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

45786

Vol. 62, No. 168

Friday, August 29, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

National Nutrition Monitoring Advisory

Council; Notice of Meeting

AGENCIES: Agricultural Research

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture;

National Center for Health Statistics,

Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, Department of Health and

Human Services.

ACTION: National Nutrition Monitoring

Advisory Council; notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Department of

Agriculture (USDA) and the Department

of Health and Human Services (HHS)

announce the meeting of the National

Nutrition Monitoring Advisory Council.

DATES: The Council will meet

September 18, 1997 for a full-day

meeting (8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. e.s.t.) in the

Williamsburg Room, 104–A, of USDA’s

Jamie L. Whitten Federal Building, 14th

and Independence Avenues, SW.,

Washington, DC 20250.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Junko Alice Tamaki, M.P.H., USDA CoExecutive Secretary to the National

Nutrition Monitoring Advisory Council,

National Program Staff, Agricultural

Research Service, 10300 Baltimore Blvd,

Bldg. 005, Room 336, Beltsville, MD

20705, (301) 504–6216 or Ronette

Briefel, Dr. P.H., HHS Co-Executive

Secretary to the National Nutrition

Monitoring Advisory Council, National

Center for Health Statistics, Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention,

Department of Health and Human

Services, 6525 Belcrest Road, Room

1000, Hyattsville, MD 20782, (301) 436–

3473 x157.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

National Nutrition Monitoring

Advisory Council Task

The purpose of the nine member

Council, consisting of 5 Presidential

appointees and 4 Congressional

appointees, is to provide scientific and

technical guidance to improve the

National Nutrition Monitoring and

Related Research Program and the TenYear Comprehensive Plan. The Council

was established by an Executive Order

of the President of the United States,

pursuant to Public Law No. 101–445,

the National Nutrition Monitoring and

Related Research Act of 1990.

The agenda is in the process of being

finalized. The tentative agenda includes

discussion of welfare reform and

nutrition data needs, survey

coordination plans for the NHANES

(National Health and Nutrition

Examination Survey) and CSFII

(Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by

Individuals), and food compositionrelated projects. The final agenda is

obtainable from the contact persons

listed above after August 22, 1997.

Public Participation at Meeting

The meeting is open to the public.

Written comments may be sent to the

contact persons listed above before or

after the meeting. Please call Junko

Tamaki (301–504–6216) by September 5

if you will require a sign language

interpreter at the meeting.

Dated: August 22, 1997.

I. Miley Gonzalez,

Under Secretary, Research, Education, and

Economics, Department of Agriculture.

[FR Doc. 97–22987 Filed 8–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–03–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Office of the Secretary

National Commission on Small Farms;

Meeting

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: The Secretary of Agriculture

by Departmental Regulation No. 1043–

43 dated July 9, 1997, established the

National Commission on Small Farms

(Commission) and further identified the

Natural Resources Conservation Service

to provide support to the Commission.

The purpose of the Commission is to

gather and analyze information

regarding small farms and ranches and

recommend to the Secretary of

Agriculture a national policy and

strategy to ensure their continued

viability. The Commission’s next

meeting is September 15 and 16, 1997.

PLACE, DATE AND TIME OF MEETING: The

Commission’s fourth public meeting is

September 15 and 16 at the Beverly

Garland Hotel and Conference Center,

1780 Tribute Road, Sacramento,

California. The meeting is open to the

public. On September 15, the

Commission will meet from 2:00 p.m to

6:00 p.m to hear public testimony. On

September 16, the Commission will

meet from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to

conduct Commission business. We are

seeking testimony from various sources

to arrive at conclusions and

recommendations that will ensure the

continued viability of small farms. The

Commission requests that testimony and

comments include ideas and

recommendations based on the

following questions. Concerns or

problems of individual farms that relate

to specific USDA programs should be

addressed only in the context of a

recommendation for the Commission to

consider.

The questions are:

1. How are current USDA programs

helping or hurting the viability of small

farms?

2. What are the needs of small farms

in terms of financing, research,

extension, marketing and risk

management and other areas? What

recommendations would you make

about these needs that could be part of

a long-range strategy to ensure the

continued viability of small farms?

3. Are there innovative nongovernmental or state efforts to assist

beginning and smaller independent

farms that might be replicated or

supplemented at the Federal level?

4. What changes in USDA policy or

practices are needed to make USDA

programs in the areas of credit, research,

extension, marketing, risk management

and other areas more effective in

enabling small farms to survive and

thrive?

5. What new programs could provide

effective and affordable support for

small farmers as commodity programs

are phased out?

6. What can be done to assist

beginning farmers and farm workers to

become farm owners?

7. What role should the Federal

government play to ensure a diversified,

decentralized and competitive farm

structure?

8. What do small farms contribute to

your community and your state?