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,

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rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

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examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

16325 

Vol. 72, No. 64 

Wednesday, April 4, 2007 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

[Docket No: AMS–07–0044; CN–07–002] 

Notice of Request for an Extension and 

Revision of a Currently Approved 

Information Collection 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice 

announces the Agricultural Marketing 

Service’s (AMS) intention to request 

approval from the Office of Management 

and Budget, for an extension of and 

revision to the currently approved 

information collection Cotton 

Classification and Market News Service. 

DATES: Comments received by June 4, 

2007 will be considered. 

Additional Information or Comments: 

Interested persons are invited to submit 

written comments concerning this 

proposal to Shethir Riva, Chief, 

Research and Promotion, Cotton 

Program, Agricultural Marketing 

Service, USDA, 1400 Independence 

Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20250–0224. 

Comments should be submitted in 

triplicate. Comments may also be 

submitted electronically through 

www.regulations.gov. All comments 

should reference the docket number and 

page number of this issue of the Federal 

Register. All comments received will be 

made available for public inspection at 

Cotton Program, AMS, USDA, Room 

2639–S, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., 

Washington, DC 20250 during regular 

business hours. A copy of this notice 

may be found at http:// 

www.ams.usda.gov/cotton/ 

rulemaking.htm. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Shethir Riva, Chief, Research and 

Promotion, Cotton Program, 

Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA, 

1400 Independence Ave., SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–0224, telephone 

(202) 720–3193, facsimile (202) 690– 

1718, or e-mail at 

Shethir.riva@usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Cotton Classification and 

Market News Service. 

OMB Number: 0581–0009. 

Expiration Date of Approval: 

September 30, 2007. 

Type of Request: Extension and 

Revision of a Currently Approved 

Information Collection. 

Abstract: The Cotton Classification 

and Market News Service program 

provides market information on Cotton 

prices, quality, stocks, demand and 

supply to growers, ginners, 

merchandisers, textile mills and the 

public for their use in making sound 

business decisions. The Cotton Statistics 

and Estimates Act U.S.C. 471–476, 

authorizes and directs the Secretary of 

Agriculture to: (a) Collect and publish 

annually, statistics or estimates 

concerning the grades and staple lengths 

of stocks of cotton, known as the 

carryover, on hand on the 1st of August 

each year in warehouses and other 

establishments of every character in the 

continental U.S., and following such 

publication each year, to publish at 

intervals, in his/her discretion, his/her 

estimate of the grades and staple length 

of cotton of the current crop (7 U.S.C. 

471); (b) Collect, authenticate, publish 

and distribute by radio, mail, or 

otherwise, timely information of the 

market supply, demand, location, and 

market prices of cotton (7 U.S.C. 473b). 

The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, 

7 U.S.C. 1621–1627, authorizes and 

directs the Secretary of Agriculture to 

collect and disseminate marketing 

information, including adequate outlook 

information on a market-area basis, for 

the purpose of anticipating and meeting 

consumer requirements, aiding in the 

maintenance of farm income, and 

bringing about a balance between 

production and utilization of 

agricultural products. 

The information collection 

requirements in this request are 

essential to carry out the intent of the 

Acts and to provide the cotton industry 

the type of information they need to 

make sound business decisions. The 

information collected is the minimum 

required. Information is requested from 

growers, cooperatives, merchants, 

manufacturers, and other government 

agencies. This includes information on 

cotton, cottonseed and cotton linters. 

The information collected is used 

only by authorized employees of the 

USDA, AMS. The Cotton Industry is the 

primary user of the compiled 

information and AMS and other 

government agencies are secondary 

users. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 0.13 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Cotton Merchandisers, 

Textile Mills, Ginners. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

1,066. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 8.55. 

Estimated Number of Responses: 

9,116.13. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 1,161.25. 

Comments are invited on: (1) 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; (2) 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; (3) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (4) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on those who are to respond, including 

the use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

Comments may be sent to Shethir Riva, 

Chief, Research and Promotion, Cotton 

Program, Agricultural Marketing 

Service, USDA, 1400 Independence 

Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20250–0224. 

All comments received will be available 

for public inspection during regular 

business hours at the same address. 

All responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for OMB approval. All comments will 

become a matter of public record. 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
16326 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 64 / Wednesday, April 4, 2007 / Notices 

Dated: March 29, 2007. 

