Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 70 / Tuesday, April 14, 2009 / Notices 17145 

Signed in Washington, DC, on April 6, 

2009. 

William J. Murphy, 

Acting Manager, Federal Crop Insurance 

Corporation. 

[FR Doc. E9–8439 Filed 4–13–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–08–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Information Collection Activity; 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended), the 

Rural Utilities Service (RUS) invites 

comments on this information 

collection for which RUS intends to 

request approval from the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB). 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received June 15, 2009. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michele L. Brooks, Director, Program 

Development and Regulatory Analysis, 

USDA, Rural Utilities Service, 1400 

Independence Ave., SW., STOP 1522, 

Room 5162—South Building, 

Washington, DC 20250–1522. 

Telephone: (202) 690–0178. FAX: (202) 

720–8435. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office 

of Management and Budget’s (OMB) 

regulation (5 CFR 1320) implementing 

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction 

Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13) requires 

that interested members of the public 

and affected agencies have an 

opportunity to comment on information 

collection and recordkeeping activities 

(see 5 CFR 1320.8{d}). This notice 

identifies an information collection that 

RUS is submitting to OMB for 

extension. 

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, including 

through the use of appropriate 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or 

other technological collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology. Comments may be sent to: 

Michele L. Brooks, Director, Program 

Development and Regulatory Analysis, 

USDA Rural Utilities Service, 1400 

Independence Ave., SW., STOP 1522, 

Washington, DC 20250–1522. FAX: 

(202) 720–8435. 

Title: 7 CFR Part 1786—Prepayment 

of RUS Guaranteed and Insured Loans 

to Electric and Telephone Borrowers. 

OMB Control Number: 0572–0088. 

Type of Request: Extension of a 

currently approved collection. 

Abstract: 7 CFR Part 1786 establishes 

policies and procedures to implement 

Sections 306(B) and 306(c) of the Rural 

Electrification Act of 1936. Part 1786 

outlines the procedures for the 

prepayment of certain Electric and 

Telephone loans. The information 

required to be collected consists of 

materials that will allow the agency to 

determine which loans qualify for 

prepayment and provide authorization 

from the borrower’s management. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 3.20 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Not-for-profit 

organizations; business or, other forprofit. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 5. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 1. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 16.00 hours. 

Copies of this information collection 

can be obtained from Gale Richardson, 

Program Development and Regulatory 

Analysis, at (202) 720–0992. FAX: (202) 

720–8435. E-mail: 

gale.richardson@wdc.usda.gov. 

All responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for OMB approval. All comments will 

also become a matter of public record. 

Dated: April 8, 2009. 

James R. Newby, 

Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–8443 Filed 4–13–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Information Collection Activity; 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended), the 

Rural Utilities Service (RUS) invites 

comments on this information 

collection for which RUS intends to 

request approval from the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB). 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by June 15, 2009. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michele Brooks, Director, Program 

Development and Regulatory Analysis, 

USDA Rural Utilities Service, 1400 

Independence Ave., SW., STOP 1522, 

Room 5162, South Building, 

Washington, DC 20250–1522. 

Telephone: (202) 690–1078. FAX: (202) 

720–8435. E-mail: 

michele.brooks@wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office 

of Management and Budget’s (OMB) 

regulation (5 CFR 1320) implementing 

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction 

Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13) requires 

that interested members of the public 

and affected agencies have an 

opportunity to comment on information 

collection and recordkeeping activities 

(see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). This notice 

identifies an information collection that 

RUS is submitting to OMB for 

extension. 

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, including 

through the use of appropriate 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or 

other technological collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology. Comments may be sent to: 

Michele Brooks, Director, Program 

Development and Regulatory Analysis, 

USDA Rural Utilities Service, STOP 

1522, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–1522. FAX: 

(202) 720–8435. E-mail: 

michele.brooks@wdc.usda.gov. 

Title: Lien Accommodations and 

Subordinations, 7 CFR 1717, Subparts R 

& S. 

OMB Control Number: 0572–0100. 

Type of Request: Extension of a 

currently approved collection. 

Abstract: The Rural Electrification Act 

of 1936 (RE Act), as amended (7 U.S.C. 

901 et seq.), authorizes and empowers 

the Administrator of Rural Utilities 

17146 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 70 / Tuesday, April 14, 2009 / Notices 

Service to make loans in the several 

United States and Territories of the 

United States for rural electrification 

and the furnishing of electric energy to 

persons in rural areas who are not 

receiving central station service. The RE 

Act also authorizes and empowers the 

Administrator of the Agency to provide 

financial assistance to borrowers for 

purposes provided in the RE Act by 

accommodating or subordinating loans 

made by the national Rural Utilities 

Cooperative Finance Corporation, the 

Federal Financing Bank, and other 

lending agencies. Title 7 CFR part 1717, 

subparts R & S sets forth policy and 

procedures to facilitate and support 

borrowers’ efforts to obtain private 

sector financing of their capital needs, 

to allow borrowers greater flexibility in 

the management of their business affairs 

without compromising RUS loan 

security, and to reduce the cost to 

borrowers, in terms of time, expenses 

and paperwork, of obtaining lien 

accommodations and subordinations. 

