Emails between Office of the Secretary of Agriculture and National Pork Producers Council

Good afternoon, Julieta Cardenas

The USDA Office of Information Affairs (OIA) has received the attached FOIA request you submitted online. As a preliminary matter, your request is overly broad and will need refining in order to perform a search.

We do not have the ability to perform a broad, agency-wide search of all email accounts under the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture, including all staff. We would like to narrow the request to specific record custodians, if possible. Would you be amenable to limiting your request to a search of specific named custodians accounts under the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture? With that narrowing, we would be able to proceed with processing of your request.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss narrowing your request, please feel free to reach out by email or at the number below.

Please let me know at your earliest convenience.

Thank you,

[cid:image001.png@01DAA864.614AD0E0]
Olga Colacicco
FOIA Analyst Contractor
Freedom of Information Act Division
Office of Information Affairs
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20250
☎ (202) 690-5037
✉ olga.colacicco@usda.gov<mailto:roman.vayner@usda.gov>

This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.

Good afternoon, Julieta

Thank you for responding to my email and agreeing to narrow the scope of your FOIA request. I am going to move forward with processing your request as follows: “Correspondence including emails and letters between Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small, Under Secretary of Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jennifer Moffit, and Under Secretary of Farm Production and Conservation Robert Bonnie and the National Pork Producers Council from January 2023 to April 8th, 2024.”

You will receive separate email acknowledging receipt of your FOIA request.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,
Olga

[cid:image001.png@01DAAD0A.333E73A0]
Olga Colacicco
FOIA Analyst Contractor
Freedom of Information Act Division
Office of Information Affairs
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20250
☎ (202) 690-5037
✉ olga.colacicco@usda.gov<mailto:roman.vayner@usda.gov>

Dear Julieta Cardenas:

This email acknowledges receipt of your attached Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA), Office of Information Affairs, FOIA Division (OIA-FOIA). Your request was received by this office on May 23, 2024.

The OIA-FOIA is under the purview of the General Counsel (GC) and serves as the focal point for USDA’s FOIA program. It provides coordination and ensures agency-wide compliance with the FOIA. Additionally, the OIA-FOIA processes requests and appeals on behalf of the Office of the Secretary (OSEC); the Under Secretaries; USDA’s staff offices; and the Research, Education and Economics and Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs mission areas.

The FOIA, 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(A)(i), requires USDA to make a determination in response to a FOIA request within 20 business days from its date of receipt. In unusual circumstances, the Federal agency time limit may be extended by 10 business days as stated in 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(B). If your request seeks numerous records that will necessitate a wide-ranging search, including searches with components and possible consultations with components that have a substantial interest in the determination of this request, USDA will invoke a 10 business day extension for determination of your request. You have the option to narrow the scope of your request to limit the number of potentially responsive records.

Due to the increasing number of FOIA requests received by this office, we may encounter some delay in processing your request. Pursuant to USDA FOIA Regulations, Title 7 CFR §1.6(a), the USDA processes FOIA requests according to their order of receipt.

Provisions of the FOIA allow USDA to recover part of the cost of complying with your request. For purposes of fee assessment, you were categorized as a “news media” requester, pursuant to 7 CFR Appendix A to Subpart A of Part 1, Section (2)(b)(5)(i). For your review and information, a copy of the USDA FOIA Fee Schedule is attached. In accordance with 7 CFR Appendix A to Subpart A of Part 1, Section 3(b), your fees shall be waived where the amount of the fee is $25.00 or less.

Once we initiate processing, a search will be conducted for records responsive to your request. If any responsive records are located, they will be reviewed for determination of releasability. Please be assured that a FOIA analyst will respond to your request as expeditiously as possible. We appreciate your patience as we proceed with your request.

Your request has been assigned FOIA Case Number, 2024-OSEC-04821-F. Please refer to this case number in any future correspondence. If you have any questions regarding the processing of this request, please contact Olga Colacicco by email at olga.colacicco@usda.gov<mailto:olga.colacicco@usda.gov> or USDAFOIA@usda.gov<mailto:USDAFOIA@usda.gov%20>. For additional information regarding USDA FOIA regulations and process, please refer to the information available on-line at Freedom of Information Act Division | USDA<https://www.usda.gov/ogc/office-information-affairs/foia-division>.

We appreciate the opportunity to assist you.

Sincerely,

Office of Information Affairs
Freedom of Information Act Division

This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.

Good afternoon,

Our office received your FOIA request on May 23, 2024. We are finishing up with review of records for your request. We are processing all FOIA requests in order they were received. We will respond to you as soon as review of the records completed.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Olga

[cid:image001.png@01DAC62E.A25ADCF0]
Olga Colacicco
FOIA Analyst Contractor
Freedom of Information Act Division
Office of Information Affairs
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20250
☎ (202) 690-5037
✉ olga.colacicco@usda.gov<mailto:roman.vayner@usda.gov>

Dear Julieta Cardenas:

Please find attached the Final Response associated with the above-referenced Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request you submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A copy of your incoming request is attached for easy reference.

Sincerely,

[cid:image001.png@01DAC896.FA8264B0]
Olga Colacicco
FOIA Analyst Contractor
Freedom of Information Act Division
Office of Information Affairs
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20250
☎ (202) 690-5037
✉ olga.colacicco@usda.gov<mailto:roman.vayner@usda.gov>

This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.