[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 14 (Wednesday, January 22, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3264-3265]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-1462]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 14 / Wednesday, January 22, 1997 / 
Notices  

[[Page 3264]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Commodity Credit Corporation


Notice of Request for Extension and Revision of a Currently 
Approved Information Collection

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces the intention of the Commodity Credit Corporation 
(CCC) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) intent to request extensions 
for and revisions to a currently approved collection of crop and land 
use information in support of programs administered by FSA as 
authorized by the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, as amended by 
the Food Security Act of 1985, and as amended by the Federal 
Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (1996 Act).

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received on or before March 24, 
1997 to be assured consideration.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR COMMENTS: Contact David M. Nix, Agricultural 
Program Specialist, Compliance and Production Adjustment Division, 
USDA, FSA, STOP 0517, P.O. Box 2415, Washington, D.C. 20250-2415, (202) 
690-4091.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Title: Report of Acreage.
    OMB Number: 0560-0004.
    Expiration Date: June 30, 1997.
    Type of Request: Extension and revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Abstract: Crop and acreage information is collected from producers 
to determine eligibility for benefits under a variety of programs 
administered by FSA. Crop and acreage information is collected once for 
each crop during established acreage reporting cycles. This single 
collection supports all FSA requirements. FSA's approach to collecting 
this information is to collect only the information needed to support 
program eligibility and compliance requirements. The majority of the 
information collected is used to support multiple program requirements 
such as the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), 
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), price support loan programs, and 
the Production Flexibility Contract Program in Title 1 of the 1996 Act. 
The 1996 Act changed the requirements of previously approved 
information collections. Specifically, FSA will require acreage data 
collection for farms with Production Flexibility Contracts only if a 
fruit or vegetable was planted for harvest. FSA does not require data 
to be submitted when producers did not plant fruits and vegetables. As 
a result of the 1996 Act, CCC provided instructions to FSA county 
offices on the information collection requirements for those crops that 
need verification of compliance, loan eligibility, or crop loss. As 
directed by CCC, FSA provided producers information through news 
releases, newsletters, radio, television, and public meetings on the 
information required to maintain eligibility for: CRP payments; 
marketing assistance loans; price support loans; and loan deficiency 
payments (LDP); and NAP benefits.
    In contrast, prior to the enactment of the 1996 Act, FSA required 
producers to report acreage information for all program crops. The 1995 
acreage data collected from producers for all programs used the farm 
number, tract number, and optional field number to establish the 
location of the crop. The crop information collected consisted of the 
crop and variety (if applicable), irrigation practice, intended use of 
the crop, crop status, land use code, and planting pattern, for 
applicable crops. Crop acreage, producer identification and producer's 
percent share in the crop were collected to calculate payments based on 
acreage. Additional information was also collected for those crops that 
were eligible for benefits under NAP in those cases where the 
information was not otherwise collected for another purpose. 
Consequently, crop and acreage information needed to support 
eligibility requirements for NAP were not included in the previous OMB 
approval for collecting this information. These requirements are being 
included in this revised information collection package.
    With respect to loan and LDP eligibility for wheat, corn, grain 
sorghum, rice, upland cotton, oats, barley, soybeans, ELS cotton, and 
oilseeds, FSA only requires acreage information from those producers 
requesting such benefits.
    With respect to CRP, the data collected is the acreage enrolled or 
requested to be enrolled for new CRP contracts. The data collected is 
utilized in verification that the farm has correctly maintained the CRP 
acreage and producer identification and percent share is correct.
    Acreage report data is not only used for verifying compliance with 
program provisions in the field offices. Historical and projected 
plantings are also used for the following:
    (1) Supply and demand projections released in the monthly World 
Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates publication, (2) the semi-
annual long-term supply and demand forecasts released in the 
President's Budget and Mid-session Review, (3) analyzing supply, 
demand, outlay, and income impacts of options for implementing CRP 
provisions, (4) analyzing legislative proposals.
    The acreage report data obtained at the farm level is used to 
examine the planting of crops on individual farms and how these 
plantings change in response to prices and farm program provisions. The 
data is also used to forecast plantings on farms with expiring CRP 
contracts.
    The Agency cost estimates are $2.44/per acreage report for data 
collection. Identification of crops on acreage reports allows FSA to 
use 35mm slides for aerial compliance to determine crop acreage. 
Failure to obtain acreage reports would raise the cost of compliance 
per farm because FSA would require additional field visits to identify 
crops.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average .25 hours per response.
    Respondents: Individual producers.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,239,500.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 3.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 309,875 hours.

[[Page 3265]]

    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 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 other technological collection 
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, D.C. 
20503 and to David M. Nix, Agricultural Program Specialist, USDA, Farm 
Service Agency, Compliance and Production Adjustment Division, STOP 
0517, PO Box 2415, Washington, D.C. 20250-2415, (202) 690-4091.

    Signed at Washington, DC, on January 9, 1997.
Grant Buntrock,
Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 97-1462 Filed 1-21-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-05-P