This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

38234

Vol. 65, No. 119

Tuesday, June 20, 2000

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

June 15, 2000.

The Department of Agriculture has

submitted the following information

collection requirement(s) to OMB for

review and clearance under the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

Public Law 104–13. Comments

regarding (a) Whether the 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 burden including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used; (c)

ways to enhance the quality, utility and

clarity of the information to be

collected; (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 should be addressed to: Desk

Officer for Agriculture, Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB), Washington, DC 20503 and to

Departmental Clearance Office, USDA,

OCIO, Mail Stop 7602, Washington, DC

20250–7602.

Comments regarding these

information collections are best assured

of having their full effect if received

within 30 days of this notification.

Copies of the submission(s) may be

obtained by calling (202) 720–6746.

An agency may not conduct or

sponsor a collection of information

unless the collection of information

displays a currently valid OMB control

number and the agency informs

potential persons who are to respond to

the collection of information that such

persons are not required to respond to

the collection of information unless it

displays a currently valid OMB control

number.

Farm Service Agency

Title: Guaranteed Farm Loans.

OMB Control Number: 0560–0155.

Summary of Collection: The

Consolidated Farm and Rural

Development Act (CONTACT), as

amended, authorizes the Secretary of

Agriculture to make and service loans

guaranteed by FSA to eligible farmers

and ranchers. The statutory authorities

for the guaranteed loan program is set

out in the Code of Federal Regulations,

Title 7, Chapter VII, part 762. The loans

made and serviced under 762 include

farm operating, farm ownership, and

soil and water loans. The loan applicant

must be a citizen of the United States,

own and operate or become the owner

and operator of not larger than a family

size farm and be unable to obtain

sufficient credit elsewhere at reasonable

rates and terms. The Farm Service

Agency (FSA) will collect information

using several agency forms.

Need and Use of the Information: FSA

will collect information to determine

lender and loan applicant eligibility for

farm loan guarantees, and to ensure the

government’s financial interests are

protected by the lender. FSA will collect

some supporting material electronically,

via facsimile, telephone, or on line and

some information is obtained from other

agencies or program areas. If the

information were not collected, this

would result in unsound loan-making

actions due to lack of sufficient

information available.

Description of Respondents: Farm;

Individuals or households; Business or

other for-profit.

Number of Respondents: 14,500.

Frequency of Respondents: Reporting:

On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 228,014.

Food and Nutrition Service

Title: Food Stamp Program—Store

Applications.

OMB Control Number: 0584–0008.

Summary of Collection: The Food

Stamp Program (FSP) is designed to

promote the general welfare and

safeguard the health and well being of

the Nation’s population by raising levels

of nutrition among low-income

households. Section 2 of the Food

Stamp Act of 1977, as amended states in

part, that ‘‘* * * a Food Stamp Program

is herein authorized which will permit

low-income households to obtain a

more nutritious diet through normal

channels of trade by increasing food

purchasing power for all eligible

households who apply for

participation.’’ Section 9(a) of the Act

requires that regulations provide for an

application to be submitted by retailers

and wholesalers to request approval for

authorization to accept and redeem food

coupons. The need to collect

information is established under the Act

to determine the eligibility of retail food

stores, wholesale food concerns, and

food service organizations applying for

authorization to accept and redeem food

stamp benefits, to monitor these firms

for continued eligibility, to sanction

stores for noncompliance with the Act,

and for program management. The Food

and Nutrition Service (FNS) will collect

information using forms FNS–252, Food

Stamp Application for Store, FNS252–R,

Food Stamp Program Application for

Stores-Reauthorization, and FNS 252–2,

Application to Participate in the Food

Stamp Program for Communal Dining

Facility/Others.

Need and Use of the Information: FNS

will collect information to determine a

firm’s eligibility for participation in the

Food Stamp program, program

administration, compliance monitoring

and investigations, and for sanctioning

stores found to be violating the program.

FNS is also responsible for requiring

updates to application information and

reviewing that information to determine

whether or not the retail food store,

wholesale food concern, or food service

organization continues to meet

eligibility requirements. Owners

Employer Identification Numbers (EIN)

and Social Security Numbers (SSN) may

be disclosed to and used by Federal

agencies or instrumentalities that

otherwise gave access to EINs and SSNs.

FNS and other Federal Government

agencies examine such information

during compliance reviews, audit

review, special studies or evaluation

efforts.

Description of Respondents: Business

or other for-profit; Not-for-profit

institutions; Farms; Federal

Government.

Number of Repondents: 62,621.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

On occasion.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 119 / Tuesday, June 20, 2000 / Notices 38235

Total Burden Hours: 14,812.

