47284 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 161 / Tuesday, August 24, 2021 / Notices 

print, audiotape, American Sign 

Language, etc.) should contact the 

responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET 

Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and 

TTY) or contact USDA through the 

Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339. 

Additionally, program information may 

be made available in languages other 

than English. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, complete the USDA Program 

Discrimination Complaint Form, AD– 

3027, found online at How to File a 

Program Discrimination Complaint and 

at any USDA office or write a letter 

addressed to USDA and provide in the 

letter all of the information requested in 

the form. To request a copy of the 

complaint form, call (866) 632–9992. 

Submit your completed form or letter 

to USDA by: (1) Mail: U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410; (2) fax: (202) 690–7442; 

or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, 

employer, and lender. 

Paul Kiecker, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2021–18210 Filed 8–23–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Office of the Secretary 

Fiscal Year 2021 Raw Cane Sugar 

Tariff-Rate Quota Increase and 

Extension of the Entry Period 

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Office of the Secretary of 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture (the 

Secretary) is providing notice of an 

increase in the fiscal year (FY) 2021 raw 

cane sugar tariff-rate quota (TRQ) of 

90,100 metric tons raw value (MTRV) 

and an extension of the TRQ entry 

period. 

DATES: Applicable: August 24, 2021. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Souleymane Diaby, Multilateral Affairs 

Division, Trade Policy and Geographic 

Affairs, Foreign Agricultural Service, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Stop 

1070, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, 

Washington, DC 20250–1070; by 

telephone (202) 720–2916; or by email 

Souleymane.Diaby@usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 9, 

2020, the Secretary established the FY 

2021 TRQ for raw cane sugar at 

1,117,195 MTRV, the minimum to 

which the United States is committed 

under the World Trade Organization 

(WTO) Uruguay Round Agreements. 

Pursuant to Additional U.S. Note 5 to 

Chapter 17 of the U.S. Harmonized 

Tariff Schedule (HTS) and Section 359k 

of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 

1938, as amended, the Secretary has 

authority to modify the raw and refined 

sugar WTO TRQs. The Secretary gives 

notice today of an increase in the 

quantity of raw cane sugar eligible to 

enter at the lower rate of duty during FY 

2021 by 90,100 MTRV. The conversion 

factor is 1 metric ton raw value equals 

1.10231125 short tons raw value. With 

this increase, the overall FY 2021 raw 

sugar TRQ is now 1,207,295 MTRV. 

Raw cane sugar under this quota must 

be accompanied by a certificate for 

quota eligibility. The Office of the U.S. 

Trade Representative (USTR) will 

allocate this increase among supplying 

countries and customs areas. 

The Secretary also today announces 

that all sugar entering the United States 

under the FY 2021 raw sugar TRQ will 

be permitted to enter U.S. Customs 

territory through October 31, 2021, a 

month later than the usual last entry 

date. Additional U.S. Note 5(a)(iv) of 

Chapter 17 of the HTS provides: ‘‘(iv) 

Sugar entering the United States during 

a quota period established under this 

note may be charged to the previous or 

subsequent quota period with the 

written approval of the Secretary.’’ 

These actions are being taken after a 

determination that additional supplies 

of raw cane sugar are required in the 

U.S. market. USDA will closely monitor 

stocks, consumption, imports and all 

sugar market and program variables on 

an ongoing basis and may make further 

program adjustments during FY 2021 if 

needed. 

Jason Hafemeister, 

Acting Deputy Under Secretary, Trade and 

Foreign Agricultural Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2021–18194 Filed 8–23–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–10–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service 

[Docket No. RBS–21–BUSINESS–019] 

Stakeholder Listening Session and 

Request for Information on the ValueAdded Producer Grant Program 

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Request for information. 

SUMMARY: The Rural BusinessCooperative Service (RBCS) is hosting a 

listening session and opening a request 

for information for public input about 

the Value-Added Producer Grant 

(VAPG) program. The VAPG program 

helps agricultural producers enter into 

value-added activities related to the 

processing and marketing of new 

products. The goals of this program are 

to generate new products, create and 

expand marketing opportunities, and 

increase producer income. RBCS is 

currently considering how it can 

streamline the application process, 

clarify eligibility requirements 

concerning food safety, reduce the 

burden for meeting requirements, and 

implement such requirements. 

DATES: The listening session will be 

held on: 

October 6, 2021 at 2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. 

ET 

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/ 

register/574045542162812683 

Comments must be submitted by 

11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) 

on https://www.regulations.gov. 

