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 

### 20610

Vol. 77, No. 66

Thursday, April 5, 2012

**DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE**

**Agricultural Marketing Service**

**[Document No. AMS–ST–12–0007]**

**Plant Variety Protection Board; Open Meeting** 

**AGENCY :**  Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

**ACTION :**  Notice of meeting.

**SUMMARY :**  This notice is intended to notify the public of their opportunity to attend an open meeting of the Plant Variety Protection Board.

**DATES :**  April 25 and 26, 2012, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., open to the public.

**ADDRESSES :**  The meeting will be held in the United States Department of Agriculture George Washington Carver Center, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Room 4–2223, Beltsville, MD 20705.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Jennifer Banks, Plant Variety Protection Office, Science and Technology Programs, Agricultural Marketing Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 10301 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705. Telephone number (301) 504–5518, fax (301) 504– 5291, or email: jennifer.banks@ams.usda.gov.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  Pursuant to the provisions of section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C., Appendix 2), this notice is given regarding an upcoming Plant Variety Protection (PVP) Board meeting. The Plant Variety Protection Act (PVPA) (7 U.S.C. 2321 et seq. ) provides legal protection in the form of intellectual property rights to developers of new varieties of plants, which are reproduced sexually by seed or are tuber-propagated. A Certificate of Plant Variety Protection is awarded to an owner of a crop variety after an examination shows that it is new, distinct from other varieties, genetically uniform and stable through successive generations. The term of protection is 20 years for most crops and 25 years for trees, shrubs, and vines. The PVPA also provides for a statutory Board (7 U.S.C. 2327). The duties of the Board are to: (1) Advise the Secretary concerning the adoption of rules and regulations to facilitate the proper administration of the Act; (2) provide advisory counsel to the Secretary on appeals concerning decisions on applications by the PVP Office and on requests for emergency public-interest compulsory licenses; and (3) advise the Secretary on any other matters under the Regulations and Rules of Practice and on all questions under Section 44 of the Act, ‘‘Public Interest in Wide Usage’’ (7 U.S.C. 2404).

The proposed agenda for the PVP Board meeting will include a welcome by Department officials followed by a discussion focusing on program activities that encourage the development of new plant varieties. The agenda will also include presentations on the financial status of the PVP Office, changes to the office workflow as a result of the recently completedbusiness process reengineering study, Ebusiness update, international outreach activities and other related topics.

The meeting will be open to the public. Those wishing to attend the meeting are encouraged to pre-register by April 23, 2012 with the person listed under **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION**
**CONTACT** . Visitors entering the George Washington Carver Center should inform security personnel that they are attending the PVP Board meeting. Identification will be required to be admitted to the building. Security personnel will direct visitors to Room 4–2223. If you require accommodations, such as sign language interpreter, please contact the person listed under **FOR**
**FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT**. Minutes of the meeting will be available for public review 30 days following the meeting at the address listed under **FOR**
**FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT**. The minutes will also be posted on the Internet web site http:// www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/pvpo.

Dated: March 30, 2012. Ruihong Guo, Acting Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2012–8126 Filed 4–4–12; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 3410–02–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE** 

**Agricultural Marketing Service**

**[Document Number FV–09–0043]**

**United States Standards for Grades of Cultivated Ginseng** 

**AGENCY :**  Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

**ACTION :**  Final Notice.

**SUMMARY :**  The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), of the Department of Agriculture (USDA), is revising the voluntary United States Standards for Grades of Cultivated Ginseng. AMS received a request from the Ginseng Board of Wisconsin (GBW), to amend the standards to reflect current market values. To ensure the integrity of the standards, the revisions will be based on quality and percentage defects. The new grades will replace the current ones and promote the orderly and efficient marketing of ginseng in an evolving global economy. Other changes will include a revised General Section, new tolerances, reclassified sizes, removed table ‘‘values’’ and amended definitions. These revisions are needed to determine and complement the new grades.

**DATES :**  Effective Date: May 7, 2012.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Dr. Carl Newell, Standardization and Training Branch, Fresh Products Division, (540) 361–1120. The United States Standards for Grades of Cultivated Ginseng are available through the Fresh Products Division Web site at http://www.ams.usda.gov/ freshinspection.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  Section 203(c) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1621–1627), as amended, directs and authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture ‘‘to develop and improve standards of quality, condition, quantity, grade and packaging and 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 makes copies of official standards available upon request. The United States Standards for Grades of Fruits and Vegetables not connected with Federal Marketing Orders or U.S. Import Requirements, no longer appear in the


### 20611 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 66 / Thursday, April 5, 2012 / Notices

Code of Federal Regulations, but are maintained by USDA, AMS, Fruit and Vegetable Programs, and are available on the internet at www.ams.usda.gov/ freshinspection.

AMS is revising the voluntary United States Standards for Grades of Cultivated Ginseng using procedures that appear in Part 36, Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations (7 CFR part 36). Background

AMS received a request from the GBW on June 8, 2009, to revise the United States Standards for Grades of Cultivated Ginseng. The GBW represents approximately 95% of the cultivated ginseng industry in the U.S. The initial inquiry requested AMS to add ‘‘unless otherwise specified’’ to the size table to accommodate changing market values. AMS believed that by allowing any specified value would undermine the integrity of the standards. To resolve the issue, AMS met with members of the GBW to revise the standards and develop new grades based solely on quality and percentage defects. AMS then initiated the revision process and continued to work closely with the GBW on the proposed standards through electronic communication and site visits. On August 30, 2011, AMS published a notice in the Federal Register (76 FR 53875), soliciting comments on a possible revision of the United States Standards for Grades of Cultivated Ginseng. The public comment period closed on September 29, 2011, with no
responses.

Based on the information gathered, AMS believes the revisions will bring the standards for cultivated ginseng in line with current marketing practices and thereby improve their usefulness. Therefore, AMS will revise the standards as follows:

The General Section will clarify that the standards apply to cultivated ginseng, such as American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng), but not to wild ginseng.

The U.S. Premium, U.S. Select, U.S. Medium, and U.S. Standard grades will be replaced with U.S. No. 1, U.S. No. 2, U.S. No. 3, U.S. No. 4, U.S. No. 5, U.S. No. 6, and U.S. No. 7.

All the sizes for diameter and length are revised with the following Whole Root Size Categories: Premium, Select, and Standard.

The External Color Section is revised to include: ‘‘Color shall be applied to the lot as a whole * * *’’ Further, the Wrinkle Section is renamed the Texture Section. A Size Classification Determination Section will be added to provide procedures for determining size. Size will be determined first, followed by inspecting the ginseng for defects.

The formula for the Grade Determination Section is revised to reflect the percentage of defects in a lot.

The definition for ‘‘Whole Root’’ is revised to mean the main root or upper portion of the main root, including any portion growing off the main root that is too large to be a prong. Whole roots must have a tapered top or crown.

The definition for ‘‘Diameter’’ is revised to mean the greatest dimension at right angles to a line from the top of the whole root to the tip. Diameter shall not be measured at the point of attachment of a prong or the area where a prong was removed.

A definition for ‘‘Length’’ will be added to the standards, which means the greatest dimension of the whole root measured in a straight line parallel to the longitudinal axis from the top of the whole root to the tip, not including any portion of the crown or rootlet, if present.

The following terms and definitions will also be removed or revised: The definition for ‘‘Similar Varietal Characteristics’’ will be removed from the standards, since it will not be a requirement of the grade. The definition for ‘‘Prong’’ is revised to include: ‘‘A prong cannot exceed more than one half of the diameter of the main root.’’ The term ‘‘Fiber’ will be renamed ‘‘Rootlet’’ and defined as small slender roots less than 1 ⁄ 8 inch in diameter. The term ‘‘rust’’ will be removed from the list of defects, since it is the same as discoloration. The definition for ‘‘Cull’’ will be revised to mean more than 50 percent of the whole root is unusable. The definition for ‘‘Defects’ is revised to include: ‘‘In addition, when the cut area left by a clipped or removed prong exceeds one half of the diameter of the root, it shall be a defect.’’

An illustration of a ginseng root will be added to the end of the standards, which define the parts of the root, areas to be clipped, and the correct determination for length and diameter.

Various section numbers will be changed to reflect these revisions, including a correction to the notice. The proposed section number for Grade Determination in the notice was ‘‘.1332’’ but will be corrected to ‘‘.1333.’’

The official grade of a lot of cultivated ginseng covered by these standards will be determined by the procedures set forth in the Regulations Governing Inspection, Certification, and Standards of Fresh Fruits, Vegetables and Other Products (Sec. 51.1 to 51.61). The United States Standards for Grades of Cultivated Ginseng will be effective 30 days after publication of this notice in the Federal Register

.

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621—1627.
Dated: March 30, 2012. Robert C. Keeney, Acting Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2012–8135 Filed 4–4–12; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 3410–02–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE**

**Agricultural Research Service**

**Notice of Intent To Request an Extension and Revision of a Currently**  **Approved Information Collection**

**AGENCY :**  Agricultural Research Service, USDA.

**ACTION :**  Notice and request for
comments.

**SUMMARY :**  In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, this notice announces the Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) intention to seek approval to collect information in support of research and related activities.

**DATES :**  Comments on this notice must be received on or before June 4, 2012 to be assured of consideration.

**ADDRESSES :**  Address all comments concerning this notice to Jill Philpot, ARS Webmaster, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Contact Jill Philpot, ARS Webmaster, (301) 504–5683.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :** 

Title: Web Forms for Research Data, Models, Materials, and Publications as well as Study and Event Registration.

Type of Request: Extension and Revision of a Currently Approved Information Collection.

OMB Number: 0518–0032. Expiration Date: September 30, 2012. Abstract: Sections 1703 and 1705 the Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA), Public Law 105–277, Title XVII, require agencies, by October 21, 2003, to provide for the option of electronic submission of information by the public. To advance GPEA goals, online forms are needed to allow the public to request from ARS research data, models, materials, and publications as well as registration for scientific studies and events. For the convenience of the public, the forms itemize the information we need to provide a timely response. Information from forms will