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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 246 (Monday, December 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 104512-104513]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-30497]

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[Doc. No. AMS-DA-23-0064]

Notice of Request for Approval of an Existing Information 
Collection in Use Without an OMB Control Number

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intent to 
request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of an 
existing information collection in use without an OMB control number 
for Dairy Market News pursuant to Section 203(g) of the Agricultural 
Marketing Act of 1946, as amended.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by February 21, 2025 to 
be considered.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments by using 
the electronic process available at https://www.regulations.gov or sent 
to Lorie Cashman, Director, Economics Division, AMS Dairy Program, 4600 
American Parkway, STE 106, Madison, WI 53718. All comments should 
reference the docket number (AMS-DA-23-0064), the date, and page number 
of this issue of the Federal Register. All comments received will be 
posted without change, including any personal information provided at 
https://www.regulations.gov and will be included in the record and made 
available to the public. Please do not include personally identifiable 
information (such as name, address, or other contact information) or 
confidential business information that you do not want publicly 
disclosed. Comments may be submitted anonymously.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lorie Cashman, Director, Economics 
Division, AMS Dairy Program, by telephone: (202) 720-4405, or by email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Dairy Market News (DMN) covers supply, 
demand, and pricing on a regional, national, and international basis 
for milk, butter, cheese, and dry and fluid milk products. The DMN goal 
is to provide timely and unbiased market insight that helps American 
farmers and businesses understand market trends and make informed 
decisions about the marketing, sale, and delivery of their products. 
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) administers programs that 
provide information to facilitate domestic and international marketing 
opportunities for U.S. producers of food, fiber, and specialty crops. 
Within that AMS framework, the DMN program focuses on providing 
domestic and international market information on various dairy 
commodities.
    Title: Dairy Market News.
    OMB Number: 0581-NEW.
    Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from approval date.
    Type of Request: Existing Information Collection in use without an 
OMB Control Number.
    Abstract: Section 203(g) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, 
as amended (7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq), authorizes the Secretary of 
Agriculture to collect and disseminate marketing information on a 
market-area basis for the purpose of anticipating and meeting consumer 
requirements, aiding in the maintenance of farm income, and bringing 
about a balance between production and utilization of agricultural 
products by providing timely coverage of prices, supply, demands, 
trends, movement, and other pertinent information affecting the trading 
of milk and dairy products. The market reports compiled and 
disseminated by the AMS Dairy Program's DMN provide current, unbiased, 
and factual information to all stakeholders in the U.S. agricultural 
industry. DMN reports assist producers, processors, wholesalers, 
retailers, and others to make informed production, purchasing, and 
sales decisions. DMN reports also promote orderly marketing by 
fostering a more equitable relationship between buyers and sellers.
    DMN reporters communicate with buyers and sellers of fluid milk and 
manufactured dairy products about their respective commodities 
generally on a weekly basis to accomplish the DMN mission. These 
communications are voluntary. Participants are members of dairy 
industry businesses and trade organizations with whom DMN has 
established connections. Conversations typically last less than 5 
minutes on a weekly basis. This communication and information gathering 
is accomplished through the use of telephone conversations, face-to-
face and/or virtual meetings, and email messages. The information 
provided by respondents facilitates DMN reporting, which must be 
timely, accurate, unbiased, and continuous if it is to be meaningful to 
the industry. DMN collects information on price, supply, demand, 
trends, movement, and other information of milk and dairy products from 
the respondents.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average .083 hours per response.
    Respondents: Processors, brokers, traders, and farms.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 120.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 6,240.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 52 (rounded).
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 518 hours (rounded).
    Comments are invited on: (1) 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; (2) 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; (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 the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.
    AMS developed the estimates of burden and cost to the industry 
using publicly available listings of dairy manufacturers, brokers, and 
traders. Phone calls occur weekly with each participant and last about 
5 minutes. Labor costs are derived from tables on the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics website for private industry workers' wages as well as for 
average employer costs per hour for benefits.
    All comments on this notice will be summarized and included in the 
submission for OMB approval and will become a matter of public record.

[[Page 104513]]

    AMS is committed to complying with the E-Government Act to promote 
the use of the internet and other information technologies, to provide 
increased opportunities for citizen access to Government information 
and services, and for other purposes.
    A 60-day comment period is provided to allow interested persons to 
respond to the notice.
    Authority: 44 U.S.C. chapter 35.

Erin Morris,
Associate Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-30497 Filed 12-20-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
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