This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

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section.

Notices Federal Register

36816 

Vol. 87, No. 118 

Tuesday, June 21, 2022 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Farm Service Agency 

[Docket ID FSA–2021–0013] 

Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) for 

the Food Safety Certification for 

Specialty Crops Program 

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation, 

Farm Service Agency, Department of 

Agriculture (USDA). 

ACTION: Notification of fund availability. 

SUMMARY: The Farm Service Agency 

(FSA) is announcing the availability of 

$200 million through the new Food 

Safety Certification for Specialty Crops 

Program (FSCSC) for specialty crop 

operations that incur eligible on-farm 

food safety program expenses to obtain 

or renew a food safety certification in 

calendar years 2022 or 2023. To be 

eligible for assistance with expenses 

related to a 2022 food safety 

certification, the certification must have 

been issued on or after June 21, 2022. 

Specialty crop operations incur 

significant costs to comply with 

regulatory requirements and marketdriven food safety certification 

requirements each year with little 

opportunity to recover the increased 

costs. In this document, FSA is 

providing the eligibility requirements, 

application process, and payment 

calculation for FSCSC. 

DATES:

Funding availability: Implementation 

will begin June 27, 2022. 

Comments Due Date: We will 

consider comments on the information 

collection request discussed in the 

Paperwork Reduction Act section that 

we receive by: August 22, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit 

comments on the information collection 

request. You may submit comments 

using any of the following methods, 

although FSA prefers that you submit 

comments electronically through the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov and search 

for Docket ID FSA–2021–0013. Follow 

the online instructions for submitting 

comments. 

• Mail, Hand-Delivery, or Courier: 

Director, Safety Net Division, FSA, 

USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, 

Stop 0510, Washington, DC 20250– 

0522. In your comment, specify the 

docket ID FSA–2021–0013. 

All comments received, including 

those received by mail, will be posted 

without change and will be publicly 

available on http://www.regulations.gov. 

Copies of the information collection 

may be requested by contacting the 

above address. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Tona Huggins: (202) 720–7641; or by 

email: tona.huggins@usda.gov. Persons 

with disabilities who require alternative 

means for communication should 

contact the USDA Target Center at (202) 

720–2600 (voice). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

FSA, on behalf of CCC, is establishing 

FSCSC to assist specialty crop 

operations that incurred eligible on-farm 

food safety certification and related 

expenses in order to obtain or renew a: 

• 2022 food safety certification issued 

between June 21, 2022 and December 

30, 2022; or 

• 2023 food safety certification issued 

at any time during the 2023 calendar 

year. 

For each year, FSCSC will cover a 

portion of the specialty crop operation’s 

cost of obtaining or renewing their 

certification, as well as a portion of their 

related costs as described in this NOFA. 

Specialty crops intended for human 

consumption are subject to concerns 

about safety, particularly since specialty 

crops sold as raw agricultural 

commodities do not undergo a ‘‘kill 

step’’ like cooking, canning, or 

pasteurizing used for other agricultural 

commodities such as meat or dairy 

products. As a result, specialty crop 

operations face increasing demand from 

grocery stores, schools, and other 

institutional buyers and retailers to 

obtain certification through programs 

that address the safe growing, 

harvesting, packing, and holding of their 

crops. The need to develop, implement, 

and maintain on-farm food safety 

programs has resulted in additional 

costs for many specialty crop operations 

that seek alternate markets for their 

products due to changes in demand 

from traditional markets such as 

restaurants and food service. As they 

identify new markets, many specialty 

crop operations also find they need to 

undergo food safety audits and absorb 

the additional costs to achieve food 

safety certification through a private or 

government-based certification program 

in order to meet buyers’ requirements to 

sell their products. 