William McAndrew,

Departmental Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 00–15468 Filed 6–19–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[Docket No. DA–98–03]

United States Standards for Dry Whey

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing

Service (AMS) of the Department of

Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting

comments on its proposal to change the

United States Standards for Dry Whey.

AMS is proposing changes that would

lower the bacterial estimate of not more

than 50,000 per gram to not more than

30,000 per gram, incorporate maximum

scorched particle content as a

requirement for U.S. grade, and expand

the Test Methods section to allow

product evaluation using the latest

methods included in Standard Methods

for Examination of Dairy Products, in

the Official Methods of Analysis of the

Association of Official Analytical

Chemists, and in standards developed

by the International Dairy Federation.

These changes are being proposed to

strengthen the quality requirements of

this Standard to reflect improvements

that have occurred in dry whey quality

since the Standards were last reviewed.

AMS is also proposing editorial changes

to provide consistency with other dry

milk standards. USDA grade standards

are voluntary standards. Manufacturers

of dairy products are free to choose

whether or not to use these voluntary

grade standards. USDA grade standards

have been developed to identify degrees

of quality in various dairy products.

Quality in general refers to usefulness,

desirability, and value of the product or

its marketability as a commodity.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before August 21, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be

submitted to Duane R. Spomer, Chief,

Dairy Standardization Branch, Dairy

Programs, Agricultural Marketing

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

Room 2746, South Building, Stop 0230,

P.O. Box 96456, Washington, DC 20090–

6456; faxed to (202) 720–2643; or emailed to Duane.Spomer@usda.gov.

Comments should reference the date

and page number of this issue of the

Federal Register. All comments

received will be made available for

public inspection at the above address

during regular business hours. The

current United States Standards for Dry

Whey, along with proposed changes, are

available either through the above

addresses or by accessing AMS’’ Home

Page on the Internet at

www.ams.usda.gov/dairy/stand.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Duane R. Spomer, Chief, Dairy

Standardization Branch, AMS/USDA/

Dairy Programs, Room 2746-S, P.O. Box

96956, Washington, DC, 20090–6456,

(202) 720–7473.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

203 (c) of the Agricultural Marketing

Act of 1946, as amended, directs and

authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture

‘‘to develop and improve standards of

quality, condition, quantity, grade, and

packaging and to recommend and

demonstrate such standards in order to

encourage uniformity and consistency

in commercial practices * * *’’. AMS is

committed to carrying out this authority

in a manner that facilitates the

marketing of agricultural commodities

and will make copies of official

standards available upon request. The

United States Standards for Dry Whey

no longer appear in the Code of Federal

Regulations but are maintained by

USDA/AMS/Dairy Program.

When dry whey is officially graded,

the USDA regulations (7 CFR Part 58)

governing the grading of manufactured

or processed dairy products are used.

These regulations require a charge for

the grading service provided by USDA.

The Agency believes this proposal

would accurately identify quality

characteristics in dry whey.

AMS is proposing to change the

United States Standards for Dry Whey

using the procedures that appear in part

36 of title 7 of the Code of Federal

Regulations (7 CFR Part 36).

The current United States Standards

for Dry Whey have been in effect since

October 1, 1990. AMS initiated a review

of this Standard and discussed possible

changes with the dairy industry. The

American Dairy Products Institute, a

trade association representing the dry

whey industry, provided specific

suggestions, including a

recommendation to lower the maximum

bacterial content.

Proposed by the American Dairy

Products Institute

The American Dairy Products

Institute provided suggestions to:

• Lower the maximum bacterial

content; and

• Reference a color guide to identify

the color of dry whey.

Proposed by Dairy Programs,

Agricultural Marketing Service

AMS is proposing to:

• Lower the maximum bacterial

content requirement as suggested by the

American Dairy Products Institute;

• Incorporate scorched particle

content in the determination of U.S.

grade;

• Reference additional test methods

that may be used to determine U.S.

grade;

• Reference the Food and Drug

Administration’s requirements for dry

whey; and

• Make editorial changes that would

provide consistency with other U.S.

grade standards for dairy products.

Concerning the suggestion by the

American Dairy Products Association to

reference a color guide, AMS agrees that

color is an important attribute in the

marketing of dry whey. However, since

color is not a grade-determining factor,

AMS is recommending that a color

identification guide be considered

separately from the standard in a

manner consistent with color

determination in other dairy products.

This notice provides for a 60-day

comment period for interested parties to

comment on proposed revisions to the

standards. The following is an outline of

these changes.

UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR DRY WHEY1

Current standard Proposed Discussion

Definitions ................................................... No change ................................................ N/A.

Whey .......................................................... No change ................................................ N/A.

‘‘Whey is the fluid obtained by separating

the coagulum from milk, cream, and/or

skim milk in cheesemaking.

No change ................................................ N/A.