45608 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 170 / Thursday, September 3, 2009 / Notices 

ACTION: Notice requesting nominations. 

SUMMARY: The Secretary of Agriculture 

is renewing the charter of the Advisory 

Committee on Beginning Farmers and 

Ranchers (Committee). The Committee 

provides advice to the Secretary on 

ways to encourage Federal and State 

beginning farmer programs to provide 

joint financing to beginning farmers and 

ranchers, and other methods of creating 

new farming and ranching 

opportunities. This notice invites 

nominations for persons to service on 

the Committee. 

DATES: We will consider nominations 

that we receive by October 5, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: The instructions for 

submission of nominations are provided 

in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

section. You may submit nominations 

to: Mark Falcone, Designated Federal 

Official (DFO) for the Advisory 

Committee on Beginning Farmers and 

Ranchers, or Ken Hill, Farm Service 

Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

1400 Independence Avenue, SW., STOP 

0522, Washington, DC 20250–0522; 

telephone (202) 720–1632; Fax (202) 

690–1117. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mark Falcone at (202) 720–1632; or email: mark.falcone@usda.gov, or Ken 

Hill at (202) 720–5199, or e-mail: 

Kenneth.Hill@wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As 

required by section 5 of the Agricultural 

Credit Improvement Act of 1992 (Pub. L. 

102–554), the Secretary of Agriculture 

established the Committee to advise the 

Secretary on: 

(1) Development of a program of 

coordinated financial assistance to 

qualified beginning farmers and 

ranchers under section 309(i) of the 

Consolidated Farm and Rural 

Development Act (Federal and State 

beginning farmer programs provide joint 

financing to beginning farmers and 

ranchers); 

(2) Methods of maximizing the 

number of new farming and ranching 

opportunities created through the 

program; 

(3) Methods of encouraging States to 

participate in the program; 

(4) Administration of the program; 

and 

(5) Other methods of creating new 

farming or ranching opportunities. 

The law requires that members of the 

Committee be representatives from the 

following groups: 

(1) The Farm Service Agency (FSA); 

(2) State beginning farmer programs 

(as defined in section 309(i)(5) of the 

Consolidated Farm and Rural 

Development Act); 

(3) Commercial lenders; 

(4) Private nonprofit organizations 

with active beginning farmer or rancher 

programs; 

(5) The USDA Cooperative State 

Research, Education, and Extension 

Service (CSREES); 

(6) Community colleges or other 

educational institutions with 

demonstrated experience in training 

beginning farmers or ranchers; and 

(7) Other entities or persons providing 

lending or technical assistance to 

qualified beginning farmers or ranchers. 

The Secretary will also appoint 

farmers and ranchers to the Committee. 

USDA Departmental Regulation 1042– 

119, dated November 25, 1998, first 

established the Committee and 

designated FSA to provide support. 

Seven of the Committee members were 

replaced when the Committee charter 

was last renewed on March 28, 2008. 

Approximately one-third of the 20 

existing members will be replaced when 

the charter is renewed. 

We are now accepting nominations of 

individuals to serve for a 2-year term on 

the Committee. Reappointments are 

made to assure effectiveness and 

continuity of operations. The duration 

of the Committee is indefinite. No 

member, other than a USDA employee, 

can serve for more than 6 consecutive 

years. There will be a vacancy in at least 

four groups: State beginning farmer 

programs, commercial lenders, CSREES, 

and farmers and ranchers. 

Appointments and reappointments to 

the Committee will be made by the end 

of the calendar year and all nominees 

will be notified in writing. 

The Committee generally meets at 

least once a year and all meetings are 

open to the public. Committee meetings 

provide an opportunity for members to 

exchange ideas and provide advice on 

ways to increase opportunities for 

beginning farmers and ranchers. 

Members discuss various issues and 

draft recommendations, which are 

submitted to the Secretary in writing. 

Nominations are being sought through 

the media, this Federal Register notice, 

and other appropriate methods. Persons 

nominated for the Committee will be 

required to complete and submit an 

Advisory Committee Membership 

Background Information Questionnaire 

(Form AD–755). Submission of this form 

will constitute a nomination. The form 

is available on the Internet at http:// 

www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/ 

ad755.pdf. AD–755 can be completed 

on-line. However, nominees must print 

their completed forms from the Adobe 

PDF file, sign, and mail or fax them to 

the above address or fax number. The 

form also may be requested by 

telephone, fax, or e-mail. Letters of 

recommendation may be submitted, but 

should not be solicited or obtained from 

USDA officials employed in Washington 

DC. All inquiries about the nomination 

process and submissions of the AD–755 

should go to Mark Falcone or Ken Hill, 

as provided in the ADDRESSES section for 

addresses and numbers. 

Appointments to the Committee will 

be made by the Secretary of Agriculture. 

Equal opportunity practices, consistent 

with USDA policies, will be followed in 

making all appointments to the 

Committee. To ensure that the 

recommendations of the Committee 

have taken into account the needs of the 

diverse groups served by the 

Department, membership should 

include, to the extent practicable, 

individuals with demonstrated ability to 

represent minorities, women, persons 

with disabilities, and senior citizens. 

Signed in Washington, DC on August 28, 

2009. 

Jonathan W. Coppess, 

Administrator, Farm Service Agency. 

