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

13961 

Vol. 87, No. 48 

Friday, March 11, 2022 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

[Doc. No. AMS–TM–22–0017] 

Regional Food Business Centers; 

Request for a New Information 

Collection 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice announces the Agricultural 

Marketing Service’s (AMS) intention to 

seek approval from the Office of 

Management and Budget to collect 

information related to the new Regional 

Food Business Centers created by the 

AMS Transportation and Marketing 

Program. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by May 10, 2022 to be assured 

of consideration. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit comments concerning 

this information collection notice. 

Comments should be submitted online 

at www.regulations.gov or sent to 

Christina Conell, Marketing Services 

Division Deputy Director, AMS 

Transportation and Marketing Program, 

1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 

0269, Washington, DC 20250–0264, Fax: 

(202) 690–0338. All comments should 

reference the document number and the 

date and page number of this issue of 

the Federal Register. All comments 

submitted in response to this notice will 

be posted without change, including 

any personal information provided, at 

www.regulations.gov and will be 

included in the record and made 

available to the public. All comments 

received will also be available for public 

inspection during regular business 

hours at the address above. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Christina Conell, Marketing Services 

Division Deputy Director, AMS 

Transportation and Marketing Program, 

1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 

0269, Washington, DC 20250–0264, 

Telephone: (202) 657–8647 or Email: 

christina.conell@usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview of This Information 

Collection 

Agency: USDA, AMS. 

Title: Regional Food Business Centers 

(RFBC). 

OMB Number: 0581–NEW. 

Type of Request: New Information 

Collection. 

Abstract: The Regional Food Business 

Centers are authorized and funded by 

Section 1001(b)(4) of the American 

Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Pub. L. 117– 

2). Under Section 1001(b)(4), the 

Secretary is directed to provide 

assistance for maintaining and 

improving food and agricultural supply 

chain resiliency. AMS will enter into 

cooperative agreements with the RFBCs. 

The Regional Food Business Centers 

will be the backbone for local and 

regional supply chain development and 

will offer coordination, technical 

assistance, and capacity building 

support to small and mid-sized food and 

farm businesses which will lead to more 

resilient, diverse, and connected supply 

chains. This program will provide a way 

for geographic regions to tailor 

development and investment to fit their 

needs, while recognizing that resilient 

supply chains are built upon strong 

relationships between individuals, 

communities, regions, sectors, and 

institutions. The RFBCs will support 

coordination in their region, fund 

technical assistance (TA) providers to 

offer business technical assistance to 

food and farm businesses and provide 

small grants to food businesses looking 

to expand or start in their region. 

Because these programs are voluntary, 

respondents apply for the specific 

program, and in doing so, they provide 

information. AMS is the primary user of 

the information. The information 

collected is needed to certify that RFBCs 

are complying with applicable program 

regulations, and the data collected is the 

minimum information necessary to 

effectively carry out the requirements of 

the program. The information collection 

requirements in this request are 

essential to administer and evaluate the 

program and to provide the necessary 

technical assistance to RFBCs and their 

subrecipients. 

The data collection will include the 

collection of application information, 

quarterly reports, in addition to 

biannual interviews and quantitative 

information related to RFBCs 

(awardees), the TA providers (subawardees) and the businesses they fund. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to total 1,508.33 hours. 

Respondents: Peer reviewers, RFBC 

applicants, RFBCs (awardees). 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

460 respondents. 

Estimated Total Annual Responses 

including Recordkeeping: 591 annual 

responses. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 34.76 annual responses per 

respondent (591 annual responses/17 

responses per respondent). 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents and Recordkeepers: 119.87 

total hours per respondent (1508.33 

hours/12.583 hours per response). 

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 shall 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 that were 

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, including use of appropriate 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or 

other technological collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology. 

All responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for OMB approval. All comments will 

become a matter of public record. 

Melissa R. Bailey, 

Associate Administrator, Agricultural 

Marketing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–05170 Filed 3–10–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1