[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 39 (Tuesday, February 27, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12454-12457]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-4760]


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Notices
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

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.

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Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 39 / Tuesday, February 27, 2001 / 
Notices

[[Page 12454]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

February 22, 2001.
    The Department of Agriculture has submitted the following 
information collection requirement(s) to OMB for review and clearance 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. Comments 
regarding (a) whether the 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 burden including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; (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 should be addressed to: Desk 
Officer for Agriculture, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Washington, DC 20503 and to 
Departmental Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail Stop 7602, Washington, 
DC 20250-7602.
    Comments regarding these information collections are best assured 
of having their full effect if received within 30 days of this 
notification. Copies of the submission(s) may be obtained by calling 
(202) 720-6746.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information 
unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB 
control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to 
respond to the collection of information that such persons are not 
required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays 
a currently valid OMB control number.

Farm Service Agency

    Title: Farmer Program Account Servicing Policies--7 CFR part 1951-
S.
    OMB Control Number: 0560-0161.
    Summary of Collection: The Farm Service Agency's (FSA) Farm Loan 
Program (FLP) provides supervised credit in the form of loans to family 
farmers and ranchers to purchase land and finance agricultural 
production. The regulations covering this information collection 
package describes the policies and procedures the agency will use to 
service most FLP loans when they become delinquent. These loans include 
Operating, Farm Ownership, Soil and Water, Softwood Timber Production, 
Emergency; Economic Emergency, Economic Opportunity, Recreation, and 
Rural Housing loans for farm service buildings. Servicing of accounts 
is administered in accordance with the provisions of the Consolidated 
Farm and Rural Development Act (CONACT) as amended by the Food Security 
Act of 1985, the Agriculture Credit Act of 1987, the Food Agriculture 
Conservation and Trade Act of 1990, the Agricultural Credit Improvement 
Act of 1992, and the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 
1996. The Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 was intended to ensure that 
private individuals who have obtained a loan from the U.S. Treasury 
through the Department of Agriculture are all treated equally when they 
default on that loan. FSA is modifying the information collection to 
require borrowers to document the value of added improvements to real 
estate used in securing a shared appreciation agreement.
    Need and Use of the Information: FSA will use the tax returns 
provided by borrowers to document the validity of the amount of capital 
improvements being claimed by the borrower. If information is not 
collected, borrowers may not have the remaining contributory value of 
capital improvements made during the term of the Shared Appreciation 
Agreement deducted when the recapture amount under the agreement is 
calculated.
    Description of Respondents: Farms; Individuals or households; 
Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 12,681.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 13,109.

Farm Service Agency

    Title: Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
    OMB Control Number: 0560-0174.
    Summary of Collection: The Natural Resources Conservation Service 
(NRCS) in partnership with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) administers 
the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). EQIP provides for 
Federal financial, technical, and educational long-term cost-share and 
incentive assistance for conservation treatment to eligible land users. 
Local work groups identify significant natural resource concerns and 
develop a need assessment proposal. The proposal is forwarded to the 
NRCS State Conservationist who, in consultation with the State 
Technical Committee, decides which areas deserve designation as a 
priority area. NRCS works with landowners and operators in the priority 
areas to develop conservation plans that incorporate conservation 
practices that will meet EQIP objectives. Landowners apply for cost-
share and incentive payments under EQIP by completing a CCC-1200 form. 
Other forms are used once an applicant is approved for participation in 
the program.
    Need and Use of the Information: FSA collects information to 
determine eligibility for the EQIP program and too ensure that those 
landowners selected will assist the Federal government in remedying the 
identified natural resource concerns for that area. If the information 
were not collected, NRCS and FSA would not be able to distribute the 
EQIP funds and monitor their use.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals or household; Farms.
    Number of Respondents: 92,500.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Other (When applying for 
program).
    Total Burden Hours: 444,609.

Farm Service Agency.

