44440 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 162 / Thursday, August 21, 1997 / Notices

Interested persons are hereby given an

opportunity to apply for designation to

provide official services in the Northeast

Indiana region under the provisions of

Section 7(f) of the Act and section

800.196(d) of the regulations issued

thereunder. Applications and other

available information will be considered

in determining which applicant will be

designated.

Designation in the Northeast Indiana

region is for the period beginning about

January 1, 1998, and not to exceed 3

years as prescribed in section 7(g)(1) of

the Act. Persons wishing to apply for

designation should contact the

Compliance Division at the address

listed above for forms and information.

AUTHORITY: Pub. L. 94–582, 90 Stat. 2867,

as amended (7 U.S.C. 71 et seq.)

Dated: August 14, 1997.

Neil E. Porter,

Director, Compliance Division.

[FR Doc. 97–22012 Filed 8–20–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–EN–F

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation

Service

National Commission on Small Farms;

Meeting

AGENCY: Natural Resources

Conservation Service, 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

NRCS 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.

Place, Date and Time of Meeting: The

Commission’s first subcommittee

meeting will be at the Marriot, 189 Wolf

Road, Albany, New York. The

subcommittee will meet from 10:00 a.m.

to 4:00 p.m. on September 2, to hear

public testimony. The meeting is 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

must contact the office of the National

Commission on Small Farms by August

26, 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 26, will be

able to sign up as a presenter September

2. Sign up will begin at 9:30 a.m. and

end at 12:00 Noon. 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, P.O. Box 2890, Room 5237,

South Building, Washington, D.C.

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.

Dated: August 8, 1997.

Pearlie S. Reed,

Acting Assistant Secretary for

Administration.

[FR Doc. 97–22092 Filed 8–20–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–16–P

ARMS CONTROL AND DISARMAMENT

AGENCY

Announcement of the William C. Foster

Fellows Visiting Scholars Program for

the 1998–99 Academic Year

The U.S. Arms Control and

Disarmament Agency (ACDA) will

conduct a competition to select visiting

scholars to serve at the Agency during