The information required to be 

submitted would be limited to necessary 

information that would allow the 

Agency to make a determination on the 

borrower’s request to subordinate and 

accommodate their lien with other 

lenders. 

Estimate of Burden: Public Reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 19 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Not-for-profit 

institutions; Business or other for profit. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

15. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 1. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 285 hours. 

Copies of this information collection 

can be obtained from Gale Richardson, 

Program Development and Regulatory 

Analysis, at (202) 720–0992. FAX: (202) 

720–8435. 

All responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for OMB approval. All comments will 

also become a matter of public record. 

Dated: April 8, 2009. 

James R. Newby, 

Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–8444 Filed 4–13–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Cooperative State Research, 

Education, and Extension Service 

Notice of Funding Availability for the 

Beginning Farmer and Rancher 

Development Program for Fiscal Year 

(FY) 2009 

AGENCY: Cooperative State Research, 

Education, and Extension Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of funding availability. 

SUMMARY: The Cooperative State 

Research, Education, and Extension 

Service (CSREES) is announcing the 

release of the FY 2009 Beginning Farmer 

and Rancher Development Program 

(BFRDP) Request for Applications (RFA) 

via Grants.gov. 

DATES: The FY 2009 Beginning Farmer 

and Rancher Development Program RFA 

(BFRDP) was posted to Grants.gov on 

Friday, March 13, 2009, and 

applications are due via Grants.gov by 

Monday, May 13, 2009. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Siva 

Sureshwaran, 202–720–7536 (phone), 

202–401–6070 (fax), or 

ssureshwaran@csrees.usda.gov. Janie 

Simms Hipp, 202–720–3605 (phone), 

202–690–3162 (fax), or 

jhipp@csrees.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background and Purpose 

Section 7405 of the Farm Security and 

Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 

107–171) (7 U.S.C. 3319f) as amended 

by the Food, Conservation, and Energy 

Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110–246), directs 

the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) 

to establish a Beginning Farmer and 

Rancher Development Program 

(BFRDP). The authority to carry out the 

BFRDP has been delegated to CSREES 

through the Under Secretary for 

Research, Education, and Economics. 

The Secretary is authorized to make 

competitive grants to support new and 

established local and regional training, 

education, outreach, and technical 

assistance initiatives that address the 

needs of beginning farmers and ranchers 

(Standard BFRDP Projects). Grants for 

Standard BFRDP Projects will be 

awarded to address needs of beginning 

farmers and ranchers in the following 

priority areas: Mentoring, 

apprenticeships, and internship 

activities; resources and referral; 

assisting beginning farmers or ranchers 

in understanding how to acquire land 

from retiring farmers and ranchers; 

innovative farm and ranch transfer 

strategies; entrepreneurship and 

business training; model land leasing 

contracts; financial management 

training; whole farm planning; 

conservation assistance; risk 

management education; diversification 

and marketing strategies; curriculum 

development; understanding the impact 

of concentration and globalization; basic 

livestock and crop farming practices, 

forestry and range management; 

acquisition and management of 

agricultural credit; environmental 

compliance; information processing; 

and other similar subject areas of use to 

beginning farmers and ranchers. The 

Secretary is also directed to establish 

beginning farmer and rancher education 

teams to develop curricula and conduct 

educational programs and workshops 

for beginning farmers and ranchers in 

diverse geographical areas in the United 

States (Educational Enhancement 

Projects). 

The FY 2009 BFRDP RFA is soliciting 

grant applications for Standard BFRDP 

Projects and Educational Enhancement 

Projects discussed above. In addition, 

the RFA is soliciting a project 

application to establish an Online 

clearinghouse that makes available to 

beginning farmers or ranchers education 

curricula and training materials and 

programs, which may include Online 

courses for direct use by beginning 

farmers or ranchers. This award will be 

made as a cooperative agreement. 

The Secretary may make awards to a 

collaborative State, tribal, local or 

regionally-based network or partnership 

of public or private entities, which may 

include: A State cooperative extension 

service; a Federal, State, or tribal 

agency; a community-based and 

nongovernmental organization; a college 

or university (including a junior college 

awarding an associate’s degree) or 

foundation maintained by a college or 

university; private for-profit 

organizations; or any other appropriate 

partner, as determined by the Secretary. 

All applicants are required to provide 

funds or in-kind support from nonFederal sources in an amount that is at 

least equal to 25 percent of the Federal 

funds requested. 

In making BFRDP awards, priority 

will be given to partnerships and 

collaborations that are led by or include 

nongovernmental and community-based 

organizations with expertise in new 

agricultural producer training and 

outreach. 

The estimated amount available for 

support of this program in FY 2009 is 

$17,280,000. The eligibility criteria for 

projects and applicants, and the 

application forms and associated 

instructions needed to apply for a 

BFRDP award, can be accessed through