[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 96 (Monday, May 19, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 27216]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-12997]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Farm Service Agency


Notice of Request for Extension of a Currently Approved 
Information Collection

AGENCY: Farm Service Agency, 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 Farm Service Agency's (FSA) intention to request 
an extension for an information collection currently approved for FSA's 
regulation governing management advice to individual borrowers and 
applicants. The regulations concerning this activity are published 
under the authority of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, 
as amended.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received on or before July 18, 
1997 to be assured of consideration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven R. Bazzell, Senior Loan 
Officer, Farm Loan Programs, Loan Making Division, Farm Service Agency, 
Stop 0522, Washington, DC 20250-0522. Telephone (202) 720-3889; e-mail 
[email protected]; or facsimile (202) 690-1117.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Title: Management Advice to Individual Borrowers and Applicants.
    Expiration Date of Approval: August 31, 1997.
    OMB Number: 0560-0154.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Abstract: The information collected under Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) Number 0560-0154, as indicated above, is needed to enable 
FSA to carry out its mission of providing credit counseling and 
supervision to family-size farmers, who are temporarily unable to 
secure commercial credit. FSA provides these direct low cost loans to 
many types of applicants, including beginning and socially 
disadvantaged farmers, farmers recovering from natural disasters, 
farmers adopting sustainable agricultural practices, and farmers 
switching to alternative agricultural enterprises. This regulation 
outlines the process for assessing each applicant or borrower's farming 
operation and using that assessment to develop an individualized credit 
counseling and supervision plan. The type of information collected from 
applicants is usual and customary to a farming operation and primarily 
consists of organizational, production and financial data.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated at 2.26 hours per response.
    Respondents: Individuals or households and farms.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 77,000.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondents: 1.03.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 180,000.
    Comments: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
FSA, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) 
the accuracy of FSA's estimate of the burden of the collection of 
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions; 
(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. Comments may be sent to the Desk Officer for 
Agriculture, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, 
Washington, D.C. 20503, and to Steven R. Bazzell. All responses to this 
notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. 
All comments will also become a matter of public record.

    Signed at Washington, D.C., on May 9, 1997.
Bruce R. Weber,
Acting Administrator, Farm Service Agency.
[FR Doc. 97-12997 Filed 5-16-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8010-01-P