FSCSC funding of $200 million is 

provided through the CCC Charter Act, 

which authorizes CCC to increase the 

domestic consumption of agricultural 

commodities (other than tobacco) by 

expanding or aiding in the expansion of 

domestic markets or by developing or 

aiding in the development of new and 

additional markets, marketing facilities, 

and uses for such commodities (15 

U.S.C. 714c(e)). FSCSC will aid in the 

expansion of domestic markets and 

development of new and additional 

markets by assisting specialty crop 

operations with costs that they incur to 

obtain or renew food safety 

certifications in order to comply with 

government and retail buyers’ demands 

for food safety certification, ultimately 

expanding the markets available to 

those operations and increasing 

domestic consumption of specialty 

crops. To that end, only producers that 

successfully obtain or renew a food 

safety certification after publication of 

this notice are eligible to be 

compensated for a portion of the cost of 

that certification, as explained further 

below. 

Definitions 

The following definitions apply to 

this notice: 

Beginning farmer or rancher means a 

farmer or rancher who has not operated 

a farm or ranch for more than 10 years 

and who materially and substantially 

participates in the operation. For a legal 

entity to be considered a beginning 

farmer or rancher, at least 50 percent of 

the ownership interest must be held by 

individuals who are beginning farmers 

or ranchers. 

Certification upload fee means the fee 

paid by a specialty crop operation to 

upload reports and other documentation 

to a commercial database. 

Certifier means either a private entity 

accredited for the purpose of providing 


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1The term ‘‘Armed Forces’’ means the United 

States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space 

Force, and Coast Guard, including the reserve 

components. 

2The term ‘‘veteran’’ means a person who served 

in the active military, naval, air, or space service, 

and who was discharged or released under 

conditions other than dishonorable. 

food safety certification or a 

government-based certifier. 

Deputy Administrator means the FSA 

Deputy Administrator for Farm 

Programs. 

Food safety certification means 

certification that a specialty crop 

operation meets regulatory or marketdriven food safety standards. 

Food safety management system 

means a documented system developed 

by a group of specialty crop operations 

to obtain food safety certification, also 

referred to as a ‘‘quality management 

system.’’ 

FSMA means the FDA Food Safety 

Modernization Act (Pub. L. 111–353). 

Food safety plan means a documented 

plan implemented by a specialty crop 

operation to obtain food safety 

certification. 

Historically underserved farmer or 

rancher means a beginning farmer or 

rancher, limited resource farmer or 

rancher, socially disadvantaged farmer 

or rancher, or veteran farmer or rancher. 

Limited resource farmer or rancher 

means a farmer or rancher who is both 

of the following: 

(1) A person whose direct or indirect 

gross farm sales did not exceed: 

(a) For the 2022 program year, 

$189,200 in each of the 2019 and 2020 

calendar years; or 

(b) For the 2023 program year, the 

amount identified through the Limited 

Resource Farmer and Rancher Online 

Self Determination Tool in each of the 

2020 and 2021 calendar years; and 

(2) A person whose total household 

income was at or below the national 

poverty level for a family of four in each 

of the same two previous years 

referenced in paragraph (1) of this 

definition. 

For an entity to be considered a 

limited resource farmer or rancher, all 

members who hold an ownership 

interest in the entity must meet the 

criteria in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this 

definition. Limited resource farmer or 

rancher status can be determined using 

a website available through the Limited 

Resource Farmer and Rancher Online 

Self Determination Tool, which is 

available through the Natural Resources 

Conservation Service at https://

lrftool.sc.egov.usda.gov. Producers may 

also contact their FSA county office for 

assistance. 

Produce Safety Rule means the final 

rule titled ‘‘Standards for the Growing, 

Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of 

Produce for Human Consumption’’ 

published on November 27, 2015 (80 FR 

74354–74568). 

Program year means the calendar year 

in which the applicant’s food safety 

certification is issued (that is, 2022 or 

2023). 

Raw agricultural commodity means 

any food in its raw or natural state, 

including all fruits that are washed, 

colored, or otherwise treated in their 

unpeeled natural form prior to 

marketing. 

Small business means an applicant 

that had an average annual monetary 

value of specialty crops the applicant 

sold during the 3-year period preceding 

the program year of more than $250,000 

but not more than $500,000. 

