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

44946

Vol. 62, No. 164

Monday, August 25, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Office of the Secretary

National Commission on Small Farms;

Meetings

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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 chair of the Commission

has decided that the Commission may

hold subcommittee meetings in order to

gather public input from different

regions of the country. The Commission

is scheduling three subcommittee

meetings during the first week of

September.

PLACES, DATES AND TIMES OF MEETINGS:

The Commission’s first subcommittee

meeting is September 2 at the Marriot,

189 Wolf Road, Albany, New York from

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Printed in an earlier

Federal Register notice.) The

Commission’s second subcommittee

meeting is September 4 at the Hyatt

Regency Hotel, 330 Tijeras,

Albuquerque, New Mexico from 10 a.m.

to 4 p.m. The Commission’s third

subcommittee meeting is September 5 at

the Monarch Hotel, 12566 Southeast

93rd Avenue, Clackamas, Oregon which

is in the Portland, Oregon area, from 10

a.m. to 4 p.m. The meetings are open to

the public. 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?

9. What other generic issues

pertaining to small farms should the

Commission consider?

Interested parties wishing to testify at

these subcommittee meetings must

contact the office of the National

Commission on Small Farms by August

28, 1997, in order to be placed on a list

of witnesses. Oral presentations will be

limited to 5 minutes. Those wishing to

testify, but unable to notify the

Commission office by August 28, will be

able to sign up as a presenter September

2 in Albany, New York, September 4 in

Albuquerque, New Mexico and

September 5 in Clackamas, Oregon. At

each meeting location, sign up will

begin at 9:30 a.m. and end at 11 a.m.

These presenters will testify on a first

come, first served basis and comments

will be limited based on the time

available and the number of presenters.

Written statements will be accepted at

the meeting or may be mailed or faxed

to the Commission office by September

12, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments and statements

should be sent to National Commission

on Small Farms, U.S. Department of

Agriculture, PO Box 2890, Room 5237,

South Building, Washington, DC 20013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jennifer Yezak Molen, Director, National

Commission on Small Farms, at the

address above or at (202) 690–0648 or

(202) 690–0673. The fax number is (202)

720–0596.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

purpose of the Commission is to gather

and evaluate background information,

studies, and data pertinent to small

farms and ranches, including limitedresource farmers. On the basis of the

review, the Commission shall analyze

all relevant issues and make findings,

develop strategies, and make

recommendations for consideration by

the Secretary of Agriculture toward a

national strategy on small farms. The

national strategy shall include, but not

be limited to: changes in existing

policies, programs, regulations, training,

and program delivery and outreach

systems; approaches that assist

beginning farmers and involve the

private sectors and government,

including assurances that the needs of

minorities, women, and persons with

disabilities are addressed; areas where

new partnerships and collaborations are

needed; and other approaches that it

would deem advisable or which the

Secretary of Agriculture or the Chief of

the Natural Resources Conservation

Service may request the Commission to

consider.

The Secretary of Agriculture has

determined that the work of the

Commission is in the public interest and

within the duties and responsibilities of

USDA. Establishment of the

Commission also implements a

recommendation of the USDA Civil

Rights Action Report to appoint a

diverse commission to develop a

national policy on small farms.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 164 / Monday, August 25, 1997 / Notices 44947

Dated: August 20, 1997.

Pearlie S. Reed,

Acting Assistant Secretary for

Administration.

[FR Doc. 97–22539 Filed 8–22–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–16–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[Docket No. PY–97–009]

Notice of Request for Extension 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 to a currently approved

information collection in support of the

Poultry Market News Program.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received by October 24, 1997.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Contact Grover

T. Hunter, Market News Branch, Poultry

Division, Agricultural Marketing

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

STOP 0262, 1400 Independence Avenue

SW, Washington, D.C. 20090–6456,

(202) 720–6911 and FAX (202) 720–

2403.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Market News Reports

(Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946).

OMB Number: 0581–0033

Expiration Date of Approval: January

31, 1998

Type of Request: Extension of a

currently approved information

collection.

Abstract: Under the Agricultural

Marketing Act of 1946, as amended, (7

U.S.C. 1621 et seq.) the Poultry Market

News Branch provides nationwide

coverage of broiler/fryers, turkeys, and

eggs through field offices. Reporters in

the Federal-State field offices make

contact with trade members.

The mission of Market News is to

provide current unbiased, factual

information to all members of the

Nation’s agricultural industry, from

farm to retailer, depicting current

conditions on supply, demand, price,

trend, movement, and other pertinent

information affecting the trade in

poultry and eggs, and their respective

products. In order to accomplish this

mission, Market News observes, records,

interprets, and reports trading levels of

poultry and egg markets. Market reports

assist producer-processors in their

production planning, and help promote

orderly marketing by placing producerprocessors and others in the industry on

a more equal bargaining basis. Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden for this collection of information

is estimated to average 0.83 hours per

response. Respondents: Producers, processors,

brokers, retailers.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

1,720.

Estimated Number of Responses per

Respondent: 123.69.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 17,657 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 methodology and

assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance

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: Grover T. Hunter, Chief,

Market News Branch, Poultry Division,

Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S.

Department of Agriculture, STOP 0262,

1400 Independence Avenue SW,

Washington, D.C. 20090–6456. All responses to this notice will be

summarized and included in the request

for OMB approval. All comments will

also become a matter of public record.

Dated: August 19, 1997.

D. Michael Holbrook,

Director, Poultry Division.

[FR Doc. 97–22521 Filed 8–22–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 97–075–1]

Secretary’s Advisory Committee on

Foreign Animal and Poultry Diseases;

Meeting

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: We are giving notice of a

meeting of the Secretary’s Advisory

Committee on Foreign Animal and

Poultry Diseases.

Place, Dates, and Time of Meeting:

The meeting will be held in the

Conference Center of the USDA Center

at Riverside, 4700 River Road,

Riverdale, MD 20737. Sessions will be

held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on September

9–10, 1997, and from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

on September 11, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Quita Bowman, Senior Staff

Veterinarian, Emergency Programs Staff,

VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 41,

Riverdale, MD 20737–1231, (301) 734–

7707; or e-mail:

qbowman@aphis.usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Secretary’s Advisory Committee on

Foreign Animal and Poultry Diseases

(the Committee) advises the Secretary of

Agriculture on actions necessary to

prevent the introduction of foreign

diseases of livestock and poultry into

the United States. In addition, the

Committee advises the Secretary on

contingency planning and on

maintaining a state of preparedness to

deal with these diseases, if introduced.

The meeting will focus on emerging

issues, the design of an emergency

management system, and the foreign

animal disease situation worldwide and

its relevance to the United States. The

meeting will be open to the public.

However, due to the time constraints,

the public will not be allowed to

participate in the Committee’s

discussions. Written statements on

meeting topics may be filed with the

Committee before or after the meeting

by sending them to Dr. Quita Bowman

at the address listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. Written

comments may also be filed at the time

of the meeting. Please refer to Docket

No. 97–075–1 when submitting your

comments.

This notice of meeting is given

pursuant to section 10 of the Federal

Advisory Committee Act.

Done in Washington, DC this 19th day of

August 1997.

Terry L. Medley,

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 97–22524 Filed 8–22–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P