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

23662

Vol. 66, No. 90

Wednesday, May 9, 2001

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[FV–01–331]

United States Standards for Grades of

Dried Figs

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing

Service (AMS) of the Department of

Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting

comments on its proposal to revise the

United States Standards for Grades of

Dried Figs. USDA has received a

petition from a trade association to

revise the current grade standards for

dried figs by eliminating the present

Grade ‘‘A’’ quality level and changing

the present Grade ‘‘B’’ quality level to

the new Grade ‘‘A’’. This proposal also

would elevate the present Grade ‘‘C’’

quality level to a new Grade ‘‘B’’ level

thus eliminating the Grade ‘‘C’’

designation from the United States

Standards for Grades of Dried Figs. The

existing grade level Substandard would

remain the same. These changes have

been requested by the industry in order

to bring the standards for dried figs in

line with the present quality levels

being marketed today and provide

guidance in the effective utilization of

dried figs.

DATES: Comments may be submitted on

or before July 9, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be

submitted to: Lydia E. Berry, Processed

Products Branch, Fruit and Vegetable

Programs, Agricultural Marketing

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

STOP 0247,1400 Independence Avenue

SW., Washington, DC 20250–0247; fax

(202) 690–1087; or e-mail

lydia.berry@usda.gov.

Comments should reference the date

and page of this issue of the Federal

Register. All comments received will be

made available for public inspection at

the address listed above during regular

business hours and on the Internet.

The current United States Standards

for Grades of Dried Figs, along with the

proposed changes, are available either

through the address cited above or by

accessing AMS’s Home Page on the

Internet at: www.ams.usda.gov/

standards/. Any comments received,

regarding this proposed standard will

also be posted on that site.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Lydia E. Berry at (202) 720–5021 or email at lydia.berry@usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

203(c) of the Agricultural Marketing Act

of 1946, as amended, directs and

authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture

‘‘to develop and improve standards of

quality, condition, quantity, grade and

packaging and recommend and

demonstrate such standards in order to

encourage uniformity and consistency

in commercial practices * * * ’’ AMS is

committed to carrying out this authority

in a manner that facilitates the

marketing of agricultural commodities

and makes copies of official standards

available upon request. The United

States Standards for Grades of Fruits

and Vegetables no longer appear in the

Code of Federal Regulations but are

maintained by USDA/AMS/Fruit and

Vegetable Programs.

AMS is proposing to revise the U.S.

Standards for Grades of Dried Figs using

the procedures that appear in part 36 of

Title 7 of the Code of Federal

Regulations (7 CFR part 36).

The California Fig Advisory Board

requested that USDA should revise the

United States Standards for Grades of

Dried Figs. The Board provided

information on style, sample size and

descriptions to AMS to revise the

standard. A series of meetings were held

between representatives of the fig

industry and AMS staff. The industry

representatives arrived at a consensus

and submitted a letter to AMS with the

revisions they desired to be

incorporated into the standard.

Based on the submitted information,

AMS is proposing to revise the standard

for dried figs following the standard

format for U.S. grade Standards. AMS is

proposing to eliminate the present

Grade ‘‘A’’ quality level and to change

the present Grade ‘‘B’’ to the new Grade

‘‘A’’. This proposal also will elevate the

present Grade ‘‘C’’ quality level to a new

Grade ‘‘B’’ quality level and thereby

eliminate the present Grade ‘‘C’’ quality

level. The existing grade level

‘‘Substandard’’ will remain the same.

This proposal would establish grade

levels ‘‘A’’, ‘‘B’’ and ‘‘Substandard’’ and

with corresponding score points

assigned for each level. A proposed

tolerance for each quality factor for each

grade level would be established. These

changes are proposed to bring the

standard for dried figs in line with

present quality levels being marketed

today and provide guidance in the

effective utilization of dried figs. The

grade of a sample unit of dried figs is

ascertained by considering the factors of

varietal characteristics, size, moisture,

and flavor and odor which are not

scored; the ratings for the factors of

color, uniformity of size, defects, and

maturity and development, which are

scored; the total score; and the limiting

rules which apply. The grade of a lot of

dried figs covered by these standards is

determined by the procedures set forth

in the Regulations Governing Inspection

and Certification of Processed Products

Thereof, and Certain Other Processed

Foods Products (§ 52.1 to § 52.83).

This notice provides for a 60 day

comment period for interested parties to

comment on changes to the standards.

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621–1627.

Dated: May 3, 2001.

Kenneth C. Clayton,

Acting Administrator, Agricultural Marketing

Service.

[FR Doc. 01–11688 Filed 5–8–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Farm Service Agency

Notice of Request for Approval of a

New Information Collection

AGENCY: Farm Service Agency, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the intention of the

Farm Service Agency (FSA) to request

approval to collect information for use

in the Land Use Pilot Project. The

purpose of this pilot project is to

determine the feasibility of offering an

alternative method of reporting

commodity data. Producers will make

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 90 / Wednesday, May 9, 2001 / Notices 23663

required commodity reports by using

the Land Use pilot project.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received on or before June 8, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Contact Rebecca Davis, Production,

Emergencies, and Compliance Division,

USDA, FSA, STOP 0517, 1400

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20250–0517, telephone

number (202) 720–9882.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Land Use Pilot Project.

