[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 234 (Thursday, December 7, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 85204-85206]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-26894]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Agriculture will submit the following information 
collection requirement(s) to OMB for review and approval under the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 on or after the date 
of publication of this notice. Comments are requested regarding: (1) 
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; (2) the accuracy of the 
agency's estimate of burden 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 through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.

[[Page 85205]]

    Comments regarding these information collections are best assured 
of having their full effect if received by January 8, 2024. Written 
comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection 
should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of this notice on 
the following website www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this 
particular information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day 
Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
    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.

National Agricultural Statistics Service

    Title: Livestock Slaughter.
    OMB Control Number: 0535-0005.
    Summary of Collection: The primary functions of the National 
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) are to prepare and issue State 
and national estimates of crop and livestock production, disposition, 
and prices and to collect information on related environmental and 
economic factors. Crop and livestock statistics help maintain a stable 
economic atmosphere and reduce risk for production, marketing, and 
distribution operations. The agricultural industry increasingly calls 
upon NASS to supply reliable, timely, and detailed information in its 
commodity estimation program. General authority for data collection 
activities is granted under U.S. Code title 7, section 2204(a). This 
statue specifies the ``The Secretary of Agriculture shall procure and 
preserve all information concerning agriculture which he can obtain . . 
. by the collection of statistics . . . and shall distribute them among 
agriculturists''. Information from federally and non-federally 
inspected slaughter plants are used to estimate total red meat 
production. NASS will use a Federally and non-Federally-inspected 
livestock slaughter survey to collect data.
    Need and Use of the Information: Information collected from both 
types of plants are combined to estimate total red meat production, 
consisting of the number of head slaughtered and live weights of 
cattle, calves, hogs, sheep/lambs, goats, and buffalo/bison. Knowing 
total red meat production, the number of head slaughtered, and live 
weights allows the industry to prepare and address issues related to 
supply and pricing. The data are also used at the end of the year to 
confirm production and disposition information for NASS livestock 
estimates made during the year.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 1,225.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly and 
Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 2,302.

National Agricultural Statistics Service

    Title: Bee and Honey Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 0535-0153.
    Summary of Collection: The primary functions of the National 
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) are to prepare and issue State 
and national estimates of crop and livestock production, disposition, 
and prices, and to collect information on related environmental and 
economic factors. Crop and livestock statistics help maintain a stable 
economic atmosphere and reduce risk for production, marketing, and 
distribution operations. Modern agriculture increasingly calls upon 
NASS to supply reliable, timely, and detailed information through its 
commodity estimation program. As part of this function, estimates are 
made for honey production, stocks, and prices.
    Domestic honeybees are critical to the pollination of U.S. crops, 
especially fruits, some nuts, vegetables, and some specialty crops. 
United States honey production in 2022 totaled 125 million pounds, down 
1 percent from 2021. There were 2.67 million colonies producing honey 
in 2022, down 1 percent from 2021. Yield per colony averaged 47.0 
pounds, unchanged from 2021. The survival of bees is threatened by 
parasites, diseases, and other factors. In many areas, the wild 
European honeybee population is virtually nonexistent. Federal, State 
and local governments provide programs to assist in the survival of 
honeybees and to encourage beekeepers to maintain honeybee colonies. 
The government to administer these programs uses honey production and 
price data.
    General authority for these data collection activities is granted 
under U.S. Code title 7, section 2204. This statute specifies that 
``The Secretary of Agriculture shall procure and preserve all 
information concerning agriculture which he can obtain . . . by the 
collection of statistics . . . and shall distribute them among 
agriculturists.''
    Need and Use of the Information: The bee and honey surveys are 
conducted in all States. These surveys collect data on the number of 
colonies each operation has, the amount of honey produced and the 
amount of honey stocks available for sale.
    The Agricultural Research Service (ARS), State-level apiarists, and 
agricultural colleges throughout the U.S. use NASS bee and honey data 
to administer their honeybee research programs. Current research 
projects at ARS focus on colony collapse disorder, parasites, 
Africanized honeybees, foul brood disease, food safety and inspection 
(including honey), and other topics.
    The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) uses NASS honey production 
data as control data for the administration of the research and 
promotion programs. The Honey Packers and Importers Research, 
Promotion, Consumer Education, and Industry Information Order (Order) 
[7 CFR part 1212] is authorized by the Commodity Promotion, Research, 
and Information Act of 1996 (1996 Act) [7 U.S.C. 7411-7425]. Under the 
Order, assessments are collected on honey and honey products packed or 
imported into the 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. 
The funds collected are used by the National Honey Board for research 
and development, advertising and promotion of honey and honey products, 
consumer education, and industry information, under AMS supervision. 
The National Honey Board administers the research and promotion 
programs and reimburses the Federal government for the costs incurred 
in implementing and administering the program.
    The Economic Research Service (ERS) uses NASS honey data to 
construct U.S. and per capita caloric sweetener consumption estimates. 
The data are used in the Sugar and Sweeteners Yearbook tables provided 
by ERS. The data are also utilized in the Situation and Outlook Report 
and the Food Consumption series, which are mandated by Congress. 
Economic data published in the Honey report is also used to prepare 
valuations related to pollinators.
    The Farm Service Agency (FSA) uses NASS honey production data as 
source data. The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 
provides that the FSA administer the nonrecourse marketing assistance 
loan and loan deficiency payment (LDP) program for honey. The honey 
nonrecourse marketing assistance loan and LDP program provides eligible 
honey producers with two forms of Federal assistance. The program helps 
to stabilize America's honey industry and ensure the wellbeing of 
agriculture in