Socially disadvantaged farmer or 

rancher means a farmer or rancher who 

is a member of a group whose members 

have been subjected to racial, ethnic, or 

gender prejudice because of their 

identity as members of a group without 

regard to their individual qualities. For 

entities, at least 50 percent of the 

ownership interest must be held by 

individuals who are members of such a 

group. Socially disadvantaged groups 

include the following and no others 

unless approved in writing by the 

Deputy Administrator: 

(1) American Indians or Alaskan 

Natives; 

(2) Asians or Asian-Americans; 

(3) Blacks or African Americans; 

(4) Hispanics or Hispanic Americans; 

(5) Native Hawaiians or other Pacific 

Islanders; and 

(6) Women. 

Specialty crop means any fruit or 

vegetable (including mixes of intact 

fruits and vegetables) and includes 

mushrooms, sprouts (irrespective of 

seed source), tree nuts, and herbs. A 

fruit is the edible reproductive body of 

a seed plant or tree nut (such as apple, 

orange, and almond) such that fruit 

means the harvestable or harvested part 

of a plant developed from a flower. A 

vegetable is the edible part of an 

herbaceous plant (such as cabbage or 

potato) or fleshy fruiting body of a 

fungus (such as white button or 

shiitake) grown for an edible part such 

that vegetable means the harvestable or 

harvested part of any plant or fungus 

whose fruit, fleshy fruiting bodies, 

seeds, roots, tubers, bulbs, stems, leaves, 

or flower parts are used as food and 

includes mushrooms, sprouts, and herbs 

(such as basil or cilantro). ‘‘Specialty 

crop’’ does not include peanuts or food 

grains, meaning the small, hard fruits or 

seeds of arable crops, or the crops 

bearing these fruits or seeds, which are 

primarily grown and processed for use 

as meal, flour, baked goods, cereals, and 

oils rather than for direct consumption 

as small, hard fruits or seeds (including 

cereal grains, pseudo cereals, oilseeds, 

and other plants used in the same 

fashion). Examples of food grains 

include barley, dent- or flint-corn, 

sorghum, oats, rice, rye, wheat, 

amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, and 

oilseeds (for example, cotton seed, flax 

seed, rapeseed, soybean, and sunflower 

seed). 

Specialty crop operation means a 

farming operation that produces 

specialty crops that are raw agricultural 

commodities. It includes both 

individuals and legal entities. 

Very small business means an 

applicant that had an average annual 

monetary value of specialty crops the 

applicant sold during the 3-year period 

preceding the program year of no more 

than $250,000. 

Veteran farmer or rancher means a 

farmer or rancher who has served in the 

Armed Forces (as defined in 38 U.S.C. 

101(10) 1) and: 

(1) Has not operated a farm or ranch 

for more than 10 years; or 

(2) Has obtained status as a veteran (as 

defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(2) 2) during the 

most recent 10-year period. 

For an entity to be considered a 

veteran farmer or rancher, at least 50 

percent of the ownership interest must 

be held by members who have served in 

the Armed Forces and meet the criteria 

in paragraph (1) or (2) of this definition. 

Eligible Applicants 

To be eligible for FSCSC, the 

applicant must meet all of the following: 

• Be a specialty crop operation; 

• Be a small business or very small 

business; 

• Have obtained or renewed a: 

Æ 2022 food safety certification that 

was issued between June 21, 2022 and 

December 31, 2022; or 

Æ 2023 food safety certification issued 

during the 2023 calendar year; and 

• Have paid eligible expenses as 

described in this document. 

FSCSC is available to specialty crop 

operations located in the 50 United 

States, the District of Columbia, the 

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, 

American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin 

Islands, and the Commonwealth of the 

Northern Mariana Islands. 

Eligible Expenses 

FSCSC provides assistance for eligible 

expenses that the applicant both incurs 

and pays in order to obtain or renew a 

2022 or 2023 food safety certification as 

described above. Expenses that have 


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3USDA Service Center locations and contact 

information are available at https://offices.sc.egov.

usda.gov/locator/app. 