ADDRESSES: Federal eRulemaking Portal: 

Go to https://www.regulations.gov and, 

in the ‘‘Search’’ box, type in the Docket 

No. RBS–21–BUSINESS–0019. A link to 

the Notice will appear. You may submit 

a comment here by selecting the 

‘‘Comment’’ button or you can access 

the ‘‘Docket’’ tab, select the ‘‘Notice,’’ 

and go to the ‘‘Browse & Comment on 

Documents’’ Tab. Here you may view 

comments that have been submitted as 

well as submit a comment. To submit a 

comment, select the ‘‘comment’’ button, 

complete the required information, and 

select the ‘‘Submit Comment’’ button at 

the bottom. Information on using 

Regulations.gov, including instructions 

for accessing documents, submitting 

comments, and viewing the docket after 

the close of the comment period, is 

available through the site’s ‘‘FAQ’’ link 

at the bottom. Comments on this 

information collection must be received 

by October 25, 2021. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg 

York, Program Management Division, 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service, 

United States Department of 

Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue 

SW, MS 3226, Room 5801—South, 

Washington, DC 20250–3250, or call 

202–720–1400, or email cpgrants@

wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview of VAPG 

The VAPG program is authorized 

under section 231 of the Agriculture 

Risk Protection Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 

106–224), as amended by section 10102 

of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 

2018 (Pub. L. 115–334) (see 7 U.S.C. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 161 / Tuesday, August 24, 2021 / Notices 47285 

1627c). Applicants must adhere to the 

requirements contained in the program 

regulation, 7 CFR 4284, subpart J. Terms 

you need to understand are defined in 

7 CFR 4284.902. 

The objective of this grant program is 

to assist viable Independent Producers, 

Agricultural Producer Groups, Farmer 

and Rancher Cooperatives, and 

Majority-Controlled Producer-Based 

Businesses in starting or expanding 

value-added activities related to the 

processing and/or marketing of ValueAdded Agricultural Products. Grants 

will be awarded competitively for either 

planning or working capital projects 

directly related to the processing and/or 

marketing of value-added products. 

Generating new products, creating and 

expanding marketing opportunities, and 

increasing producer income are the end 

goals of the program. All proposals must 

demonstrate economic viability and 

sustainability to compete for funding. 

Instructions 

Response to this notice is voluntary. 

Each individual or institution is 

requested to submit only one response 

as directed in the ADDRESSES section of 

this notice. Submission must not exceed 

10 pages and fonts must be 12 point or 

larger, with a page number on each 

page. Responses should include the 

name of the person(s) or organization(s) 

filing the comment. Comments 

containing references, studies, research, 

and other empirical data that are not 

widely published should include copies 

or electronic links of the referenced 

materials. Comments containing 

profanity, vulgarity, threats, or other 

inappropriate language or content will 

not be considered. Comments submitted 

in response to this notice are subject to 

disclosure under the Freedom of 

Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552). 

Responses to this notice may also be 

posted, without change, on a Federal 

website. 

Therefore, we request that no business 

proprietary information, copyrighted 

information, or personally identifiable 

information be submitted in response to 

this notice. In accordance with FAR 52– 

215–3(b), responses to this notice are 

not offers and cannot be accepted by the 

Government to form a binding contract. 

Additionally, the U.S. Government will 

not pay for response preparation or for 

the use of any information contained in 

the response. 

To inform the Federal government’s 

decision-making process, RBCS now 

seeks public input on the following 

questions. 

1. The Agricultural Improvement Act 

of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) added food 

safety and food safety equipment as 

eligible use of program funds. RBCS is 

seeking feedback on applicant eligibility 

requirements as it relates to food safety 

and food safety equipment. 

a. The 2018 Farm Bill requires food 

safety to be an eligible activity in 7 CFR 

part 4284 Subpart J. In defining food 

safety, what can be included in the 

definition to further assist the 

applicants with understanding what 

qualifies as food safety? 

b. The 2018 Farm Bill requires food 

safety equipment to be an eligible 

expense in 7 CFR part 4284 Subpart J. 