OMB Control Number: 0560–NEW

Type of Request: Approval of a new

information collection.

Abstract: This pilot was developed in

response to OMB requests to lessen

commodity reporting burden on

producers. The Land Use Pilot Project

modernizes and streamlines the

commodity reporting function by

lessening customer/producer and

Service Center reporting burden while

improving efficiency. The reporting

method is customer/producer-based and

focuses on collecting and maintaining

information needed for Service Center

program determinations, to serve as a

customer/producer resource, and

facilitate data sharing partnerships with

other governmental and nongovernmental entities. The collection

process will be accomplished through

the use of personal computers at the

Service Center, customer/producer’s

home or at other remote sites. Currently

the land use information that is used as

a basis for many USDA programs is

acquired independently by the various

agencies. Data sharing between agencies

is often informal and there is little, if

any, use of alternative acquisition

sources outside of the partner agencies,

with the exception of the Risk

Management Agency (RMA) obtaining

production totals from reinsurance

companies. This leads to duplicative

measures to obtain and manage

information, use of out-dated

information and unawareness of

existing determination and appeal

status. The Land Use Pilot Project

provides a national commodity

reporting database that can be queried

by the Service Center agencies and other

USDA agencies and their partners. In

addition, this allows greater land use

information sharing with agencies such

as RMA and Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service (APHIS), that are not

part of the USDA Service Centers. The

information can also be shared with

State and local Governments that need

farm or customer/producer-level

information.

Additionally, the current system was

designed primarily for the original

program crops of wheat, corn, grain

sorghum, barley and oats. The growth of

alternative crops and aquaculture have

produced reporting needs that are not

met by the attributes associated with

these acreage-based crops. The Land

Use Project will provide a reliable

source of shared land use data that will

be flexible enough to capture a wide

range of commodity and farming

practice variations. Some farming

practices performed on the land will be

identified but may not be collected

without a specific partnership or

program requirement necessitating

them. Standardizing information will

facilitate its use by USDA programs and

will provide the capability for the

information to be acquired from and

used by partners. The user chooses

program(s) for which a report is

intended. The program selection

determines the required commodity

attributes to be reported, thus resulting

in time savings for both the Service

Center and the customer/producer. The

process allows commodity reporting

through the selection of customer/

producer with their associated link(s) to

land. Land (farm, tract and common

land units (CLUs), formerly known as

‘‘fields’’) is displayed allowing users to

designate, by a ‘‘point and click’’

method, reported commodity locations

directly onto a digital map’s CLUs.

Digital maps may be printed for the

producer which will show

commodity(ies) reported with

associated commodity location. When a

commodity is selected which applies to

all fields, a ‘‘select all’’ CLU function

may be used to eliminate designating

individual CLU selection(s). Historical

commodity reports (previous year’s

reports) may be selected to populate

CLUs when minimal change is needed

(i.e., different commodity report date).

In addition to historical commodity

selection options, when accessing the

current commodity reporting function

and selecting a commodity that had

been reported during the most recent

report, that commodity will

automatically populate the previously

reported CLUs. Built into this package is

an acreage reduction calculator which

automatically calculates any deductions

as designated by the user which

eliminates the need to hand calculate

acreage deductions such as sod

waterways. Revised and updated

commodity tables have been

incorporated as an integrated part of the

Land Use Pilot Project which has

simplified the commodity selection

options.

Land Use Project objectives are to:

(1) Provide a reliable source of land

use data usable by multiple entities to;

(a) eliminate redundancy capturing

and storing data and

(b) develop data standards for Land

Use information that allows input and

verification of data from multiple

sources.

(2) Minimize public and Service

Center burden by;

(a) eliminating redundant reporting

requirements,

(b) reducing processing time for

program applications by automatically

populating application fields with

previously reported land use data and

(c) selecting the program for which a

report is being made. The program

selection allows only required

commodities to be reported.

(3) Maximize use of geo-spatial and

partnership data to reduce producer’s

acreage and production reporting

requirements by;

(a) enabling customers/producers to

report land use data for all of their

farming interests at any Service Center

or alternative reporting site and

(b) re-engineering reporting

procedures.

(4) Enhance the reporting process of

customer/producer and Service Center

personnel by developing alternative

customer/producer reporting methods

such as web-based and mail-in

reporting.

The Land Use Pilot Project requires

the customer/producer only to report

commodity, acres or units, owner,

operator and shares, and planting date

and is a drastic departure from the Farm

Service Agency’s (FSA) historical

collection of commodity and land use

data.

FSA’s approach to collecting this

information is to collect only the

information needed to support program

eligibility and compliance requirements.

Three pilot sites chosen for the Land

Use Pilot Project are: Okeechobee,

Florida; Miami, Kansas; and, The Dalles,

Oregon.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden for the Land Use Pilot Project is

estimated to average 3.75 minutes per

response reflecting a 75 percent

decrease in reporting time.

