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

45617

Vol. 62, No. 167

Thursday, August 28, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

August 22, 1997.

The Department of Agriculture has

submitted the following information

collection requirement(s) to OMB for

review and clearance under the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

Public Law 104–13. Comments

regarding: (a) Whether the collection of

information is necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of the

agency, including whether the

information will have practical utility;

(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate

of burden including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used; (c)

ways to enhance the quality, utility and

clarity of the information to be

collected; (d) ways to minimize the

burden of the collection of information

on those who are to respond, including

through the use of appropriate

automated, electronic, mechanical, or

other technological collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology should be addressed to: Desk

Officer for Agriculture, Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB), Washington, D.C. 20503, and to

Department Clearance Office, USDA,

OCIO, Mail Stop 7602, Washington, D.C.

20250–7602. Comments regarding these

information collections are best assured

of having their full effect if received

within 30 days of this notification.

Copies of the submission(s) may be

obtained by calling (202) 720–6746.

An agency may not conduct or

sponsor a collection of information

unless the collection of information

displays a currently valid OMB control

number and the agency informs

potential persons who are to respond to

the collection of information that such

persons are not required to respond to

the collection of information unless it

displays a currently valid OMB control

number.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

Title: Animal Welfare Act, Part 3,

Subparts A and D, Dogs, Cats, and

Primates.

OMB Control Number: 0579–0093.

Summary of Collection: If the licensee

and registrants intent is to temporarily

tether a dog for a period to exceed three

days, the licensee must obtain written

approval from APHIS.

Need and Use of the Information: The

information collected will be used to

evaluate the licensee’s and registrants

request for temporary tethering of a dog

to determine if tethering is justified for

the duration of time requested.

Description of Respondents: Business

or other for-profit; Not-for-profit

institutions; State, Local, or Tribal

Government.

Number of Respondents: 82,000.

Frequency of Responses:

Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion;

Weekly; Semi-annually; Annually.

Total Burden Hours: 44,313.

Donald Hulcher,

Departmental Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 97–22881 Filed 8–27–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Office of the Secretary

National Commission on Small Farms;

Meetings

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 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’s next meeting is

September 10 and 11, 1997.

PLACE, DATE AND TIME OF MEETING: The

Commission’s third public meeting is

September 10 and 11 at the Jefferson

Auditorium, U.S. Department of

Agriculture, 1400 Independence

Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. The

meeting is open to the public. On

September 10, the Commission will

meet from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. to hear

public testimony. On September 11, the

Commission will meet from 8:00 a.m. to

5:00 p.m. to conduct Commission

business. This will include

subcommittees of the Commission

meeting separately during the day.

These meetings are open to the public

and nearby locations will be announced

and posted at the Jefferson Auditorium

on September 11.

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?