What can be included in the definition 

of food safety equipment to further 

assist the applicants with understanding 

what qualifies as food safety equipment? 

c. The 2018 Farm Bill allows expenses 

relating to costs incurred in obtaining 

food safety certifications. Given that 

eligible cost must be related to postharvest value-added activities for the 

VAPG program, what type of food safety 

certifications should be included as 

eligible expenses? 

d. The 2018 Farm Bill allows for 

recipients to make changes and 

upgrades to food safety practices. Given 

that eligible costs for the VAPG program 

must be related to post-harvest valueadded food safety practices, what would 

you like to see as eligible uses of funds? 

e. The 2018 Farm Bill further states 

that a recipient may use not more than 

$6,500 of the amount of a grant to 

purchase or upgrade equipment to 

improve food safety. Given that eligible 

cost for the VAPG program must be 

related to post-harvest value-added 

activities, what would you like to see 

included as eligible uses of funds as it 

relates to food safety equipment? 

f. The 2018 Farm Bill requires that a 

reserve be established for food safety 

assistance of not more than 25 percent 

of the available funds. However, other 

statutory reserved fund categories (setaside) such as Beginning Farmer or 

Rancher, Socially-Disadvantaged Farmer 

or Rancher, and Mid-Tier Value Chain 

projects are each currently capped at 10 

percent of program funds. Are there any 

compelling reasons to establish a food 

safety set-aside higher than 10 percent? 

2. RBCS is seeking feedback on the 

submission of a Business Plan related to 

a VAPG project. Currently, the VAPG 

program requires the Business Plan be 

completed by a Qualified Consultant 

and specifically for the proposed valueadded project. However, RBCS has 

considered changing this requirement to 

allow applicants to prepare their own 

Business Plan associated with the valueadded project without the assistance of 

a Qualified Consultant. Should an 

applicant be allowed to prepare their 

own Business Plan without the 

assistance of a Qualified Consultant? 

Are there any unforeseen issues with 

allowing the applicant to prepare their 

own Business Plan? 

3. RBCS is seeking feedback for 

evaluating and measuring the economic 

impact of the program on new and 

existing market outcomes related to the 

post-harvest value-added activities. 

Currently our program measures the 

production of value-added products, job 

creation, and increases in revenue 

return and customer base to the 

producer as a result of the value-added 

project. Are there other outcomes 

related to the value-added project that 

RBCS should be measuring? 

4. RBCS seeks feedback on when the 

application deadline for the program 

should be. It is our intention to have a 

consistent deadline from year to year, 

rather than released at variable times 

through a Federal Register Notice. In 

keeping with traditional agricultural 

production cycles, we are trying to 

avoid an application deadline during 

production season. What would be an 

appropriate application deadline date 

for the VAPG program? 

Non-Discrimination Statement 

In accordance with Federal civil 

rights laws and U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) civil rights 

regulations and policies, the USDA, its 

Mission Areas, agencies, staff offices, 

employees, and institutions 

participating in or administering USDA 

programs are prohibited from 

discriminating based on race, color, 

national origin, religion, sex, gender 

identity (including gender expression), 

sexual orientation, disability, age, 

marital status, family/parental status, 

income derived from a public assistance 

program, political beliefs, or reprisal or 

retaliation for prior civil rights activity, 

in any program or activity conducted or 

funded by USDA (not all bases apply to 

all programs). Remedies and complaint 

filing deadlines vary by program or 

incident. 

Program information may be made 

available in languages other than 

English. Persons with disabilities who 

require alternative means of 

communication to obtain program 

information (e.g., Braille, large print, 

audiotape, American Sign Language) 

should contact the responsible Mission 

Area, agency, or staff office; the USDA 

TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 

(voice and TTY); or the Federal Relay 

Service at (800) 877–8339. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, a complainant should 

complete a Form AD–3027, USDA 

Program Discrimination Complaint 

Form, which can be obtained online at 


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47286 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 161 / Tuesday, August 24, 2021 / Notices 

https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ 

ad-3027, from any USDA office, by 

calling (866) 632–9992, or by writing a 

letter addressed to USDA. The letter 

must contain the complainant’s name, 

address, telephone number, and a 

written description of the alleged 

discriminatory action in sufficient detail 

to inform the Assistant Secretary for 

Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature 

and date of an alleged civil rights 

violation. The completed AD–3027 form 

or letter must be submitted to USDA by: 

(1) Mail: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410; or 

(2) Fax: (833) 256–1665 or (202) 690– 

7442; or 

(3) Email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender. 

Karama Neal, 

Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–18136 Filed 8–23–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service 

[Docket No. RBS–21–BUSINESS–0013] 

Stakeholder Listening Sessions and 

Request for Information on the 

Agriculture Innovation Center 

Demonstration Program 

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service, Department of Agriculture 

(USDA). 

ACTION: Request for information. 

SUMMARY: The Rural BusinessCooperative Service (RBCS) is hosting a 

listening session and opening a request 

for information for public input about 

the Agriculture Innovation Center 

Demonstration (AIC) Program. The AIC 

program provides grants to Centers that 

provide services to agricultural 

producers to assist them with marketing 

value-added agricultural products. 

