[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 6 (Monday, January 11, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 1590]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-474]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service


National Sheep Industry Improvement Center; Notice of Annual 
Board of Directors Meeting

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of annual board meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Board of Directors of the National Sheep Industry 
Improvement Center announces that it will hold its annual Board of 
Directors meeting. The meeting will be held over 2 days in the 
Washington, DC area.

DATES: The meeting dates are:
    1. Februrary 17, 1999, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Arlington, VA.
    2. February 18, 1999, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Washington, DC.

ADDRESSES: The meeting locations are:
    1. Arlington, VA--Holiday Inn Westpark, 1900 N. Ft. Meyer Drive, 
Arlington, VA, Board Room conference room.
    2. Washington, DC--USDA South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, 
SW, Washington, DC, Room 3107.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Stafford, Director, Cooperative 
Marketing Division, Cooperative Services, RBS, USDA, Stop 3252, Room 
4204, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20250-3252, telephone 
(202) 690-0368. (This is not a toll free number.) E-mail: 
[email protected]. The Federal Information Relay service on 1-
800-877-8339 may be used by TDD users.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The February board meeting will serve as the 
National Sheep Industry Improvement Center's annual meeting. Specific 
meeting rooms are subject to last minute changes.

Background

    The sheep and goat industries, the 1996 Farm Bill established the 
National Sheep Industry Improvement Center to assist and strengthen the 
U.S. sheep and goat industries through projects and assistance financed 
through the Center's revolving fund. The Center is managed by a nine 
member, non-compensated board. The Board of Directors may use the 
monies in the fund to make grants, and intermediate and long-term 
loans, contracts, cooperative repayable agreements, or cooperative 
agreements in accordance with an annual strategic plan submitted to the 
Secretary of Agriculture.

Purposes of the Center

    The purposes of the Center are to:
    (1) Promote strategic development activities and collaborative 
efforts by private and State entities to maximize the impact of Federal 
assistance to strengthen and enhance production and marketing of sheep 
or goat products in the United States;
    (2) Optimize the use of available human capital and resources 
within the sheep or goat industries;
    (3) Provide assistance to meet the needs of the sheep or goat 
industry for infrastructure development, business development, 
production, resource development, and market and environmental 
research;
    (4) Advance activities that empower and build the capacity of the 
United States sheep or goat industry to design unique responses to the 
special needs of the sheep or goat industries on both a regional and 
national basis; and
    (5) Adopt flexible and innovative approaches to solving the long-
term needs of the United States sheep and goat industries.

Board Meetings

    Board meetings are open to the public.

    Authority: 7 USC 2008j, Pub.L. 104-130.

    Dated: December 16, 1998.
Dayton J. Watkins,
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
[FR Doc. 99-474 Filed 1-8-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XY-U