[[Page 85206]]

the United States. Nonrecourse marketing assistance loans are 
administered by FSA on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation 
(CCC). The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill) 
authorized the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and 
Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP). ELAP assistance covers some species, 
loss conditions, and losses that are not eligible for other disaster 
assistance programs, including colony collapse disorder. The 
Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill) authorized the 
use of Commodity Credit Corporation funds for the Emergency Assistance 
for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP). ELAP 
provides emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock, 
honeybees and farm-raised fish. It covers losses due to an eligible 
adverse weather or loss condition, including blizzards and wildfires, 
as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture. ELAP covers losses that 
are not covered under other disaster assistance programs authorized by 
the 2014 Farm Bill, such as the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) 
and the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP).
    The Risk Management Agency (RMA) is now offering a pilot insurance 
program for apiculture. This pilot program uses rainfall and vegetation 
greenness indices to estimate local rainfall and plant health, allowing 
beekeepers to purchase insurance protection against production risks. 
The program will use a 5-year average honey yield at the state level 
and the annual average honey price at the national level, both based on 
NASS data, to determine insurance payments.
    The Pollinator Health Task Force uses data from the Honey Bee 
Colonies report to monitor honeybee colony losses during winter. Their 
goal, as laid out in the Pollinator Research Action Plan, is to reduce 
these losses to no more than 15 percent within 10 years. The Food and 
Drug Administration provided some background information on the 
importance of honeybees in an article they published in July 2018. 
``Honey bees are not native to the New World. Most crops grown in the 
U.S. are not New World natives either. Both the crops and the bees 
evolved together in other areas of the globe, and were brought here by 
European settlers. Information suggests that the first honeybee 
colonies arrived in the Colony of Virginia from England early in 1622.
    Today, the commercial production of more than 90 crops relies on 
bee pollination. Of the approximately 3,600 bee species that live in 
the U.S., the European honeybee2 (scientific name Apis mellifera) is 
the most common pollinator, making it the most important bee to 
domestic agriculture. About one-third of the food eaten by Americans 
comes from crops pollinated by honey bees, including apples, melons, 
cranberries, pumpkins, squash, broccoli, and almonds, to name just a 
few. Without the industrious honey bee, American dinner plates would 
look quite bare.''
    Description of Respondents: Businesses or other for-profits; Farms.
    Number of Respondents: 12,225.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Quarterly; Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 7,920.

Levi S. Harrell,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-26894 Filed 12-6-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-20-P