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 Department of Agriculture Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration
 AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA), USDA.
 ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
 SUMMARY: GIPSA is taking several actions to post and depost stockyards under the Packers and Stockyards Act (P&S Act). Specifically, we are proposing that 11 stockyards now operating subject to the P&S Act be posted. We are also posting seven stockyards that were identified previously as operating subject to the P&S Act and deposting two stockyards that no longer meet the definition of a stockyard.
 DATES: GIPSA will consider comments received by October 5, 2017.
 ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments on this notice. You may submit comments by any of the following methods: *Mail, Courier or Hand Delivery:*
                         Irene Omade, GIPSA, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 2530-S, Washington, DC 20250-3604.
                    *Submit Comments using the Internet:*
                         Go to 
                        *http://www.regulations.gov.*
                         Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments. *Instructions:*
                         All comments should refer to the date and page number of this issue of the 
                        **Federal Register**
                        . The comments and other documents relating to this action will be available for public 
                        ( print page 41910)
                        inspection during regular business hours.
 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Ash, Program Analyst, Litigation and Economic Analysis Division at (202) 720-0222 or 
                        *Donna.A.Ash@usda.gov.*


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: GIPSA administers and enforces the P&S Act of 1921 (7 U.S.C. 181 
                    *et seq.*). The P&S Act prohibits unfair, deceptive, and fraudulent practices by livestock market agencies, dealers, stockyard owners, meat packers, swine contractors, and live poultry dealers in the livestock, poultry, and meatpacking industries. Section 302 of the P&S Act (7 U.S.C. 202) defines the term “stockyard” as follows: “. . . any place, establishment, or facility commonly known as stockyards, conducted, operated, or managed for profit or nonprofit as a public market for livestock producers, feeders, market agencies, and buyers, consisting of pens, or other enclosures, and their appurtenances, in which live cattle, sheep, swine, horses, mules, or goats are received, held, or kept for sale or shipment in commerce.” Section 302 (b) of the P&S Act requires the Secretary of Agriculture to determine which stockyards meet this definition, and to notify the owner of the stockyard and the public of that determination by posting a notice in each designated stockyard. Once the Secretary provides notice to the stockyard owner and the public, the stockyard is subject to the provisions of Title III of the P&S Act (7 U.S.C. 201-203 and 205-217a) until the Secretary deposts the stockyard by public notice. To post a stockyard, we assign the stockyard a facility number, notify the stockyard owner, and send an official posting notice to the stockyard owner to display in a public area of the stockyard. This process is referred to as “posting.” The date of posting is the date that the posting notices are physically displayed at the stockyard. A facility that does not meet the definition of a stockyard is not subject to the P&S Act, and therefore cannot be posted. A posted stockyard can be deposted, which occurs when the facility is no longer used as a stockyard. We are hereby notifying stockyard owners and the public that the following 11 stockyards meet the definition of a stockyard, and that we propose to designate these stockyards as posted stockyards. Proposed facility number
Stockyard name and locationFL-141
Gulf Coast Livestock, Madison, Florida.KY-190
Franklin Livestock Market, Inc., Franklin, Kentucky.LA-148
Southwest Horse Sale, LLC, Bush, Louisiana.MS-182
Trade Day Auction, LLC, Philadelphia, Mississippi.OK-219
Watson's Auction Service, Maud, Oklahoma.OK-220
Daniel's Hog and Goat Sale, Howe, Oklahoma.OK-221
Glover Auction & Livestock, LLC, Lawton, Oklahoma.SC-165
Willie Hester, d/b/a Willietakeit Auctions, Pelzer, South Carolina.TN-216
Ricky Kepley, d/b/a Cumberland City Stockyards, Cumberland City, Tennessee.TN-217
Dickson Horse Sale, Dickson, Tennessee.WV-119
Parkersburg Livestock Market, Mineral Wells, West Virginia.
 We are also notifying the public that the stockyards listed in the following table meet the P&S Act's definition of a stockyard and that we have posted the stockyards. On October 17, 2016, we published a notice in the 
                    **Federal Register**
                     (81 FR, 71477-71479) of our proposal to post these seven stockyards. Since we received no comments to our proposal, we assigned the stockyards a facility number and notified the owner of the stockyard facilities. Posting notices were sent to the owner of the stockyard to display in public areas of the stockyard. The table below reflects the date of posting for each stockyard. Facility number
Stockyard name and location
Date of 
                             postingKY-189
Blue Grass Stockyards of Albany, LLC, Albany, Kentucky
11/07/2016MS-181
Cattlemens Stockyard, LLC, West Point, Mississippi
11/07/2016NC-182
Walton L. Standridge d/b/a Standridge Auction, Hamlet, North Carolina
11/07/2016NC-183
Vale Enterprises, LLC d/b/a Cleveland County Agriculture & Livestock Exchange, Shelby, North Carolina
11/07/2016PA-164
Nicholson Livestock Market, Factoryville, Pennsylvania
11/08/2016SD-173
Kramer's Auction, LLC, Colman, South Dakota
11/14/2016TN-215
Alexandria Stockyard, Inc., Alexandria, Tennesse
11/08/2016
 Finally, we are notifying the public that the following stockyards no longer meet the definition of a stockyard and are being deposted. We depost stockyards when the facility can no longer be used as a stockyard. The reasons a facility can no longer be used as a stockyard may include the following: (1) The market agency has moved and the posted facility is abandoned; (2) the facility has been torn down or otherwise destroyed, such as by fire; (3) the facility is dilapidated beyond repair; or (4) the facility has been converted and its function has changed. Facility number
Stockyard name and location
Date postedMA-104
Crowley's Commission Sales, Inc., Agawam, Massachusetts
03/14/1972NB-146
Kearney Livestock Market, Inc., Kearney, Nebraska
02/22/1938
 ( print page 41911)
                    Authority:
                    7 U.S.C. 202. Randall D. Jones, Acting Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration.


[FR Doc. 2017-18637 Filed 9-1-17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410-KD-P