4Form CCC–860 is not required for applicants 

meeting the definition of socially disadvantaged, 

limited resource, beginning, and veteran farmer or 

rancher to receive a payment; however, failure to 

submit form CCC–860 will result in an applicant’s 

payment being calculated using the lower payment 

rate that applies to all other applicants. An 

applicant who has filed CCC–860 certifying their 

status as a socially disadvantaged, beginning, or 

veteran farmer or rancher for a prior program year 

is not required to submit a subsequent certification 

of their status for a later program year because their 

status as socially disadvantaged would not change 

in different years, and their certification as a 

beginning or veteran farmer or rancher includes the 

relevant date needed to determine for what 

programs years the status would apply. Because an 

applicant’s status as a limited resource farmer or 

rancher may change annually depending on their 

direct and indirect gross farm sales, those 

applicants must submit CCC–860 for each 

applicable program year. 

5Applicants who are unable to receive payment 

through direct deposit are still eligible to participate 

in FSCSC. Those applicants should contact their 

local FSA county office for further information. 

been incurred by an applicant who does 

not ultimately obtain a 2022 or 2023 

food safety certification are not eligible 

for assistance through FSCSC. 

Some specialty crop operations obtain 

food safety certification through a group 

model, which enables multiple 

producers to form a group that develops 

a food safety management system and is 

audited and certified as one unit. This 

approach enables group members to 

pool resources to implement food safety 

training programs and share the cost of 

certification. Specialty crop operations 

that obtain certification through a group 

model are eligible to apply for 

assistance for their share of eligible 

expenses paid by the group, in addition 

to any eligible expenses they incur 

individually. 

Specialty crop operations may receive 

assistance for the costs described below, 

including any associated postage costs. 

Developing a food safety plan for firsttime food safety certification. A food 

safety plan is a requirement for any 

specialty crop operation or group 

undergoing formal food safety 

certification, and the majority of costs 

associated with food safety plan 

development occur the first year an 

operation undergoes food safety 

certification. There are 2 general 

approaches to plan development—the 

specialty crop operation may develop its 

own plan, hire a consultant, or a 

combination of both. FSCSC will cover 

a percentage of the costs of seminars 

and tools used by specialty crop 

operations to create a food safety plan. 

FSCSC will also cover a percentage of 

the consulting fees and other associated 

expenses incurred if the specialty crop 

operation hires a consultant to develop 

a food safety plan. For specialty crop 

operations certified through a group, 

this category of expenses will cover a 

percentage of their share of the cost for 

developing a food safety or quality 

management system for the group. 

Maintaining or updating an existing 

food safety plan. Certification programs 

typically require an annual review of 

the food safety plan to ensure it is 

current and addresses any new audit or 

regulatory requirements, as well as 

incorporates any new hazards. FSCSC 

will cover a percentage of the costs of 

maintaining and updating existing food 

safety plans. For specialty crop 

operations certified through a group, 

this category of expenses will cover a 

percentage of their share of the cost for 

maintaining or updating an existing 

food safety management system for the 

group. 

Food safety certification. FSCSC will 

cover a percentage of the cost of 

obtaining food safety certification issued 

by a certifier, including application fees, 

inspection costs, inspection fees 

(including travel costs and per diem for 

certifiers), and user fees or certifier sales 

assessments. 

Certification upload fees. FSCSC will 

cover a percentage of the cost to upload 

audit reports and certification 

documentation into commercial audit 

databases, which may be required by 

buyers of specialty crops. 

Microbiological testing. FSCSC will 

cover a percentage of the cost of 

microbiological testing for products, soil 

amendments, and water as specified by 

a food safety plan or food safety 

management system. The FSMA 

Produce Safety Rule requires covered 

farms to test their agricultural water, 

and commercial food safety standards 

may require additional testing to 

determine if water meets the microbial 

requirements of the Environmental 

Protection Agency’s drinking water 

standard (40 CFR part 141). Retail, food 

service, and institutional buyers are also 

increasingly requiring microbiological 

testing of finished products. Testing of 

soil amendments, particularly 

amendments of animal origin 

(composting) is also required by many 

food safety audit programs. 

Training. FSCSC will cover the cost of 

food safety training for the specialty 

crop operation. The FSMA requires all 

covered operations to take a training 

course annually. Additionally, most 

certification programs require training 

as well. 