Respondents: Individual customers/

producers.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

2340 × 3.75 minutes per response time.

Estimated Number of Responses per

Respondent: 1.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 146.25 burden hours

times $12.00 per hour = $1755.

Proposed topics for comment include:

(a) Whether the collection of

information is necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of the

agency, including whether the

23664 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 90 / Wednesday, May 9, 2001 / Notices

information will have practical utility;

(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate

of burden including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used; (c)

ways to enhance the quality, utility and

clarity of the information collected; or

(d) ways to minimize the burden of the

collection of the information on those

who are to respond, including through

the use of appropriate automated,

electronic, mechanical, or techniques or

other forms of information technology.

Comments should be sent to the Desk

Officer for Agriculture, Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Office of Management and Budget,

Washington, DC 20503, and to Rebecca

Davis, Production, Emergencies, and

Compliance Division, USDA, FSA,

STOP 0517, 1400 Independence

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250–

0517, (202) 720–9882. All responses to

this notice will be summarized and

included in the request for OMB

approval. All comments will become a

matter of public record.

Signed at Washington, DC, on May 2, 2001.

James R. Little,

Acting Administrator, Farm Service Agency.

[FR Doc. 01–11687 Filed 5–8–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Proposed collection;

comment request -The Integrity Profile

(TIP)

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the Food and

Nutrition Service’s intention to request

OMB review of The Integrity Profile

data collection and reporting system.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received or postmarked by July 9, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Send comments and

requests for copies of this information

collection to: Patricia Daniels, Director,

Supplemental Food Programs Division,

Food and Nutrition Service, U.S.

Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park

Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302.

Pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3507), 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.

All responses to this notice will be

summarized and included in the request

for OMB approval, and will become a

matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patricia Daniels, (703) 305–2746.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: The Integrity Profile (TIP).

OMB Number: 0584–0401.

Expiration Date: 6–30–01.

Type of Request: Extention of a

Currently Approved Collection .

Abstract: State agencies administering

the Special Supplemental Nutrition

Program for Women, Infants and

Children (WIC Program) are required by

7 CFR 246.12(i)(3) to submit to the Food

and Nutrition Service (FNS) an annual

summary of the results of their vendor

monitoring efforts in order to provide

Congress, senior FNS officials, as well

as the general public, assurance that

every reasonable effort is being made to

ensure integrity in the WIC Program.

Since 1989, integrity data has been

required to be submitted annually for

analysis and the The Integrity Profile

(TIP) report has been traditionally

produced by FNS which shows the level

of monitoring and investigation

conducted by WIC State agencies to

detect and eliminate, or substantially

reduce, vendor fraud and abuse. Most

State agencies downloaded the data

from State systems and transmit it

electronically to FNS.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden for this collection of information

is estimated to average 20.8 hours per

response, including the time for

reviewing instructions, searching

existing data sources, gathering and

maintaining the data needed, and

completing and reviewing the collection

of information.

Respondents: The Program Director of

each WIC State agency, which is

generally a State Health Department or

an Indian Tribal Organization.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 88

respondents.

Estimated Number of Responses Per

Respondent: One.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 1,830.4 hours.

Dated: April 27, 2001.

George A. Braley,

Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition

Service.

[FR Doc. 01–11622 Filed 5–8–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–30–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Foreign Agricultural Service

Agricultural Policy Advisory

Committee for Trade and the

Agricultural Technical Advisory

Committees for Trade;

Reestablishment and Nominations.

AGENCY: Foreign Agricultural Service,

USDA.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the Secretary of Agriculture, after

consultation with the United States

Trade Representative, has reestablished

the Agricultural Policy Advisory

Committee for Trade (APAC) and the

Agricultural Technical Advisory

Committees for Trade (ATACs). FAS

also announces that nominations are

being sought for persons to serve on the

APAC and the ATACs.

DATES: Written nominations must be

received by the Foreign Agricultural

Service before or close of business June

8, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Send all nominating

materials to Ms Sharon McClure,

Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA,

Room 5065–S, STOP 1001, 1400

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20250–1001. The forms

may also be submitted by fax to (202)

720–8097.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Comments regarding the

reestablishment of these committees

should be addressed to Ms. Sharon

McClure, Acting Executive Secretary,

Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA,

1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room

5065–S, Stop 1001, Washington, DC

20250–1001, or Ms. Denise Bell at the

same address. Persons interested in

serving on the APAC or an ATAC, or in

nominating individuals to serve, should

contact FAS by telephone (202)–720–

6829), fax (202–720–8097), by mail (Ms.

Sharon McClure, Foreign Agricultural

Service, USDA, 1400 Independence

Avenue, SW., Room 5065–S, Stop 1001,

Washington, DC 20250–1001) or

electronic mail (belld@fas.usda.gov) and

request Form AD–755 and Form SF–

181. These forms are also available on

the Internet at the FAS homepage. For

Form AD–755, go to http://

www.fas.usda.gov/ad755.pdf. For Form

SF–181, go to http://www.fas.usda.gov/

admin/ad 1086.