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,

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rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

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section.

Notices Federal Register

8513 

Vol. 90, No. 19 

Thursday, January 30, 2025 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

National Agricultural Statistics Service 

Notice of Intent To Request To 

Reinstate an Information Collection 

AGENCY: National Agricultural Statistics 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice announces the intention of the 

National Agricultural Statistics Service 

(NASS) to seek approval to reinstate an 

information collection to gather data 

related to the production and marketing 

of foods directly from farm producers to 

consumers or retailers. In addition, 

NASS will collect some whole-farm data 

to be used to classify and group 

operations for summarizing and 

publication of results. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by March 31, 2025 to be 

assured of consideration. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, 

identified by docket number 0535–0259, 

by any of the following methods: 

• Email: ombofficer@nass.usda.gov. 

Include docket number above in the 

subject line of the message. 

• E-fax: (855) 838–6382. 

• Mail: Mail any paper, disk, or CD– 

ROM submissions to: Richard Hopper, 

NASS Clearance Officer, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Room 5336, 

South Building, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250– 

2024. 

• Hand Delivery/Courier: Hand 

Deliver to: Richard Hopper, NASS 

Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Room 5336, South 

Building, 1400 Independence Avenue 

SW, Washington, DC 20250–2024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Joseph J. Prusacki, Associate 

Administrator, National Agricultural 

Statistics Service, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, (202) 720–2707. Copies of 

this information collection and related 

instructions can be obtained without 

charge from Richard Hopper, NASS— 

OMB Clearance Officer, at (202) 720– 

2206 or at ombofficer@nass.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Local Food Marketing Practice 

Survey. 

OMB Control Number: 0535–0259. 

Type of Request: Intent to seek 

approval to reinstate an information 

collection for a period of three years. 

Abstract: Interest continues to grow in 

support of local agricultural economies 

through the purchase of foods from 

sources that are geographically close to 

the consuming areas, via channels that 

are direct from farm to consumer or at 

most one step removed. Significant 

policy support for local food systems 

began with the institution of the USDA 

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food 

Initiative (KYF2) in September 2009. 

The KYF2 Initiative was designed to 

eliminate organizational barriers to 

improve coordination and availability of 

resources for the promotion of local 

food systems. This initiative is in 

response to the consumer and producer 

interests. Many community and farm 

advocacy groups are requesting changes 

in the next major agricultural program 

legislation (the Farm Bill) that will 

directly target local foods producers, 

consumers, and markets. The Local 

Food Marketing Practice Survey was 

initially conducted in 2015. This 

reinstatement will allow NASS to 

collect data to measure changes and 

growth within the local food industry 

on a national basis. The results of 

previous surveys can be found at the 

following link: https://

www.nass.usda.gov/Surveys/Guide_to_

NASS_Surveys/Local_Food/index.php. 

In preparation for this next round of 

data collection, NASS included a 

question in the 2022 Census of 

Agriculture to capture data needed to 

identify farm operators who sold 

products through direct marketing 

channels. As a follow-on survey to the 

2022 Census of Agriculture, the target 

population will focus on respondents 

who reported product sales directly to 

consumers or to retail outlets that in 

turn sold directly to consumers. NASS 

intends to use mandatory reporting 

authority (Title 7 U.S. Code § 2204g) for 

the 2025 Local Food Marketing Practice 

Survey. 

Authority: The 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 as amended, 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, 

Public Law 104–13 (44 U.S.C. 3501, et 

seq.), and Office of Management and 

Budget regulations at 5 CFR part 1320. 

All NASS employees and NASS 

contractors must also fully comply with 

all provisions of the Confidential 

Information Protection and Statistical 

Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) of 2018, Title 

III of Public Law 115–435, codified in 

44 U.S.C. Ch. 35. CIPSEA supports 

NASS’s pledge of confidentiality to all 

respondents and facilitates the agency’s 

efforts to reduce burden by supporting 

statistical activities of collaborative 

agencies through designation of NASS 

agents, subject to the limitations and 

penalties described in CIPSEA. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 60 minutes per 

response. NASS plans to mail out 

publicity materials with the 

questionnaires to inform producers of 

the importance of this survey. NASS 

will also use multiple mailings, 

followed up with phone and limited 

personal enumeration to increase 

response rates and to minimize data 

collection costs. 

Respondents: Farmers and Ranchers. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

65,000. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 74,000 hours. 

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 


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8514 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 19 / Thursday, January 30, 2025 / Notices 

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 22, 

2025. 