Ineligible Expenses 

Any expenses not listed above, as 

determined by the Deputy 

Administrator, are not covered by 

FSCSC. The following expenses are 

examples of costs that are not eligible 

for cost share under FSCSC: 

• Infrastructure improvements (such 

as improvements to buildings, cold 

storage, flooring, restrooms, and 

handwashing stations); 

• Equipment (such as grading or 

packing lines and sanitation 

equipment); 

• Supplies (such as sanitation and 

cleaning supplies and personal 

protective equipment); 

• Salaries and benefits of employees 

or other costs for labor, except for 

expenses for consultants described 

above; and 

• Fees or penalties for late payment. 

Application Process 

The application period for 2022 

begins on June 27, 2022, and ends on 

January 31, 2023. The application 

period for 2023 will be announced at a 

later date. Applicants may apply for 

FSCSC at any USDA Service Center.3

Each applicant must submit the 

following forms in person or by mail, 

email, facsimile, or other methods 

announced by FSA: 

• Form FSA–888, Food Safety 

Certification for Specialty Crops 

Program (FSCSC); 

• Form CCC–860, Socially 

Disadvantaged, Limited Resource, 

Beginning and Veteran Farmer or 

Rancher Certification, for the applicable 

program year if the applicant qualifies 

as a historically underserved farmer or 

rancher and this form is not already on 

file with FSA; 4

• Form AD–2047, Customer Data 

Worksheet, if not already on file with 

FSA; and 

• Form SF–3881, ACH Vendor/ 

Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment 

Form, if not already on file with FSA.5

Eligible expenses are based on the 

applicant’s certification and are subject 

to spot check. 

Applicants may be required to 

provide additional documentation to 

FSA, if requested by FSA, to verify 

eligibility or issue payment. Specialty 

crop operations certified as part of a 

group under a food safety management 

system must provide documentation of 

the applicant’s portion of the group’s 

expenses from the entity responsible for 

maintaining the group’s certification if 

requested by FSA. Additional 

documentation must be received within 

30 days of the request or the application 

will not be processed. 

Payments 

FSCSC payments are calculated 

separately for each category of eligible 

costs based on the percentages and 


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maximum payment amounts in the 

following table. An applicant may 

receive the specified percentage of their 

eligible costs, up to the maximum per 

category, for each program year. 

Category of eligible expenses 

Payment amount of eligible costs 

Historically underserved farmer 

or rancher All other applicants 

Development of a food safety plan for first-time certification 75 percent (no maximum) ..................... 50 percent (no maximum). 

Maintaining or updating a food safety plan ........................... 75 percent, up to a maximum of $375 50 percent, up to a maximum of $250. 

Food safety certification ......................................................... 75 percent, up to a maximum of $2,000 50 percent, up to a maximum of $2,000. 

Certification upload fees ........................................................ 75 percent, up to a maximum of $375 50 percent, up to a maximum of $250. 

Microbiological testing—products .......................................... 75 percent, up to 5 tests ....................... 50 percent, up to 5 tests. 

Microbiological testing—soil amendments ............................. 75 percent, up to 5 tests ....................... 50 percent, up to 5 tests. 

Microbiological testing—water ............................................... 75 percent, up to 5 tests ....................... 50 percent, up to 5 tests. 

Training .................................................................................. 100 percent, up to a maximum of $300 100 percent, up to a maximum of $200. 

Payments will be equal to the 

applicant’s eligible expenses multiplied 

by the percentage for the applicable 

category in the table above, not to 

exceed the maximum payment amount 

for the category, if applicable. An 

applicant must report any previous cost 

share assistance received from any 

source for the expenses included on 

their application. The amount of the 

applicant’s FSCSC payment plus the 

reported additional cost share assistance 

cannot exceed the total amount of 

eligible expenses for each category. If 

the amount of the additional cost share 

plus the calculated FSCSC payment 

exceed the total amount of eligible 

expenses for a category, the FSCSC 

payment for that category will be equal 

to the total amount of eligible expenses 

minus the additional reported cost share 

assistance. 