[FR Doc. E9–21293 Filed 9–2–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Publication of Depreciation Rates 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service 

(RUS), an agency of the United States 

Department of Agriculture (USDA), 

announces the depreciation rates for 

telecommunications plant for the period 

ending December 31, 2008. 

DATES: These rates are effective 

immediately and will remain in effect 

until rates are available for the period 

ending December 31, 2009. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jonathan P. Claffey, Deputy Assistant 

Administrator, Telecommunications 

Program, Rural Utilities Service, STOP 

1590—Room 5151, 1400 Independence 

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250– 

1590. Telephone: (202) 720–9556. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the 

Rural Utilities Service regulation, 7 CFR 

part 1737, Pre-Loan Policies and 

Procedures Common to Insured and 

Guaranteed Telecommunications Loans, 

§ 1737.70(e) explains the depreciation 

rates that are used by RUS in its 

feasibility studies. Section 1737.70(e)(2) 

refers to median depreciation rates 

published by RUS for all borrowers. The 

following chart provides those rates, 


pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 170 / Thursday, September 3, 2009 / Notices 45609 

compiled by RUS for the reporting 

period ending December 31, 2008: 

MEDIAN DEPRECIATION RATES FOR RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE BORROWERS BY EQUIPMENT CATEGORY FOR PERIOD

ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2008 

Telecommunications plant category Depreciation 

rate 

1. Land and Support Assets: 

a. Motor vehicles .......................................................................................................................................................................... 16.00 

b. Aircraft ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 11.25 

c. Special purpose vehicles .......................................................................................................................................................... 12.00 

d. Garage and other work equipment .......................................................................................................................................... 10.00 

e. Buildings ................................................................................................................................................................................... 3.28 

f. Furniture and office equipment ................................................................................................................................................. 10.00 

g. General purpose computers ..................................................................................................................................................... 20.00 

2. Central Office Switching: 

a. Digital ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 8.83 

b. Analog & Electro-mechanical ................................................................................................................................................... 9.66 

c. Operator Systems ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9.00 

3. Central Office Transmission: 

a. Radio Systems ......................................................................................................................................................................... 9.42 

b. Circuit equipment ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10.00 

4. Information origination/termination: 

a. Station apparatus ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11.90 

b. Customer premises wiring ........................................................................................................................................................ 10.00 

c. Large private branch exchanges .............................................................................................................................................. 11.65 

d. Public telephone terminal equipment ....................................................................................................................................... 11.00 

e. Other terminal equipment ......................................................................................................................................................... 10.20 

5. Cable and wire facilities: 

a. Aerial cable—poles .................................................................................................................................................................. 6.25 

b. Aerial cable—metal .................................................................................................................................................................. 5.90 

c. Aerial cable—fiber .................................................................................................................................................................... 5.10 

d. Underground cable—metal ...................................................................................................................................................... 5.00 

e. Underground cable—fiber ........................................................................................................................................................ 5.00 

f. Buried cable—metal .................................................................................................................................................................. 5.00 

g. Buried cable—fiber ................................................................................................................................................................... 5.00 

h. Conduit systems ....................................................................................................................................................................... 3.50 

i. Other .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 6.00 

Dated: August 7, 2009. 

Jonathan Adelstein, 

Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–21235 Filed 9–2–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS 

Sunshine Act Notice 

AGENCY: United States Commission on 

Civil Rights. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

DATE AND TIME: Friday, September 11, 

2009; 9:30 a.m. EDT. 

PLACE: 624 9th St., NW., Room 540, 

Washington, DC 20425. 

Meeting Agenda 

This meeting is open to the public. 

I. Approval of Agenda 

II. Approval of Minutes of August 7, 

2009 Meeting 

III. Announcements 

IV. Staff Director’s Report 

V. Program Planning 

• Discussion of 2010 Statutory Report 

Topic Ideas 

• Discussion of Potential FY 2010 

Clearinghouse Reports and 

Briefings 

• Briefing Report on Title IX in 

Intercollegiate Athletics: 

Accommodating Interests and 

Abilities 

• Update on Status of Document 

Request to Government Agencies 

Regarding their Civil Rights 

Enforcement Activities 

• Update on Status of Briefing 

Reports 

VI. State Advisory Committee Issues 

• Iowa SAC 

• Nevada SAC 

VII. Adjourn 

CONTACT PERSON FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION: Lenore Ostrowsky, Acting 

Chief, Public Affairs Unit (202) 376– 

8591. TDD: (202) 376–8116. 

Persons with a disability requiring 

special services, such as an interpreter 

for the hearing impaired, should contact 

Pamela Dunston at least seven days 

prior to the meeting at 202–376–8105. 

TDD: (202) 376–8116. 

Dated: September 1, 2009. 

David Blackwood, 

General Counsel. 

[FR Doc. E9–21446 Filed 9–1–09; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 6335–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

The Department of Commerce will 

submit to the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) for clearance the 

following proposal for collection of 

information under the provisions of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 

Chapter 35). 

Agency: International Trade 

Administration. 

Title: Advocacy Questionnaire. 

OMB Control Number: 0625–0220. 

Form Number(s): ITA–4133P. 

Type of Request: Regular submission. 

Burden Hours: 200. 

Number of Respondents: 400. 

Average Hours Per Response: 30 

minutes. 


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