    Title: Lamb Meat Adjustment Assistance Program (LMAAP).
    OMB Control Number: 0560-0205.
    Summary of Collection: The Lamb Meat Adjustment Assistance Program 
(LMAAP) is administered and implemented under the general direction and 
supervision of the Farm Service Agency (FSA) through its State and 
County Committees. Authorizing

[[Page 12455]]

legislation for LMAAP provides for the re-establishment of farmers' 
purchasing power by making payments in connection with the normal 
production of any agricultural commodity for domestic consumption. The 
objective of the LMAAP program is to make direct payments to producers 
of sheep and lamb operations to help them weather the current economic 
crisis, as well as help improve their production efficiencies and the 
marketability of lamb meat during the 3 year period from July 21, 1999, 
through July 31, 2002. FSA will collect information using form FSA 383.
    Need and Use of the Information: FSA will collect the following 
information: (1) sheep and lamb operation name; (2) each related 
producer's name; (3) ID number and shares; (4) the number of rams 
purchased for the intended purpose of breeding; (5) the number of 
eligible sheep enrolled in an eligible sheep improvement program; and/
or (6) the type and cost of the facility improvement. The information 
is needed to verify commodity and producer eligibility and calculate 
payment amounts. Without the information from the producers, FSA would 
be unable to administer the program to provide direct payments to the 
sheep and lamb operations.
    Description of Respondents: Farms; Individuals or households; 
Business or other-for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 60,000.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 24,240.

Agricultural Marketing Service

    Title: Cotton Classing, Testing, and Standards.
    OMB Control Number: 0581-0008.
    Summary of Collection: The U.S. Cotton Standards Act, 7 U.S.C. 51, 
53 and 55, directs and authorizes the USDA to supervise the various 
activities directly associated with the classification or grading of 
cotton, cotton linters, and cottonseed based on official USDA 
Standards. The Cotton Division of the Agricultural Marketing Service 
carries out this supervision and is responsible for the maintenance of 
the functions to which these forms relate.
    Need and Use of the Information: The Agricultural Marketing Service 
uses the following forms to collect information: Owners of cotton 
submitted Form CN-357 to request cotton classification services. The 
request contains information for USDA to ascertain proper ownership of 
the samples submitted, distribute classification results, and bill for 
services. Information about the origin and handling of the cotton is 
necessary in order to properly evaluate and classify the samples.
    Cottons gins and warehouses seeking to serve as licensed samplers 
submit form CN-246. The license period is five years. Licenses issued 
by the USDA-AMS Cotton Division authorize the warehouse/gin to draw and 
submit samples to insure the proper application of standards in the 
classification of cotton and to prevent deception in their use.
    Form CN-383 is submitted by cotton producers, ginners, 
warehousemen, cooperatives, manufacturers, merchants, and crushers 
interested in acquiring a set of cotton grade and staple standards for 
Upland and Pima cotton.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; 
Individuals or household.
    Number of Respondents: 797.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Annually; other (every 5 yr.).
    Total Burden Hours: 119.

Agricultural Marketing Service

    Title: Cotton Classification and Market News Service.
    OMB Control Number: 0581-0009.
    Summary of Collection: The Cotton Statistics and Estimates Act, 7 
U.S. Code 471-476, authorizes and directs the Secretary of Agriculture 
to collect and publish annually, statistics or estimates concerning the 
grades and staple lengths of stocks of cotton, known as the carryover, 
on hand on the 1st of August each year in warehouses and other 
establishments of every character in the continental U.S; and following 
such publication each year, to publish at intervals, in his/her 
discretion, his/her estimate of the grades and staple length of cotton 
of the then current crop (7 U.S.C. 471). Additionally, Agricultural 
Marketing Service (AMS) collects, authenticates, publishes, and 
distributes timely information of the market supply, demand, location, 
and market prices for cotton (7 U.S.C. 473B).
    Need and Use of the Information: AMD will collect information on 
the quality of cotton in the carryover stocks along with the size or 
volume of the carryover. This information is needed and used by all 
segments of the cotton industry. Growers use this information in making 
decisions relative to marketing their present crop and planning for the 
next one; cotton merchants use the information in marketing decisions; 
and the mills that provide the data also use the combined data in 
planning their future purchase to cover their needs. Importers of U.S. 
cotton use the data in making their plans for purchases of U.S. cotton. 
AMS and other government agencies are users of the compiled 
information.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; 
Individuals or households.
    Number of Respondents: 495.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion; Weekly; Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 226.

