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

34628

Vol. 63, No. 122

Thursday, June 25, 1998

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 98–066–1]

Horse Protection Certified Designated

Qualified Person (DQP) Programs and

Licensed DQP’s

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This notice advises the

general public and the horse industry of

the Designated Qualified Person (DQP)

programs currently certified by the

Department of Agriculture, and the

currently licensed DQP’s under each

certified program.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Dick Watkins, Initiatives Coordinator,

Animal Care, APHIS, 4700 River Road

Unit 84, Riverdale, MD 20737–1234,

(301) 734–7712; or e-mail:

ace@aphis.usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

practice known as ‘‘soring’’ is the

causing of suffering in show horses to

affect their performance in the show

ring. In 1970, Congress passed the Horse

Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 1821–1831),

referred to below as the Act, to

eliminate the practice of soring by

prohibiting the showing or selling of

sored horses. Exercising our rulemaking

power under the Act, we issued

regulations at 9 CFR part 11, referred to

below as the regulations, that prohibit

devices and methods that might sore

horses.

In 1979, in response to an amendment

to the Act, we established regulations

under which show management must,

to avoid liability for any sore horses that

are shown, appoint individuals trained

to conduct preshow inspections to

detect or diagnose sored horses. The

individuals, referred to as Designated

Qualified Persons (DQP’s), are trained

and licensed under industry sponsored

DQP programs that we certify and

monitor. The requirements for DQP

programs and licensing of DQP’s are set

forth in § 11.7 of the regulations.

Section 11.7 also requires that, at least

once each year, we publish in the

Federal Register a current list of

certified DQP programs and licensed

DQP’s. Following is that list:

Heart of America Walking Horse

Association, Route 2, Box 6B, Barry,

IL 62312

Licensed DQP’s: Chadwick Campbell,

Jennifer Campbell, Larry Carriger,

William H. Cox, A.L. Fogey,

Lawanda Foust, R. Dewey Foust,

Robert Foust, Fred Gebbany, Billy

Grooms, Floyd Hampsmire, Phillip

Manker, Steve Mullins, Ted

Nichols, Wendell Pig, Billie

Schafer, Linda Scrivner, Scott

Skopec, Charlie Smartt, Robert H.

Smith, William Stotler, John

Williams

Horse Protection Commission, Inc., P.O.

Box 1330, Frazier Park, CA 93225

Licensed DQP’s: Donna Benefield,

Larry Connelly, Kathy Hester, Tom

Hester, Sebastian Kolbusz, Robert

Lauer, Donna Moore, Cherie Pitts,

Chad Shepherd

Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed

Association, Inc., P.O. Box 1027,

Ava, MO 65608

Licensed DQP’s: Richard Carr, Daryl

L. Caswell, Pat Harris, Edward Lee,

Ken Williams, Lee Yates,

National Horse Show Commission,

Inc., P.O. Box 167, Shelbyville, TN

37160

Licensed DQP’s: Lonnie D. Adkins,

Melanie Allen, Nolan Benton, Johny

Black, Ray Cairnes, Ronnie

Campbell, Rick Carl, Richard Carr,

Harry Chaffin, John Cordell, Joe L.

Cuningham, Sr., Eddie Ray Davis,

Jessie Davis, Jerry Eaton, William

Edwards, Robert Estes, Anthony

Eubanks, James Fields, Bob Flynn,

Kathy Givens, Iry Gladney, Grover

Hatton, Jimmy House, Dave Jividen,

Gary Kimmons, Dana Kyte, Larry R.

Landreth, William (Bill) Lones,

Malcom G. Lutrell, John Marsee, G.

K. Mease, Earl Melton, Andy

Messick, Lonnie Messick, Richard

Messick, Percy Moss, Cary C.

Myers, Harlan Pennington, Curtis

Pittman, Ted Poland, Barney Porter,

Dickey Reece, Ricky D. Rutledge,

Vernon Shearer, Ronnie Slack,

Ricky L. Statham, Don Steen, J. N.

Syrcle, Charles Thomas, Mark

Thomas, Steven Thomas, Virginia

Wagner, Arnold ‘‘Sarge’’ Walker,

Doug Watkins, Tommy Willett,

Willie Gene Williams, John F.

Wilson

Spotted Saddle Horse Breeders and

Exhibitors Association, P.O. Box

1046, Shelbyville, TN 37162

Licensed DQP’s: Earl M. ‘‘Marty’’

Coleman, Danny Ray Davis, Boyd

Melton, Lucky Thornton, Don

Woodson

Western International Walking Horse

Association 18525 SE 346, Auburn,

WA 98092,

Licensed DQP’s: Larry Corbett, Don

Douglas, Ross Fox, Dennis Izzi,

Terry Jerke, Dave Swingley, Kim

Swingley.

Done in Washington, DC, this 19th day of

June 1998.

Craig A. Reed,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 98–16962 Filed 6–24–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service;

Solicitation of Input From Stakeholders

Regarding the Initiative for Future

Agriculture and Food Systems; Public

Meeting

AGENCY: Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Agricultural Research,

Extension, and Education Reform Act of

1998, creates a new research, education,

and extension program called the

Initiative for Future Agriculture and

Food Systems (the Initiative). By this

notice, the Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service

(CSREES), acting on behalf of the

Secretary of Agriculture, is soliciting

public comment from persons who

conduct or use agricultural research,

extension or education regarding the

priorities to be addressed by this new

program as required by Section

401(f)(1)(D) of the Act. The Initiative is

authorized with mandatory funds at the

level of $120 million per year from

fiscal year 1999 through fiscal year