Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Notices 62047 

• Email: ombofficer@nass.usda.gov. 

Include the docket number above in the 

subject line of the message. 

• Efax: (855) 838–6382. 

• Mail: Mail any paper, disk, or CD– 

ROM submissions to: Richard Hopper, 

NASS Clearance Officer, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Room 5336 

South Building, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250– 

2024. 

• Hand Delivery/Courier: Hand 

deliver to: Richard Hopper, NASS 

Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Room 5336 South Building, 

1400 Independence Avenue SW, 

Washington, DC 20250–2024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kevin L. Barnes, Associate 

Administrator, National Agricultural 

Statistics Service, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, (202) 720–2707. Copies of 

this information collection and related 

instructions can be obtained without 

charge from Richard Hopper, NASS— 

OMB Clearance Officer, at (202) 720– 

2206 or at ombofficer@nass.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Fast Track Generic Clearance for 

the Collection of Qualitative Feedback 

on Agency Programs. 

OMB Control Number: 0535–0261. 

Type of Request: Intent to seek 

approval to renew an information 

collection for a period of three years. 

Abstract: The proposed information 

collection activities provides a means to 

obtain qualitative customer and 

stakeholder feedback in an efficient, 

timely manner, in accordance with the 

Administration’s commitment to 

improving the quality and timeliness of 

survey data and its analysis. The 

qualitative feedback will provide useful 

insights on perceptions and opinions, 

but are not rigorous statistical surveys 

that yield quantitative results that can 

be generalized to the study population. 

This feedback will provide insights into 

customer or stakeholder perceptions, 

experiences and expectations, provide 

an early warning of issues with data 

collection efforts, and focus attention on 

areas where communication, training or 

changes in operations might improve 

NASS surveys and publications. These 

collections will allow for ongoing, 

collaborative and actionable 

communications between the Agency 

and its customers and stakeholders. 

The information collections will 

target areas such as: timeliness, 

usefulness of summarized information, 

perceptions of products or services, 

accuracy of information, efficiency and 

ease of reporting data, and the ease and 

understandability of data collection 

instruments. Responses will be assessed 

to plan and inform efforts to improve or 

maintain the quality of data collected 

and reported to the public. If this 

information is not collected, vital 

feedback from customers and 

stakeholders on the Agency’s services 

will be unavailable. 

The Agency will only submit a 

collection for approval under this 

generic clearance if it meets the 

following conditions: 

• The collections are voluntary; 

• The collections are low-burden for 

respondents (based on considerations of 

total burden hours, total number of 

respondents, or burden-hours per 

respondent) and are low-cost for both 

the respondents and the Federal 

Government; 

• The collections are noncontroversial and do not raise issues of 

concern to other Federal agencies; 

• Any collection is targeted to the 

solicitation of opinions from 

respondents who have experience with 

NASS surveys or data, or may 

reasonably be expected to have 

experience with the surveys or data in 

the near future; 

• Information gathered will be used 

only internally for improving data 

collection efforts, products and services, 

and the summarization and publication 

of data, and is not intended for release 

outside of the agency; 

• Information gathered will not be 

used for the purpose of substantially 

informing influential policy decisions; 

and 

• Information gathered will yield 

qualitative information; the collections 

will not be designed or expected to 

yield statistically reliable results or used 

as though the results are generalizable to 

the study population. 

This generic clearance for qualitative 

information will not be used for 

quantitative information collections that 

are designed to yield reliably actionable 

results, such as monitoring trends over 

time or documenting program 

performance. Depending on the degree 

of influence the results are likely to 

have, such collections may still be 

eligible for submission for other generic 

mechanisms that are designed to yield 

quantitative results. 

As a general matter, information 

collections will not result in any new 

system of records containing privacy 

information and will not ask questions 

of a sensitive nature, such as sexual 

behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, 

and other matters that are commonly 

considered private. 

Respondents: Farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses and data users. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

120,000. 

Below we provide projected average 

estimates for the next three years: 

Average Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 1. 

Total Responses: 120,000 (30,000 

completed responses and 90,000 

refusals). 

Frequency of Responses: Once per 

request. 

Average Minutes per Response: 5 to 

20 minutes, depending on the survey. 

Total Estimated Burden Hours: 8,375. 

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, 

technological or other forms of 

information technology collection 

methods. 

All responses to this notice will 

become a matter of public record and be 

summarized in the request for OMB 

approval. 

Signed at Washington, DC, July 28, 2023. 

Kevin L. Barnes, 

Associate Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2023–19382 Filed 9–7–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–20–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

National Agricultural Statistics Service 

Notice of Intent To Request Revision 

and Extension of 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, this 

notice announces the intention of the 

National Agricultural Statistics Service 

(NASS) to request revision and 

extension of a currently approved 

information collection, the Fruits, Nuts, 

and Specialty Crops Surveys. Revisions 

to burden are needed due to (1) funding 

status changes for surveys conducted 

under cooperative agreements under full 

cost recovery and (2) changes in the size 

of the target population, sample design, 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
62048 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Notices 

and minor changes in questionnaire 

design. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by November 7, 2023 to be 

assured of consideration. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, 

identified by docket number 0535–0039, 

by any of the following methods: 

• Email: ombofficer@nass.usda.gov. 