Joseph J. Prusacki, 

Associate Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2025–01962 Filed 1–29–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–20–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

National Agricultural Statistics Service 

Notice of Intent To Request Revision 

and Extension of a Currently Approved 

Information Collection 

AGENCY: National Agricultural Statistics 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice announces the intention of the 

National Agricultural Statistics Service 

(NASS) to request revision and 

extension of a currently approved 

information collection, the Annual 

Organic Survey. USDA’s Risk 

Management Agency (RMA) typically 

funds an organic production and 

practices survey in years where the 

Census of Agriculture Special Study for 

Organics is not conducted. The next 

Special Study is planned for 2025 

(enumerated in early 2026). With the 

completion of the 2022 Census of 

Agriculture, NASS will conduct the 

Special Study again, return it to its’ 

original scope of questions and the 

mandatory reporting requirement. This 

request will also include the 2026 and 

2027 voluntary surveys that are funded 

by USDA–RMA. A minor revision to 

burden hours will be needed to account 

for the anticipated data collection plan 

for the upcoming surveys along with 

adding some cognitive interviews to test 

requested changes to the annual 

surveys. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by March 31, 2025 to be 

assured of consideration. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, 

identified by docket number 0535–0249, 

Organic Survey, by any of the following 

methods: 

• Email: ombofficer@nass.usda.gov. 

Include docket number above in the 

subject line of the message. 

• E-fax: (855) 838–6382. 

• Mail: Mail any paper, disk, or CD– 

ROM submissions to: Richard Hopper, 

NASS Clearance Officer, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Room 5336, 

South Building, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250– 

2024. 

• Hand Delivery/Courier: Hand 

deliver to: Richard Hopper, NASS 

Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Room 5336, South 

Building, 1400 Independence Avenue 

SW, Washington, DC 20250–2024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Joseph J Prusacki, Associate 

Administrator, National Agricultural 

Statistics Service, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, (202) 720–2707. Copies of 

this information collection and related 

instructions can be obtained without 

charge from Richard Hopper, NASS— 

OMB Clearance Officer, at (202) 720– 

2206 or at ombofficer@nass.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Organic Survey. 

OMB Control Number: 0535–0249. 

Type of Request: Intent to Seek 

Renewal of an Information Collection. 

Abstract: The primary objective of the 

National Agricultural Statistics Service 

(NASS) is to prepare and issue State and 

national estimates of crop and livestock 

production, prices, and disposition as 

well as economic statistics, farm 

numbers, land values, on-farm pesticide 

usage, pest crop management practices, 

as well as the Census of Agriculture. 

Originally, the Organic Survey was 

designed to be conducted once every 

five years as a mandatory, follow-onsurvey to the 2007 Census of 

Agriculture and then every five years 

after that. In 2011, the Information 

Collection Request was renewed to 

include that the survey was changed to 

accommodate a cooperative agreement 

between NASS and the USDA Risk 

Management Agency (RMA). 

Specifically, the survey was changed to 

a voluntary survey that was to be 

conducted annually if funding 

permitted, and it would allow for a 

rotation of target crops each year. With 

the completion of the 2012 Census of 

Agriculture, NASS renewed the Organic 

Survey again and returned it to its 

original scope of questions and the 

mandatory reporting requirement. After 

the completion of the 2014 Organic 

Survey, NASS renewed its cooperative 

agreement with RMA to conduct the 

shorter questionnaire on an annual 

basis. 

The sample will consist of all certified 

organic operations, operations exempt 

from organic certification (value of sales 

<$5,000), and operations with acres 

transitioning into organic certification 

from the most recent published Census 

of Agriculture as well as organic 

operations currently on the NASS list 

frame. The survey will be conducted in 

all States. Some operation level data 

will be collected to use in classifying 

each operation for summary purposes. 

The majority of the questions will 

involve production data (acres planted, 

acres harvested, quantity harvested, 

quantity sold, livestock produced and 

sold, value of sale, etc.), and marketing 

and production practices. 

Depending on annual funding, 

approximately 27,000 operations will be 

contacted by mail in late November or 

early December, with a second mailing 

later in the month to non-respondents. 

Respondents will be able to complete 

the questionnaire by use of the internet, 

if they so choose. Telephone and 

personal enumeration will be used for 

remaining non-response follow-up. If 

the survey is funded, the National 

Agricultural Statistics Service will 

publish summaries in December at both 

the State level and for each major 

organic commodity when possible. Due 

to confidentiality rules, some State level 

data may be combined and published at 

the regional or national level to prevent 

disclosure of individual operation’s 

data. 

This collection of data will support 

requirements within the Agricultural 

Act of 2014. Under section 11023 some 

of the duties of the Federal Crop 

Insurance Corporation (FCIC) are 

defined as ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL—As soon 

as possible, but not later than the 2015 

reinsurance year, the Corporation shall 

offer producers of organic crops price 

elections for all organic crops produced 

in compliance with standards issued by 

the Department of Agriculture under the 

national organic program established 

under the Organic Foods Production Act 

of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.) that 

reflect the actual retail or wholesale 

prices, as appropriate, received by 

producers for organic crops, as 

determined by the Secretary using all 

relevant sources of information. ‘‘(ii) 

ANNUAL REPORT.—The Corporation 

shall submit to the Committee on 

Agriculture of the House of 

Representatives and the Committee on 

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of 

the Senate an annual report on progress 

made in developing and improving 

Federal crop insurance for organic 

crops, including—‘‘(I) the numbers and 

varieties of organic crops insured; ‘‘(II) 

the progress of implementing the price 

elections required under this 

subparagraph, including the rate at 

which additional price elections are 

adopted for organic crops; ‘‘(III) the 

development of new insurance 

approaches relevant to organic 

producers; and ‘‘(IV) any 


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