Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 113 / Monday, June 12, 2000 / Notices 36885

Done in Washington, DC, this 7th day of

June 2000.

Paul W. Fiddick,

Assistant Secretary for Administration.

[FR Doc. 00–14779 Filed 6–9–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–U

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 00–048–1]

National Poultry Improvement Plan;

General Conference Committee

Meeting and Biennial Conference

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: We are giving notice of a

meeting of the General Conference

Committee of the National Poultry

Improvement Plan and of the Biennial

Conference.

DATES: The General Conference

Committee will meet on June 29, 2000,

from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Biennial

Conference will meet on June 30, 2000,

from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on July 1,

2000, from 8 a.m. to noon.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the Doubletree Hotel, 1775 East

Cheyenne Mountain Boulevard,

Colorado Springs, CO.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Andrew R. Rhorer, Senior Coordinator,

National Poultry Improvement Plan, VS,

APHIS, 1498 Klondike Road, Suite 200,

Conyers, GA 30094–1231; (770) 922–

3496.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

General Conference Committee (the

Committee) of the National Poultry

Improvement Plan (NPIP), representing

cooperating State agencies and poultry

industry members, serves an essential

function by acting as liaison between

the poultry industry and the Department

in matters pertaining to poultry health.

In addition, this Committee assists the

Department in planning, organizing, and

conducting the NPIP Biennial

Conference.

Topics for discussion at the upcoming

meetings include:

1. Establishment of ‘‘U.S. Salmonella

Enteritidis Clean State’’ classifications

for egg-and meat-type chickens.

2. Establishment of a ‘‘U.S.

Salmonella Enteritidis Monitored’’

program for commercial table egg

pullets.

3. Good management practices for the

control of Salmonella and Mycoplasma

infections in poultry.

4. Review of the laboratory protocol

for the isolation and identification of

Salmonella.

5. Review of the approval system for

authorized laboratories of the NPIP.

The meetings will be open to the

public. The sessions held on June 30

and July 1, 2000, will include delegates

to the NPIP Biennial Conference,

representing State officials and poultry

industry personnel from the 48

cooperating States. However, due to

time constraints, the public will not be

allowed to participate in the discussions

during either of the meetings. Written

statements on meeting topics may be

filed with the Committee before or after

the meetings by sending them to the

person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT: Written

statements may also be filed at the

meetings. Please refer to Docket No. 00–

048–1 when submitting your statements.

This notice of meeting is given

pursuant to section 10 of the Federal

Advisory Committee Act.

Done in Washington, DC, this 7th day of

June 2000.

Craig A. Reed,

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 00–14780 Filed 6–9–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–U

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Commodity Credit Corporation

Notice of Request for Extension of a

Currently Approved Information

Collection

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the Commodity Credit

Corporation’s (CCC) intention to request

an extension to a currently approved

information collection in support of the

regulations governing the foreign

donation of agricultural commodities

under both the section 416(b) and the

Food for Progress programs based on reestimates.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received by August 11, 2000 to be

assured of consideration.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR COMMENTS:

Contact Merle Brown, Director, Program

Administration Division, Foreign

Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of

Agriculture, Stop 1031, Washington, DC

20250–1031, telephone (202) 720–3573.

Persons with disabilities who require an

alternative means for communication of

information (Braille, large print,

audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s

Target Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice

and TDD).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Foreign Donation of

Agricultural Commodities.

OMB Number: 0551–0035.

Expiration Date of Approval: October

31, 2000.

Type of Request: Extension of

currently approved information

collection.

Abstract: Cooperating sponsors must

provide proposal documents and

compliance and related reports until

commodities or local currencies

generated from the sale thereof are

utilized. Shipping agents must submit

information and certifications regarding

their activities and affiliations.

Documents are used to develop effective

agreements and assure statutory

requirements and objectives are met.

Estimate of Burden: The public

reporting burden for these collections

vary in direct relation to the number

and type of agreements.

Respondents: U.S. private voluntary

organizations, U.S. cooperatives, foreign

governments, shipping agents, ship

owners and brokers, and survey

companies.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

180 per annum.

Estimated Number of Responses per

Respondent: 21 per annum.

Estimated Total Annual Burden of

Respondents: 38,827 hours.

Copies of this information collection

can be obtained from Kimberly Chisley,

the Agency Information Collection

Coordinator, at (202) 720–2568.

Requests for comments: Send

comments regarding (a) whether the

proposed collection of information is

necessary for the proper performance of

the functions of the agency, including

whether the information will have

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the

agency’s estimate of the burden of the

proposed collection of information; (c)

ways to enhance the quality, utility and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the

burden of the collection of information

on those who are to respond, including

through the use of automated,

electronic, mechanical, or other

technological collection techniques or

other forms of information technology.

Comments may be sent to Merle

Brown, Director, Program

Administration Division, FAS, USDA,

Stop 1031, Washington, DC 20250, or

the Desk Officer for Agriculture, Office

of Information and Regulatory Affairs,

36886 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 113 / Monday, June 12, 2000 / Notices

Office of Management and Budget,

Washington, DC 20503.

