Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 227 / Monday, November 25, 2024 / Notices 92885 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number. 

National Agricultural Statistics Service 

Title: Generic Clearance of Survey 

Improvement Projects. 

OMB Control Number: 0535–0248. 

Summary of Collection: The primary 

function of the National Agricultural 

Statistics Service is to prepare and issue 

State and National estimates which 

include crop and livestock production, 

economic and environmental inputs, 

whole farm characteristics and operator 

demographics (covered by the Census of 

Agriculture) under the general authority 

of 7 U.S.C. 2204. NASS is requesting the 

renewal of a generic clearance in order 

to respond quickly to emerging issues 

and data collection needs. The 

agricultural industry and economy 

continue to change, and NASS needs to 

continuously evaluate its surveys in 

light of these changes. Respondents 

continue to change (e.g., response rates 

decrease over time), technology 

continues to change (e.g., the Web 

quickly became a data collection 

option), and data needs continue to 

change. In addition, our understanding 

of how to improve surveys continues to 

evolve (e.g., the application of cognitive 

psychology to survey methodology has 

increased our understanding of 

surveys). The generic clearance 

structure allows NASS to meet these 

information needs using a means that 

minimizes respondent and 

administrative burden. Thus, NASS 

requests an ongoing OMB clearance 

structure in place to continue to 

improve the overall quality of its 

statistical surveys, to lessen the burden 

it places on respondents, and to shorten 

the time period between changes that 

affect surveys and NASS’ ability to 

formulate and update its surveys to 

address those changes. Prior to each 

test, NASS will submit to OMB a mini 

supporting statement that will describe 

the details of each specific test, along 

with a sample of the questions or 

questionnaire that will be tested. 

Need and Use of the Information: The 

information obtained from these efforts 

will be used to develop new NASS 

surveys and improve current ones. 

Specifically, the information will be 

used to reduce respondent burden while 

simultaneously improving the quality of 

the data collected in these surveys. 

These objectives are met when 

respondents are presented with plain, 

coherent and unambiguous 

questionnaires that ask for data 

compatible with respondents’ memory 

and/or current reporting and record 

keeping practices. The purpose of the 

survey improvement projects will be to 

ensure that NASS surveys continuously 

attempt to meet these standards of 

excellence. 

Improved NASS surveys will inform 

policy decisions on agriculture, as well 

as contributing to increased agency 

efficiency and reduced survey costs. In 

addition, methodological findings have 

broader implications for survey research 

and may be presented in technical 

papers at conferences or published in 

the proceedings of conferences or in 

journals. 

The results of these tests won’t be 

disseminated or used to inform policy, 

program, or budget decisions. 

Description of Respondents: Private 

Sector; Businesses or other for-profits; 

Farms. 

Number of Respondents: 25,000. 

Frequency of Responses: On occasion. 

Total Burden Hours: 15,000. 

Levi S. Harrell, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2024–27543 Filed 11–22–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–20–P 

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 clearance 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. 

Comments regarding these 

information collections are best assured 

of having their full effect if received by 

December 26, 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. 

Economic Research Service. 

Title: Foodborne Illness Valuation 

Survey. 

OMB Control Number: 0536–NEW. 

Summary of Collection: The 

Economic Research Service (ERS) will 

be conducting a national Foodborne 

Illness Valuation Survey. The mission of 

ERS is to provide timely research and 

analysis to public and private decision 

makers on topics related to agriculture, 

food, the environment, and rural 

America. ERS has a long history of 

providing estimates of the cost of 

foodborne illnesses in the United States. 

These estimates approximate the 

public’s willingness to pay to prevent 

foodborne illnesses. This survey is 

designed to enhance the accuracy of 

those estimates. 

Need and Use of the Information: The 

purpose of this survey is to estimate 

individuals’ willingness to pay to 

prevent the direct disutility from 

illnesses that can be foodborne. This 

component of willingness to pay is not 

currently included in ERS cost of 

foodborne illness estimates due to a lack 

of research. These estimates can only be 

obtained using surveys like the one to 

be fielded. Having these estimates will 

provide a more complete estimate of the 

value of preventing foodborne illnesses 

in the United States. 

Description of Respondents: 

Individuals. 

Number of Respondents: 3,000. 

Frequency of Responses: one time 

only. 

Total Burden Hours: 2,000. 

Levi S. Harrell, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2024–27544 Filed 11–22–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–18–P 


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