FSA will issue payments for the 2022 

program year as applications are 

processed and approved. Due to the 

limited amount of funding, FSA will 

issue 2023 program year payments after 

the end of the application period. If 

calculated payments exceed the amount 

of available funding for 2023, payments 

will be prorated. 

Other Provisions 

Participants are required to retain 

documentation in support of their 

application for 3 years after the date of 

approval. Participants receiving FSCSC 

payments or any other person who 

furnishes such information to USDA 

must permit authorized representatives 

of USDA or the Government 

Accountability Office, during regular 

business hours, to enter the operation 

and to inspect, examine, and to allow 

representatives to make copies of books, 

records, or other items for the purpose 

of confirming the accuracy of the 

information provided by the participant. 

Applicants have a right to a decision 

in response to their application. If an 

applicant files an application with an 

FSA county office after the application 

deadline, the application will be 

considered a request to waive the 

deadline. 

Requests to waive or modify program 

provisions, including requests to waive 

the deadline, are at the discretion of the 

Deputy Administrator. The Deputy 

Administrator has the authority to 

waive or modify application deadlines 

and other requirements or program 

provisions not specified in law, in cases 

where the Deputy Administrator 

determines it is (1) equitable to do so 

and (2) where the lateness or failure to 

meet such other requirements or 

program provisions do not adversely 

affect the operation of FSCSC. 

Applicants who request to waive or 

modify FSCSC provisions do not have a 

right to a decision on those requests, 

and the Deputy Administrator’s refusal 

to exercise discretion on requests to 

waive or modify FSCSC provisions will 

not be considered an adverse decision 

and is, by itself, not appealable. 

Equitable relief and finality 

provisions specified in 7 CFR part 718, 

subpart D, apply to determinations 

under FSCSC. Persons and legal entities 

who file an application with FSA have 

the right to an administrative review of 

any FSA adverse decision with respect 

to the application under the appeals 

procedures at 7 CFR parts 780 and 11. 

The determination of matters of general 

applicability that are not in response to, 

or do not result from, an individual set 

of facts in an individual participant’s 

application for payment are not matters 

that can be appealed. Such matters of 

general applicability include, but are 

not limited to, the determination of 

eligible categories of expenses and 

payment rates. 

Any payment under FSCSC will be 

made without regard to questions of title 

under State law and without regard to 

any claim or lien. The regulations 

governing offsets in 7 CFR part 3 apply 

to FSCSC payments. 

If an FSCSC payment resulted from 

erroneous information provided by a 

participant, or any person acting on 

their behalf, the payment will be 

recalculated and the participant must 

refund any excess payment with interest 

calculated from the date of the 

disbursement of the payment. If FSA 

determines that the applicant 

intentionally misrepresented 

information provided on their 

application, the application will be 

disapproved and the applicant must 

refund the full payment to FSA with 

interest from the date of disbursement. 

In either applying for or participating 

in FSCSC, or both, the applicant is 

subject to laws against perjury 

(including but not limited to 18 U.S.C. 

1621). If the applicant willfully makes 

and represents as true any verbal or 

written declaration, certification, 

statement, or verification that the 

applicant knows or believes not to be 

true, in the course of either applying for 

or participating in FSCSC, or both, then 

the applicant may be found to be guilty 

of perjury. Except as otherwise provided 

by law, if guilty of perjury the applicant 

may be fined, imprisoned for not more 

than 5 years, or both, regardless of 

whether the applicant makes such 

verbal or written declaration, 

certification, statement, or verification 

within or outside the United States. 

For the purposes of the effect of a lien 

on eligibility for Federal programs (28 

U.S.C. 3201(e)), USDA waives the 

restriction on receipt of funds under 

FSCSC but only as to beneficiaries who, 

as a condition of the waiver, agree to 

apply the FSCSC payments to reduce 

the amount of the judgment lien. 

In addition to any other Federal laws 

that apply to FSCSC, the following laws 

apply: 18 U.S.C. 286, 287, 371, and 

1001. 