Lloyd C. Day, 

Administrator, Agricultural Marketing 

Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–6246 Filed 4–3–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

[Docket No. DA–07–04] 

Notice of Request for Extension and 

Revision of a Currently Approved 

Information Collection 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice 

announces the Agricultural Marketing 

Service’s (AMS) intention to request an 

extension for and revision to a currently 

approved information collection for 

report forms under the Federal milk 

marketing order program. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by June 4, 2007 to be assured 

of consideration. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments on 

the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov or to the Office of 

the Deputy Administrator, Dairy 

Programs, AMS, USDA, 1400 

Independence Avenue, SW., Room 2968 

South, Stop 0225, Washington, DC 

20250–0225. Comments should make 

reference to the date and page number 

of this issue of the Federal Register. All 

comments will be made available for 

public inspection in the above office 

during regular business hours. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Contact William F. Newell, Chief, Order 

Operations Branch, Dairy Programs, 

(202) 690–2375, FAX: (202) 720–2454. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Report Forms Under Federal 

Milk Orders (From Milk Handlers and 

Milk Marketing Cooperatives). 

OMB Number: 0581–0032. 

Expiration Date of Approval: 

September 30, 2007. 

Type of Request: Extension and 

revision of a currently approved 

information collection. 

Abstract: Federal milk marketing 

order regulations authorized under the 

Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act 

of 1937, as amended (7 U.S.C. 601–674), 

require milk handlers to report in detail 

the receipts and utilization of milk and 

milk products handled at each of their 

plants that are regulated by a Federal 

order. The data are needed to administer 

the classified pricing system and related 

requirements of each Federal order. 

A Federal milk marketing order 

(hereinafter, Order) is a regulation 

issued by the Secretary of Agriculture 

that places certain requirements on the 

handling of milk in the area it covers. 

Each Order is established under the 

authority of the Act. The Order requires 

that handlers of milk for a marketing 

area pay not less than certain minimum 

class prices according to how the milk 

is used. These prices are established 

under each Order after a public hearing 

at which evidence is received on the 

supply and demand conditions for milk 

in the market. An Order requires that 

payments for milk be pooled and paid 

to individual farmers or cooperative 

associations of farmers on the basis of a 

uniform or average price. Thus, all 

eligible farmers (producers) share in the 

market wide use-values of milk by 

regulated handlers. 

Milk Orders help ensure adequate 

supplies of milk and dairy products for 

consumers and adequate returns to 

producers. 

The Orders also provide for the public 

dissemination of market statistics and 

other information for the benefit of 

producers, handlers, and consumers. 

Formal rulemaking amendments to 

the Orders must be approved in 

referenda conducted by the Secretary. 

During 2006, 52,725 dairy farmers 

delivered over 120 billion pounds of 

milk to handlers regulated under the 

milk orders. This volume represents 67 

percent of all milk marketed in the U.S. 

and 68 percent of the milk of bottling 

quality (Grade A) sold in the country. 

The value of this milk delivered to 

Federal milk order handlers at 

minimum order blend prices was nearly 

$16.0 billion. Producer deliveries of 

milk used in Class I products (mainly 

fluid milk products) totaled 45 billion 

pounds—38 percent of total producer 

deliveries. More than 239 million 

Americans reside in Federal milk order 

marketing areas—80 percent of the total 

U.S. population. 

Each Order is administered by a 

market administrator who is an agent of 

the Secretary of Agriculture. The market 

administrator is authorized to levy 

assessments on regulated handlers to 

carry out the market administrator’s 

duties and responsibilities under the 

Orders. Additional duties of the market 

administrators are to prescribe reports 

required of each handler, to assure that 

handlers properly account for milk and 

milk products, and to assure that such 

handlers pay producers and associations 

of producers according to the provisions 

of the Order. The market administrator 

employs a staff that verifies handlers’

reports by examining records to 

determine that the required payments 

are made to producers. Most reports 

required from handlers are submitted 

monthly to the market administrator. 

The forms used by the market 

administrators are required by the 

respective Orders that are authorized by 

the Act. The forms are used to establish: 

The quantity of milk received by 

handlers, the pooling status of the 

handler, the class-use of the milk used 

by the handler, and the butterfat content 

and amounts of other components of the 

milk. 

The forms covered under this 

information collection require the 

minimum information necessary to 

effectively carry out the requirements of 

the Orders, and their use is necessary to 

fulfill the intent of the Act as expressed 

in the Orders and in the rules and 

regulations issued under the Orders. 

The information collected is used 

only by authorized employees of the 

market administrator and authorized 

representatives of the USDA, including 

AMS Dairy Programs’ headquarters staff. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 1.07 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Milk handlers and milk 

marketing cooperatives. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

740. 

Estimated Number of Responses: 

20,565. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 28. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 21,818 hours. 

Comments are invited on: (1) 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; (2) 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; (3) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (4) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on those who are to respond, including 

the use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

All responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for OMB approval. All comments will 

become a matter of public record. 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES