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 completed 

business 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 


Tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 66 / Thursday, April 5, 2012 / Notices 20611 

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 


Tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES