7828 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 29 / Thursday, February 12, 2015 / Notices 

Department of Agriculture, Room 5336 

South Building, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250– 

2024. 

• Hand Delivery/Courier: Hand 

deliver to: David Hancock, NASS 

Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Room 5336 South Building, 

1400 Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–2024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: R. 

Renee Picanso, Associate Administrator, 

National Agricultural Statistics Service, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, (202) 

720–4333. Copies of this information 

collection and related instructions can 

be obtained without charge from David 

Hancock, NASS—OMB Clearance 

Officer, at (202) 690–2388 or at 

ombofficer@nass.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Agricultural Resources 

Management Survey and Chemical Use 

Surveys. 

OMB Control Number: 0535–0218. 

Expiration Date of Current Approval: 

October 31, 2015. 

Type of Request: Intent to revise and 

extend a currently approved 

information collection. 

Abstract: The Agricultural Resource 

Management Survey(s) (ARMS) are the 

primary source of information for the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture on a 

broad range of issues related to: 

production practices, costs and returns, 

pest management, chemical usage, and 

contractor expenses. Data is collected on 

both a whole farm level and on selected 

commodities. 

ARMS is the only source of 

information available for objective 

evaluation of many critical issues 

related to agriculture and the rural 

economy, such as: whole farm finance 

data, including data sufficient to 

construct estimates of income for farms 

by: type of operation, loan commodities, 

income for operator households, credit, 

structure, and organization; marketing 

information; and other economic data 

on input usage, production practices, 

and crop substitution possibilities. 

Data from ARMS are used to produce 

estimates of net farm income by type of 

commercial producer as required in 7 

U.S.C. 7998 as amended and estimates 

of enterprise production costs as 

required in 7 U.S.C. 1441(a) as 

amended. Data from ARMS are also 

used as weights in the development of 

the Prices Paid Index, a component of 

the Parity Index referred to in the 

Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, as 

amended. These indexes are used to 

calculate the annual federal grazing fee 

rates as described in the Public 

Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978 

and Executive Order 12548 and as 

promulgated in regulations found at 36 

CFR 222.51, as amended. 

In addition, ARMS is used to produce 

estimates of sector-wide production 

expenditures and other components of 

income that are used in constructing the 

estimates of income and value-added 

which are transmitted to the U.S. 

Department of Commerce, Bureau of 

Economic Analysis, by the USDA 

Economic Research Service (ERS) for 

use in constructing economy-wide 

estimates of Gross Domestic Product. 

This transmittal of data, prepared using 

the ARMS, is undertaken to satisfy a 

1956 agreement between the Office of 

Management and Budget and the 

Departments of Agriculture and 

Commerce that a single set of estimates 

be published on farm income. 

Chemical Use Surveys: Congress has 

mandated that NASS and ERS build 

nationally coordinated databases on 

agricultural chemical use and related 

farm practices; these databases are the 

primary vehicles used to produce 

specified environmental and economic 

estimates. The surveys will help provide 

the knowledge and technical means for 

producers and researchers to address 

on-farm environmental concerns in a 

manner that maintains agricultural 

productivity. 

In this approval request, there are 

three significant program changes. First, 

the Fruit Chemical Use Survey will be 

reinstated in rotation with the Vegetable 

Chemical Use Survey. These two 

surveys will be conducted in alternating 

years. Second, starting in October 2015, 

data on Microbial Food Safety Practices 

used by farmers will be collected on 

both the Vegetable and Fruit Chemical 

Use Surveys. Finally, a new annual 

survey will be added to collect data on 

the Microbial Food Safety Practices— 

Packer Survey. 

Authority: These data will be collected 

under the authority of 7 U.S.C. 2204(a). 

Individually identifiable data collected under 

this authority are governed by section 1770 

of the Food Security Act of 1985, 7 U.S.C. 

2276, which requires USDA to afford strict 

confidentiality to non-aggregated data 

provided by respondents. This Notice is 

submitted in accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (at 44 U.S.C. 3501, et 

seq.) and Office of Management and Budget 

regulations at 5 CFR part 1320. 

NASS also complies with OMB 

Implementation Guidance, 

‘‘Implementation Guidance for Title V 

of the E-Government Act, Confidential 

Information Protection and Statistical 

Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA).’’ 

Federal Register, Vol. 72, No. 115, June 

15, 2007, p. 33362. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average approximately 

45 minutes per survey. 

Respondents: Farmers, ranchers, farm 

managers, farm contractors, and farm 

households. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

Approximately 90,000 respondents will 

be sampled each year. Over half of these 

respondents will be contacted more 

than one time in a single year. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: Approximately 85,000 

hours per year. 

Comments: Comments are invited on: 

(a) 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; 

(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate 

of the burden of the proposed collection 

of information, including the validity of 

the methodology and assumptions used; 

(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, 

and clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on those who are to respond, through 

the use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, technological or 

other forms of information technology 

collection methods. 

All responses to this notice will 

become a matter of public record and be 

summarized in the request for OMB 

approval. 

Signed at Washington, DC, January 30, 

2015. 

R. Renee Picanso, 

Associate Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2015–02943 Filed 2–11–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–20–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

National Agricultural Statistics Service 

Notice of Invitation for Nominations to 

the Advisory Committee on Agriculture 

Statistics 

AGENCY: National Agricultural Statistics 

Service (NASS). 

ACTION: Solicitation of Nominations to 

the Advisory Committee on Agriculture 

Statistics. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 

U.S.C. App. 2, this notice announces an 

invitation from the Office of the 

Secretary of Agriculture for nominations 

to the Advisory Committee on 

Agriculture Statistics. 

On September 2, 2014, the Secretary 

of Agriculture renewed the Advisory 


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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 29 / Thursday, February 12, 2015 / Notices 7829 

Committee charter for a two-year term to 

expire on September 2, 2016. The 

purpose of the Committee is to advise 

the Secretary of Agriculture on the 

scope, timing, content, etc., of the 

periodic censuses and surveys of 

agriculture, other related surveys, and 

the types of information to obtain from 

respondents concerning agriculture. The 

Committee also prepares 

recommendations regarding the content 

of agriculture reports and presents the 

views and needs for data of major 

suppliers and users of agriculture 

statistics. 

DATES: The nomination period for 

interested candidates will close 

February 27, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit 

nominations by any of the following 

methods: 

• Email: Scan the completed form 

and email to: HQSDOD@nass.usda.gov. 

• eFax: (855) 593–5473. 

• Mail: Nominations should be 

mailed to Hubert Hamer, Executive 

Director, Agricultural Statistics Board, 

National Agricultural Statistics Service, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., Room 5431 

South Building, Washington, DC 20250– 

2010. 

• Hand Delivery/Courier: Hand 

deliver to: Hubert Hamer, Executive 

Director, Agricultural Statistics Board, 

National Agricultural Statistics Service, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., Room 5431 

South Building, Washington, DC 20250– 

2010. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Hubert Hamer, Executive Director, 

Agricultural Statistics Board, National 

Agricultural Statistics Service, (202) 

720–3896. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Each 

person nominated to serve on the 

committee is required to submit the 

following form: AD–755 (Advisory 

Committee Membership Background 

Information, OMB Number 0505–0001), 

available on the Internet at http://

www.usda.gov/documents/OCIO_AD_

755_Master_2012.pdf. This form may 

also be requested by telephone, fax, or 

email using the information above. 

Completed forms may be faxed to the 

number above, mailed, or completed 

and emailed directly from the Internet 

site. NASS is seeking additional 

nominations to fill vacancies on the 

Advisory Committee on Agriculture 

Statistics. The original invitation for 

nominations ran from September 18, 

2014 to October 24, 2014. Applications 

submitted during this time frame will be 

considered along with additional 

nominations received through this 

announcement. 

For more information on the Advisory 

Committee on Agriculture Statistics, see 

the NASS Web site at http://

www.nass.usda.gov. At the top of the 

homepage, click on the tab titled ‘‘About 

NASS‘‘. The ‘‘Advisory Committee on 

Agricultural Statistics’’ button is along 

the right column. 

The Committee draws on the 

experience and expertise of its members 

to form a collective judgment 

concerning agriculture data collected 

and the statistics issued by NASS. This 

input is vital to keep current with 

shifting data needs in the rapidly 

changing agricultural environment and 

keeps NASS informed of emerging 

issues in the agriculture community that 

can affect agricultural statistics 

activities. 

The Committee, appointed by the 

Secretary of Agriculture, consists of 20 

members representing a broad range of 

disciplines and interests, including, but 

not limited to, producers, 

representatives of national farm 

organizations, agricultural economists, 

rural sociologists, farm policy analysts, 

educators, State agriculture 

representatives, and agriculture-related 

business and marketing experts. 

Members serve staggered 2-year terms, 

with terms for half of the Committee 

members expiring in any given year. 

Nominations are being sought for 6 open 

Committee seats. Members can serve up 

to 3 terms for a total of 6 consecutive 

years. The Chairperson of the 

Committee shall be elected by members 

to serve a 1-year term. 

Equal opportunity practices, in line 

with USDA policies, will be followed in 

all membership appointments to the 

Committee. To ensure that the 

recommendations of the Committee 

have taken into account the needs of the 

diverse groups served by USDA, 

membership will include to the extent 

possible, individuals with demonstrated 

ability to represent the needs of all 

racial and ethnic groups, women and 

men, and persons with disabilities. 

The duties of the Committee are 

solely advisory. The Committee will 

make recommendations to the Secretary 

of Agriculture with regards to the 

agricultural statistics programs of NASS, 

and such other matters as it may deem 

advisable, or which the Secretary of 

Agriculture; Under Secretary for 

Research, Education, and Economics; or 

the Administrator of NASS may request. 

The Committee will meet at least 

annually. All meetings are open to the 

public. Committee members are 

reimbursed for official travel expenses 

only. 

Send questions, comments, and 

requests for additional information to 

the email address, fax number, or 

address listed above. 

Signed at Washington, DC, January 30, 

2015. 

Joseph T. Reilly, 

Administrator, National Agricultural 

Statistics Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–02945 Filed 2–11–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–20–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Announcement of Grant and Loan 

Application Deadlines 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Solicitation of 

Applications. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service 

(RUS) announces its Revolving Fund 

Program (RFP) application window for 

Fiscal Year (FY) 2015. 

The RFP is authorized under section 

306(a)(2)(B) of the Consolidated Farm 

and Rural Development Act (Con Act), 

7 U.S.C. 1926 (a)(2)(B). Under the RFP, 

qualified private, non-profit 

organizations may receive RFP grant 

funds to establish a lending program for 

eligible entities. Eligible entities for the 

revolving loan fund will be the same 

entities eligible, under paragraph 1 or 2 

of Section 306(a) of the Con Act, 7 

U.S.C. 1926(a)(1) or (b)(2), to obtain a 

loan, loan guarantee, or grant from the 

RUS Water, Waste Disposal and 

Wastewater loan and grant programs. 

This year administrative discretion 

points may be awarded for work plans 

that: Direct loans to the smallest 

communities with the lowest incomes 

emphasizing areas where according to 

the American Community Survey data 

by census tracts show that at least 20 

percent of the population is living in 

poverty. This emphasis will support 

Rural Development’s goal of providing 

20 percent of its funding by 2016 to 

these areas of need; 

Direct loans to areas that lack running 

water, flush toilets, and modern sewage 

disposal systems, and areas which have 

open sewers and high rates of disease 

caused by poor sanitation, in particular, 

colonias or Substantially Underserved 

Trust Areas; and 

Direct loans that emphasize energy 

and water efficient components to 

reduce costs and increase sustainability 

of rural systems. 

RUS will publish on its Web site at 

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/UWPrevolvingfund.html the amount of 


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