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6See https://sam.gov/content/assistance-listings. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

Requirements 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 

Chapter 35), FSA is requesting 

comments from interested individuals 

and organizations on the information 

collection request associated with 

FSCSC. The FSCSC information 

collection request is for the eligible 

specialty crop operations to provide 

FSA the information about their eligible 

expenses to qualify for the payments 

and to enable FSA to determine the 

amount of the payment. FSA has 

submitted the emergency approval 

request for the FSCSC information 

collection activities to OMB for a 6- 

month approval. After the 60-day 

comment ends the information 

collection request will be submitted to 

OMB for a 3-year OMB approval. 

Title: Food Safety Certification for 

Specialty Crops (FSCSC) Program. 

OMB Control Number: 0560-New. 

Type of Request: New Collection. 

Abstract: The information collection 

request is required to support specialty 

crop operations to provide their eligible 

expenses to get the FSCSC payments. 

The forms for the applicants, who are 

producers or farmers, to complete for 

the FSCSC payments and the payment 

calculations are described in this 

document. 

For the following estimated total 

annual burden on respondents, the 

formula used to calculate the total 

burden hour is the estimated average 

time per response multiplied by the 

estimated total annual responses. Public 

reporting burden for this information 

collection is estimated 0.685 hours to 

include the time for reviewing 

instructions, searching existing data 

sources, gathering and maintaining the 

data needed and completing and 

reviewing the collections of 

information. 

Type of Respondents: Farmer or 

producer. 

Estimated Annual Number or 

Respondents: 22,000. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 1.7. 

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 

37,400. 

Estimated Average Time per 

Response: 0.685. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 25,652 hours. 

FSA is requesting comments on all 

aspects of this information collection to 

help us to: 

(1) Evaluate whether the collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of FSA, 

including whether the information will 

have practical utility; 

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of FSA’s 

estimate of burden including the 

validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; 

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and 

(4) Minimize the burden of the 

information collection 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 comments received in response to 

this document, including names and 

addresses when provided, will be a 

matter of public record. Comments will 

be summarized and included in the 

submission for Office of Management 

and Budget approval. 

Environmental Review 

The environmental impacts of this 

notice have been considered in a 

manner consistent with the provisions 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321–4347), the 

regulations of the Council on 

Environmental Quality (40 CFR parts 

1500–1508), and the FSA regulations for 

compliance with NEPA (7 CFR part 

799). 

The purpose of FSCSC is to provide 

assistance to specialty crop operations 

for eligible costs related to food safety 

certification. The Categorical Exclusions 

in 7 CFR 799.31 apply, specifically 7 

CFR 799.31(b)(6)(iii) (that is, financial 

assistance to supplement income). No 

Extraordinary Circumstances (7 CFR 

799.33) exist. FSA has determined that 

this notice does not constitute a major 

Federal action that would significantly 

affect the quality of the human 

environment, individually or 

cumulatively. Therefore, FSA will not 

prepare an environmental assessment or 

environmental impact statement for this 

regulatory action. 

Federal Assistance Programs 

The title and number of the Federal 

assistance program in the Assistance 

Listing,6 to which this NOFA applies is 

10.142, Food Safety Certification for 

Specialty Crops (FSCSC) Program. 

USDA Non-Discrimination Policy 

In accordance with Federal civil 

rights law and U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) civil rights 

regulations and policies, USDA, its 

Agencies, offices, and 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 or 

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. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means of communication for 

program information (for example, 

braille, large print, audiotape, American 

Sign Language, etc.) should contact the 

responsible Agency or USDA TARGET 

Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and 

TTY) or (844) 433–2774. 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 https://

www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-aprogram-discrimination-complaint and 

at any USDA office or write a letter 

addressed to USDA and provide in the 

letter all 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 mail to: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410 or email: OAC@

usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender. 

Zach Ducheneaux, 

Administrator, Farm Service Agency, and 

Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit 

Corporation. 

[FR Doc. 2022–13014 Filed 6–17–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

[Docket No. 210518–0109] 

Privacy Act of 1974; System of 

Records 

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. 

Department of Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of amendment, Privacy 

Act System of Records; COMMERCE/ 

CENSUS–8, Statistical Administrative 

Records System. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Privacy Act of 1974, as amended and 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) Circular A–108, ‘‘Federal Agency 


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