RBCS is currently considering how it 

can streamline the application process, 

clarify eligibility requirements and 

reduce the burden for meeting them, 

revise the merit review process, and 

assess the program’s performance. 

DATES: The listening session will be 

held virtually on: October 5 at 2 p.m.– 

4:00 p.m. ET; https://

attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/ 

3831947973149428235. 

Comments must be submitted by 

11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) 

on https://www.regulations.gov. 

ADDRESSES: Federal eRulemaking Portal: 

Go to https://www.regulations.gov and, 

in the ‘‘Search’’ box, type in the Docket 

No. RBS–21–BUSINESS–0013. A link to 

the Notice will appear. You may submit 

a comment here by selecting the 

‘‘Comment’’ button or you can access 

the ‘‘Docket’’ tab, select the ‘‘Notice,’’ 

and go to the ‘‘Browse & Comment on 

Documents’’ Tab. Here you may view 

comments that have been submitted as 

well as submit a comment. To submit a 

comment, select the ‘‘comment’’ button, 

complete the required information, and 

select the ‘‘Submit Comment’’ button at 

the bottom. Information on using 

Regulations.gov, including instructions 

for accessing documents, submitting 

comments, and viewing the docket after 

the close of the comment period, is 

available through the site’s ‘‘FAQ’’ link 

at the bottom. Comments on this 

information collection must be received 

by October 25, 2021. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gail 

Thuner, Grants Division, Cooperative 

Programs, Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service, United States Department of 

Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue 

SW, MS 3201, Room 5803—South, 

Washington, DC 20250–3250, or call 

202–720–1400, or email cpgrants@

wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview of AIC 

The AIC Program was authorized in 

Section 6402 of the 2002 Farm Bill (Pub. 

L. 107–171), as amended by Section 

7608 of the 2018 Farm Bill (Pub. L. 115– 

334). Terms you need to understand are 

defined in 7 CFR 4284.3 and 4284.1004. 

The intent of AIC is to provide technical 

assistance to agricultural producers to 

help them market value-added 

agricultural products. 

The program currently awards grants 

of up to $1,000,000 to Centers that can 

provide at least one-third of the project 

costs in matching funds and who have 

the capability to provide services to 

agricultural producers to assist them 

with marketing value-added agricultural 

products. The types of services that can 

be provided include: 

• Financial advisory services related to 

the development, expansion, or 

operation of business owned by an 

agricultural producer(s) that will 

produce a value-added agricultural 

product, as long as the assistance is 

not to support forming a joint 

marketing effort by a group of 

producers, such as a farmers 

market, roadside stand, communitysupported agriculture, and online 

sales 

• Process development services, 

including: 

Æ Engineering services including 

scale-up of production systems (not 

to include cost of renovating or 

constructing a facility or system) 

Æ Scale production assessments, 

defined as studies that analyze 

facilities, including processing 

facilities, for potential value-added 

activities to determine the size that 

optimizes construction and other 

cost efficiencies 

Æ Systems development 

Æ Other technical assistance and 

applied research related to 

development, implementation, 

improvement and operations of 

processes and systems to produce 

and market a value-added 

agricultural product 

• Organizational assistance, including 

legal and technical advisory 

services related to the development, 

expansion, or operation of a 

business owned by an agricultural 

producer(s) that will produce a 

value-added agricultural product, as 

long as this assistance is not 

provided to support forming a joint 

marketing effort of food and food 

products by a group of producers, 

such as a farmers market, roadside 

stand, community-supported 

agriculture, and online sales 

• Outreach assistance, limited to 

assistance with connecting an 

agricultural producer to a 

distribution system, processing 

facility, or commercial kitchen 

• Technical assistance for product 

development (excluding R&D), 

where product development has the 

following definition: Stages 

involved in bringing a product from 

idea or concept through 

commercial-scale production, 

including concept testing, 

feasibility and cost analysis, 

product taste-testing, demographic 

and other types of consumer 

analysis, production analysis, and 

evaluation of packaging and 

labeling options 

• Grants of $5,000 or less to agricultural 

producers for the above services 

• Costs associated with establishing and 

operating a Center, such as legal 

services, accounting services, 

clerical assistance, technical 

services, hiring employees, 

monitoring contracts, and Board of 

Director travel 

Centers may also use their matching 

funds to provide the following services: 

• Business development services, such 

as feasibility studies, business plans, 

and other types of technical assistance 


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