12 Parcell Study with Study Citations (PDF, 514 KB)
- Attachment 13 Food Demand Survey (PDF, 742 KB)
- Attachment 14 USDA, GIPSA Cool Investigation (PDF, 3.9 MB)
July 10, 2015: Response Enclosure
June 4, 2015: Initial Response from Robert Johansson, Acting Chief Economist, US Department of Agriculture (PDF, 82.8 KB)
Requests for Reconsideration of OCE Decisions
No Requests for Reconsideration Have Been Received from October 2002 through the present.
Privacy Act Statement
USDA is authorized to obtain certain information under Section 515 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (Public Law No. 106-554, codified at 44 U.S.C. 3516, note). Information is needed by USDA to process the request for correction and allow USDA to reply accordingly. This information is needed by USDA to respond to the requestor and initiate follow-up contact with the requestor if required. Requestors should not send USDA their Social Security Number. Requestors are advised that they do not have to furnish the information but failure to do so may prevent their request from being processed. The information requestors furnish is almost never used for any purpose other than to process and respond to their request. However, USDA may disclose information to a congressional office in response to an inquiry made on behalf of the requestor, to the Department of Justice, a court, other tribunal when the information is relevant and necessary to litigation, or to a contractor or another Federal agency to help accomplish a function related to this process.