All responses to this notice will be

summarized and included in the request

for OMB approval. All comments will

also become a matter of public record.

Signed at Washington, D.C. on June 2,

2000.

Timothy J. Galvin,

Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service,

and Vice President, Commodity Credit

Corporation.

[FR Doc. 00–14663 Filed 6–9–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–10–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

National Agricultural Statistics Service

Notice of Intent to Extend and Revise

a Currently Approved Information

Collection

AGENCY: National Agricultural Statistics

Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub.

L. No. 104–13) and Office of

Management and Budget regulations at

5 CFR part 1320 (60 FR 44978, August

29, 1995), this notice announces the

intent of the National Agricultural

Statistics Service (NASS) to extend and

revise a currently approved information

collection, the Agricultural Surveys

Program.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received by August 16, 2000 to be

assured of consideration.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR COMMENTS:

Contact Rich Allen, Associate

Administrator, National Agricultural

Statistics Service, U.S. Department of

Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue

SW, Room 4117 South Building,

Washington, D.C. 20250–2000, (202)

720–4333.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Agricultural Surveys Program.

OMB Control Number: 0535–0213.

Expiration Date of Approval:

November 30, 2000.

Type of Request: Intent to extend and

revise a currently approved information

collection.

Abstract: The National Agricultural

Statistics Service is responsible for

collecting and issuing state and national

estimates of crop and livestock

production, grain stocks, farm numbers,

land values, on-farm pesticide usage,

and pest crop management practices.

The Agricultural Surveys Program

contains a series of surveys that obtains

basic agricultural data from farmers and

ranchers throughout the Nation for

preparing agricultural estimates and

forecasts of crop acreage, yield, and

production; stocks of grains and

soybeans; hog and pig numbers; sheep

inventory and lamb crop; cattle

inventory; and cattle on feed. Grazing

fees, land values, pesticide usage, and

pest management practices data are also

collected.

Uses of the statistical information are

extensive and varied. Producers, farm

organizations, agribusinesses, state and

national farm policy makers, and

government agencies are important

users of these statistics. Agricultural

statistics are used to plan and

administer other, related Federal and

state programs in such areas as

consumer protection, conservation,

foreign trade, education, and recreation.

One important modification to the

program is the addition of a Monthly

Hog Survey. NASS was directed to

publish on a monthly basis the Hogs

and Pigs Inventory Report with the

passage by Congress and signature of the

President of H.R. 1906, the FY2000

Department of Agriculture budget. The

Monthly Hog Survey will supplement

the Hog Survey Program currently

conducted as part of the Quarterly

Agricultural Surveys. The monthly

surveys will use a shorter version of the

quarterly questionnaire and will be

conducted eight times a year, during the

months between the Quarterly Hog

Surveys. The sampling frame for the

monthly program will be hog owners

who reported breeding females on the

December Quarterly Hog Survey.

A second revision to the program is

the addition of questions regarding

damage to crops caused by wildlife,

methods being used to reduce these

losses, and the cost of preventative

measures. These additional questions

will be asked only in January 2001.

Aggregated totals will be provided to the

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service action agency,

Wildlife Services, to help identify and

monitor crop losses caused by wildlife.

The third revision is the

discontinuance of the Fall Area Survey.

A reduced sample of the 1999 Fall Area

Surveys respondents will be selected for

an Integrated Pest Management Survey

(IPM). This survey will be conducted

only in January 2001 to collect

information on IPM practices formerly

collected as part of the Fall Area Survey.

This is the fourth year of the USDA plan

to measure the general adoption of IPM

practices for the Nation’s agricultural

production.

The Agricultural Surveys Program has

approval from OMB for a 3-year period.

NASS intends to request that the

program be approved for another 3

years. These data are collected under

the authority of 7 U.S.C. 2204(a).

Individually identifiable data collected

under this authority are governed by

Section 1770 of the Food Security Act

of 1985, 7 U.S.C. 2276, which requires

USDA to afford strict confidentiality to

non-aggregated data provided by

respondents.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden for this collection of information

is estimated to average 15 minutes per

response.

Respondents: Farms.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

547,000.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 139,000 hours.

Copies of this information collection

and related instructions can be obtained

without charge from Ginny McBride, the

Agency OMB Clearance Officer, at (202)

720–5778.

Comments

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether

the proposed collection of information

is necessary for the proper performance

of the functions of the agency, including

whether the information will have

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the

agency’s estimate of the burden of the

proposed collection of information

including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used; (c)

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the

burden of the collection of information

on those who are to respond, including

through the use of appropriate

automated, electronic, mechanical, or

other technological collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology. Comments may be sent to:

Ginny McBride, Agency OMB Clearance

Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room

4162 South Building, Washington, D.C.

20250–2000. All responses to this notice

will become a matter of public record

and be summarized in the request for

OMB approval.

Signed at Washington, D.C., June 1, 2000.

Rich Allen,

Associate Administrator.

[FR Doc. 00–14729 Filed 6–9–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–20–P