Agricultural Marketing Service

    Title: Federal Seed Act Program.
    OMB Control Number: 0581-0026.
    Summary of Collection: The Federal Seed Act (FSA) (7 U.S.C. 1551-
1611) regulates agricultural and vegetable seeds in interstate 
commerce. Agricultural and vegetable seeds shipped in interstate 
commerce are required to be labeled with certain quality information 
such as the name of the seed, the purity, the germination, and the 
noxious-weed seeds of the state into which the seed is being shipped. 
State seed regulatory agencies refer to the Agricultural Marketing 
Service (AMS) complaints involving seed found to be mislabeled and to 
have moved in interstate commerce. AMS investigates the alleged 
violations and if the violation is substantiated, takes regulatory 
action ranging from letters of warning to monetary penalties. AMS will 
collect information from records of each lot of seed and make them 
available for inspection by agents of the Secretary.
    Need and Use of the Information: The information collected consists 
of records pertaining to interstate shipments of seed that have been 
alleged to be in violation of the FSA. The shipper's records pertaining 
to a complaint are examined by FSA program specialists and are used to 
determine if a violation of the FSA occurred. The records are used to 
determine the precautions taken by the shipper to assure that the seed 
was accurately labeled. If this information were not collected, it 
would be impossible to examine pertinent records to resolve complaints 
of violations.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; State. 
Local or Tribal Government; Farms.
    Number of Respondents: 2,997.
    Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 37,215.

Agricultural Marketing Service

    Title: Farmer's Market Questionnaire.
    OMB Control Number: 0581-0169.
    Summary of Collection: The Transportation and Marketing (T&M) 
Program, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) conducts research to find 
better designs, development techniques, and

[[Page 12456]]

operating methods for modern farmer's markets under the Agency's 
Wholesale and Alternative Markets Program. Recommendations are made 
available to local decision-makers interested in constructing modern 
farmer's markets to serve area producers and consumers. Individual 
studies are conducted in close cooperation with local interested 
parties.
    Need and Use of the Information: The information will be collected 
using form TM-6 ``Farmer's Market Questionnaire.'' The form submitted 
for approval will serve as a survey instrument to obtain a clearer 
picture of existing farmer's market structure to provide a basis for 
the future design of modern direct marketing facilities and will 
provide a measure of growth over the last 4 years. T&M researchers will 
survey by mail, with telephone follow-up, the managers of farmer's 
markets identified in the 2000 National Farmer's Market Directory. In 
addition, provision will be made for e-mail reporting. These markets 
represent a varied range of sizes, geographical locations, types, 
ownership, and structure and will provide a valid overview of farmer's 
markets in the United States. Information such as the size of markets, 
operating times and days, retail and wholesale sales, management 
structure, and rules and regulations governing the markets are all 
important questions that need to be answered in the design of a new 
market. The information developed by this survey will support better 
designs, development techniques, and operating methods for modern 
farmers markets and outline improvements that can be applied to 
revitalize existing markets. If this information is not collected, the 
ongoing research to develop new farmer's markets must rely on limited 
and often anecdotal information. This narrow focus will limit the 
ability of researched to provide effective designs and development 
plans for new markets where such information is not immediately 
available.
    Description of Respondents: Not-for-profit institutions.
    Number of Respondents: 2,860.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Biennially.
    Total Burden Hours: 358.

Forest Service

    Title: Residential Fuelwood and Post Assessment, Any State, Year.
    OMB Control Number: 0596-0009.
    Summary of Collection: The Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resource 
Research Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 1600), (as amended by the Energy 
Security Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 8701)) requires the Secretary of 
Agriculture to make and keep current a comprehensive survey and 
analysis of the present and prospective conditions of and requirements 
for renewable resources from forests and rangelands of the United 
States and of the supplies of such resources. Wood was the major source 
of energy for households in the U.S. until the 1880's. Fuelwood use has 
dropped sharply in this century with greater use occurring during the 
Great Depression and World War II. But by 1970, less than 2 percent of 
all households used wood as a primary source or heating fuel. During 
this period of decline, the Forest Service (FS) monitored production of 
wood for household fuel by interviewing rural households to determine 
harvest from farm woodlots. The FS will collect information using a 
survey.
    Need and Use of the Information: FS will collect information to 
determine the level of renewable resources used for fuelwood and fence 
posts by residential households and logging contractors. The 
information will enable land managers to determine what timber to sell 
for use as fuelwood or fence posts, how well the local forested land 
will meet the demand for these timber products, and how to project 
future demands on these renewable natural resources for fuelwood and 
fence posts. Also, the information will be used to determine the types 
of facilities households use to heat their home with wood, such as wood 
burning stoves or fireplaces; the type of land from which the wood will 
be cut; the conditions of the wood that will be cut, that is whether 
the trees will be dead or alive. If the information is not collected, 
FS will not know the quantity of fuelwood and posts produced in 
selected states or the impact of harvesting these products on the 
timber resource.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals or households; Business or 
other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 2,919.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Other (annually but not in each 
State).
    Total Burden Hours: 199.

