[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 245 (Friday, December 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65623-65624]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-27614]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Commodity Credit Corporation

Farm Service Agency


Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA); Market Facilitation Program 
(MFP) Payments to Producers

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation and Farm Service Agency, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: MFP provides payments to producers with commodities that have 
been significantly impacted by actions of foreign governments resulting 
in the loss of traditional exports. This NOFA announces the new payment 
rates for

[[Page 65624]]

selected commodities. On behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation 
(CCC), the Farm Service Agency (FSA) administers MFP. MFP participants 
will receive an MFP payment, calculated based on the eligible 
production multiplied by the participant's share multiplied by the MFP 
payment rate.

DATES: Application period: December 21, 2018 through January 15, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bradley Karmen, telephone: (202) 720-
3175.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The MFP regulation in 7 CFR part 1409 specifies the eligibility 
requirements, payment calculations, and application procedures for MFP. 
CCC published NOFAs on August 30, 2018 (83 FR 44257-44258), and on 
September 25, 2018 (83 FR 48410-48411), that announced funds available 
for MFP commodities and specified the initial payment rates. MFP 
provides assistance to producers with commodities that have been 
significantly impacted by actions of foreign governments resulting in 
the loss of traditional exports.
    The initial payment rates announced in previous NOFAs applied to 
the first 50 percent of the producer's total production of the selected 
commodity. The second payment rates, as announced in this NOFA, apply 
to the remaining 50 percent of the producer's production for the 
selected commodity.
    MFP payment at the second payment rate will be made after a 
producer harvests 100 percent of the crop and certifies the amount of 
production.

Payment Rates

    The MFP payment rates that have been determined by CCC are as shown 
in the following table.

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                                                                                  Initial rate *  Second rate **
                   Commodity                                  Unit                   ($/unit)        ($/unit)
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Soybeans......................................  bushels.........................           $1.65           $1.65
Sorghum.......................................  bushels.........................            0.86            0.86
Wheat.........................................  bushels.........................            0.14            0.14
Cotton (Upland and ELS).......................  pounds..........................            0.06            0.06
Corn..........................................  bushels.........................            0.01            0.01
Hogs..........................................  number of head of hogs..........            8.00            8.00
Milk..........................................  hundredweight (cwt).............            0.12            0.12
Shelled Almonds...............................  pounds..........................            0.03            0.03
Fresh Sweet Cherries..........................  pounds..........................            0.16            0.16
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* Payment rate for first 50 percent of producer's total production.
** Payment rate for remaining 50 percent of producer's total production.

    The actual production used to calculate an MFP payment under this 
NOFA is 2018 production in which the applicant had an ownership share. 
Specifically, required production information is as follows:
    <bullet> Harvested production for the 2018 crop year;
    <bullet> An ownership share for a crop will be as reported to FSA 
on the acreage report, form FSA-578, ``Report of Acreage.''
    For information about production evidence, payment limitation, and 
eligible crops, see the previously published MFP NOFAs (83 FR 44257-
44258 and 83 FR 48410-48411).

Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements

    In the accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
information collection required by MFP regulation (7 CFR 1409) has been 
approved by OMB under OMB control number of 0560-0292. FSA does not 
have any changes to the burden hours and the information collection 
activities for this NOFA.

Environmental Review

    The environmental impacts for MFP have been considered in a manner 
consistent with the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347), the regulations of the Council on 
Environmental Quality (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and the FSA regulation 
for compliance with NEPA (7 CFR part 799).
    As stated in the MFP final rule, the implementation of MFP and the 
participation in MFP do not constitute major Federal actions that would 
significantly affect the quality of the human environment, individually 
or cumulatively. The final rule served as documentation of the 
programmatic environmental compliance decision for this federal 
program; therefore, CCC will not prepare additional environmental 
compliance documentation for this NOFA.

Federal Assistance Programs

    The title and number of the Federal assistance programs, as found 
in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, to which this NOFA 
applies is: 10.123 Market Facilitation Program.

Richard Fordyce,
Administrator, Farm Service Agency.
Robert Stephenson,
Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 2018-27614 Filed 12-20-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-05-P