Include docket number above in the 

subject line of the message. 

• E-fax: (855) 838–6382. 

• Mail: Mail any paper, disk, or CD– 

ROM submissions to: Richard Hopper, 

NASS Clearance Officer, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Room 5336 

South Building, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250– 

2024. 

• Hand Delivery/Courier: Hand 

deliver to: Richard Hopper, NASS 

Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Room 5336 South Building, 

1400 Independence Avenue SW, 

Washington, DC 20250–2024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kevin L. Barnes, Associate 

Administrator, National Agricultural 

Statistics Service, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, (202) 720–2707. Copies of 

this information collection and related 

instructions can be obtained without 

charge from Richard Hopper, NASS— 

OMB Clearance Officer, at (202)720– 

2206 or at ombofficer@nass.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Fruits, Nuts, and Specialty 

Crops Surveys. 

OMB Control Number: 0535–0039. 

Expiration Date of Approval: April 30, 

2026. 

Type of Request: To revise and extend 

a currently approved information 

collection for a period of three years. 

Abstract: The primary objective of the 

National Agricultural Statistics Service 

(NASS) is to collect, prepare and issue 

State and national estimates of crop and 

livestock production, prices, and 

disposition; as well as economic 

statistics, environmental statistics 

related to agriculture and also to 

conduct the Census of Agriculture. 

The Fruits, Nuts, and Specialty Crops 

survey program collects information on 

acreage, yield, production, price, and 

value of citrus and non-citrus fruits and 

nuts and other specialty crops in States 

with significant commercial production. 

The program provides data needed by 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture and 

other government agencies to administer 

programs and to set trade quotas and 

tariffs. Producers, processors, other 

industry representatives, State 

Departments of Agriculture, and 

universities also use forecasts and 

estimates provided by these surveys. All 

questionnaires included in this 

information collection will be 

voluntary. 

The following survey is no longer 

funded by a cooperative agreement and 

constitute the majority of changes from 

the current approval: (1) Dried Plum 

(Prune) Forecast Survey previously 

funded by the California Department of 

Food and Agriculture. 

Authority: These data will be 

collected under 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 as amended, 7 

U.S.C. 2276, which requires USDA to 

afford strict confidentiality to nonaggregated data provided by 

respondents. This Notice is submitted in 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–113) 

and Office of Management and Budget 

regulations at 5 CFR part 1320. 

All NASS employees and NASS 

contractors must also fully comply with 

all provisions of the Confidential 

Information Protection and Statistical 

Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) of 2018, Title 

III of Public Law 115–435, codified in 

44 U.S.C. Ch. 35. CIPSEA supports 

NASS’s pledge of confidentiality to all 

respondents and facilitates the agency’s 

efforts to reduce burden by supporting 

statistical activities of collaborative 

agencies through designation of NASS 

agents, subject to the limitations and 

penalties described in CIPSEA. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this information collection is 

based on approximately 50 individual 

surveys with expected response times of 

10—60 minutes. The frequency of data 

collection for the different surveys will 

include annual, seasonal, quarterly, 

monthly, and one weekly survey. 

Estimated number of responses per 

respondent is 1.2. Publicity materials 

and instruction sheets will account for 

approximately 5 minutes of additional 

burden per respondent. Respondents 

who refuse to complete a survey will be 

allotted 2 minutes of burden per attempt 

to collect the data. Respondents: 

Producers, processors, and handlers. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

59,000. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 30,000 hours. 

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, through 

the use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, technological or 

other forms of information technology 

collection methods. 

All responses to this notice will 

become a matter of public record and be 

summarized in the request for OMB 

approval. 

Signed at Washington, DC, August 9, 2023. 

Kevin L. Barnes, 

Associate Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2023–19381 Filed 9–7–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–20–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Office of Partnerships and Public 

Engagement 

Advisory Committee on Beginning 

Farmers and Ranchers; Solicitation of 

Membership Nominations 

AGENCY: Office of Partnerships and 

Public Engagement, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The United States Department 

of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of 

Partnerships and Public Engagement 

(OPPE) is seeking nominations for 

individuals to serve on the Advisory 

Committee on Beginning Farmers and 

Ranchers (‘‘Advisory Committee’’). 

DATES: All nominations received by 

October 10, 2023 will be considered. 

ADDRESSES: Nominations may be 

submitted electronically to the Advisory 

Committee’s dedicated email inbox at 

acbfr@usda.gov. Nominations may also 

be sent via first-class mail to: Advisory 

Committee on Beginning Farmers and 

Ranchers, Office of Partnerships and 

Public Engagement, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW, Mail Stop 0601, Room 

524–A, Washington, DC 20250. All 

nominations received prior to the 

deadline under DATES (above) will be 

considered. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

R. Jeanese Cabrera, Designated Federal 

Officer, Office of Partnerships and 

Public Engagement, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW, Mail Stop 0601, Room 

524–A, Washington, DC 20250; Phone: 

(202) 720–6350; Email: acbfr@usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The full 

Advisory Committee shall consist of a 

minimum 14 members up to a 

maximum of 20 members. Each member 

shall be appointed to serve a 2-year term 

and may reapply to be considered up to 


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