Forest Service

    Title: Commercial Use of Woodsy Owl Symbol--36 CFR Part 272.
    OMB Control Number: 0596-0087.
    Summary of Collection: The Forest Service National Symbols 
Coordinator will evaluate the data to determine if an individual 
corporation, or organization, requesting a license to use the Woodsy 
Owl symbol commercially shoud be granted a license or, if currently 
licensed to determine the royalty fee the licensed entity must pay to 
the agency based on a percentage of the licensee's total sales and 
whether the licensed entity has met its stated objectives. Part 272 of 
Title 36 CFR authorizes the Chief of the Forest Service to approve 
commercial use of the Woodsy Owl symbol and to collect royalty fees for 
such use. An individual or corporation may apply for a Woodsy Owl 
license by contacting Forest Service personnel by telephone, fax, and 
e-mail or by writing.
    Need and Use of the Information: FS will collect information to 
determine how long the individual, corporation, or organization has 
been in business; the products the individual, corporation, or 
organization sells or plans to see; the geographical location from 
which the products will be sold; the projected sales volume; and how 
the individual, corporation or organization plans to market the 
products. If information is not collected royalty fees would not be 
collected in keeping with federal cash management policies, and 
quantity of merchandise objectives would not be effectively monitored.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 10.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Quarterly.
    Total Burden Hours: 20.

Forest Service

    Title: Public Perceptions of Pacific Northwest National Forest 
System Land Management Practices.
    OMB Control Number: 0596-NEW.
    Summary of Collection: National Forests are managed by 
Congressional mandates with input from citizens. These mandates, like 
the Multiple Use Sustained Acts of 1960 and the National Forest 
Management Act of 1976 and others, require the Forest Service to 
produce plenty of many different resources values. In 1994, the Forest 
Service adopted the Northwest Forest Plan in response to perceptions 
the public had that Forest Service land management practices on 
National Forests in western Washington, western Oregon and northern 
California might have negative impacts on timber resources and threaten 
endangered species, such as the northern spotted owl. Management of 
National Forests, including their appearances, has shaped the way 
people view forest practices. Thus, there is a need to find out how the 
general public perceives forest management practices in order to affect 
management decisions and mitigate controversy. Determining what the 
public views as acceptable and aesthetically pleasing can help balance 
harvest and recreation, and other public needs and expectations. The 
Forest

[[Page 12457]]

Service will collect information using a survey.
    Need and Use of the Information: FS will collect information to 
identify the type and distribution of perceptions of alternative timber 
harvest methods that might be implemented in national forests. The 
information will be used to help the Forest Service gain a better 
understanding of the western Michigan, western Oregon, and northern 
California residents' perceptions of the agency's land management 
practices on the National Forest in these areas. If the information is 
not collected, forestry management, resource, and harvest decisions 
will be made without well-informed regard to current public sentiment 
and expectation.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals or households.
    Number of Respondents: 1,700.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Other (one time).
    Total Burden Hours: 425.

National Agriculture Statistics Service

    Title: Cotton Ginning Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 0535-0220.
    Summary of Collection: Primary function of the National 
Agricultural Statistics Services (NASS) is to prepare and issue state 
and national estimates of crop and livestock production under the 
authority of 7 U.S.C. 2204(a). The Cotton Ginning Survey provides 
statistics concerning cotton ginning for specific dates and geographic 
regions and aids in forecasting cotton production, which is required 
under 7 U.S.C. Section 475.
    Need and Use of the Information: The ginning data collected 
provides (1) all segments of the cotton industry-buyers, brokers, 
crushers, shippers, textile firms, and researchers with exact 
quantities of cotton available at specific geographic locations within 
the U.S. on a regular basis; (2) precise statistics, especially when at 
least 50 percent of the forecasted cotton production has been ginned in 
a state; and (3) final season ginning data that is used to establish 
final production. If the information were collected less frequent, the 
cotton industry would be without county level quantities ginned that 
could seriously affect transportation costs and marketing strategies.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 1,131.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Other (biweekly Sept.-Jan.).
    Total Burden Hours: 1,065.

Nancy B. Sternberg,
Departmental Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 01-4760 Filed 2-26-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-01-M