[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 86 (Thursday, May 5, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23841-23842]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-8983]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

National Agricultural Statistics Service


Notice of Intent To Seek Approval To Revise and Extend an 
Information Collection

AGENCY: National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. 
L. 104-13) and Office of Management and Budget regulations at 5 CFR 
part 1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29, 1995), this notice announces the 
intention of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to 
seek approval to revise and extend a currently approved information 
collection, the Agricultural Resources Management Survey and Chemical 
Use Surveys.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by July 11, 2005 to be 
assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to Ginny McBride, NASS Clearance 
Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 5336 South Building, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250 or sent electronically to 
[email protected]., or faxed to (202) 720-6396.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carol House, Associate Administrator, 
National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, (202) 720-4333.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Agricultural Resources Management Survey and Chemical Use 
Surveys.
    OMB Control Number: 0535-0218.
    Expiration Date of Approval: August 31, 2007.
    Type of Request: Intent to revise and extend a currently approved 
information collection.
    Abstract: One of the primary objectives of the National 
Agricultural Statistics Service is to provide high quality and timely 
estimates about the nation's food supply and environment. In the 
Agricultural Resources Management Survey, Chemical Use Survey, and 
Post-harvest Chemical Use Survey, data are collected regarding chemical 
uses on field crops, fruit, and vegetable crops; the types and amounts 
of pesticides used on selected commodities after harvest and before 
being shipped to the consumer; and production expenses and income 
sources for farm operations. Information from these data collection 
efforts is used extensively by government agencies in planning, farm 
policy analysis, scientific research, and program administration.
    Data collection will be extended in 2005 to enable side-by-side 
comparison of the characteristics of traditional and organic dairy 
operations. The intent is to rotate the commodity of interest in future 
years to collect a comparable set of objective information on the 
economic, structural, and production characteristics of organic vs 
conventional operations. Organic soybeans will be targeted in 2006.
    NASS intends to request approval to continue a study integrating 
the Agricultural Resources Management Survey (ARMS) with the 
Conservation Effects Assessment Program (CEAP) Survey, OMB Control No. 
0535-0245. An integrated questionnaire will be used to collect data for 
the two surveys sponsored by USDA's Economic Research Service and 
National Agricultural Statistics Service, and National Resources 
Conservation Service, respectively. For 2005 surveys, four States will 
be involved in the study: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Nebraska. The 
ARMS list samples for corn will be reduced allowing for replacement by 
CEAP survey samples planted with corn in 2005. The resulting overlap 
between the two surveys provides multiple-year data to study combining 
ARMS agricultural practices and farm cost and returns data with CEAP 
conservation effects data. Multiple year studies add value by directly 
linking environmental data with farm production practice, resource, 
economic, and farm household characteristics. CEAP-ARMS (1) serves an 
expanded set of interests across a broader set of multiple USDA users, 
(2) reduces respondent burden by eliminating survey overlap, and (3) 
enhances USDA's ability to evaluate the true impacts of conservation 
programs by isolating program incentive impacts from impacts due to 
other farm programs and to non-conservation program factors, such as 
farm household and financial constraints, technology changes, market 
conditions, farm size, and weather conditions (Amber Waves, September 
2004). CEAP-ARMS also allows USDA to maximize the use of its data 
across USDA programs, and thereby, enhance its ability to design and 
implement programs consistent with USDA resource and conservation 
policy goals. CEAP-ARMS will help address such questions as the 
differences in characteristics between conservation program 
participants and non-participants; how producer-based environmental 
stewardship affects program participation; what is its impact on 
program costs and benefits; and how and to what extent should incentive 
structures differ across types of participants, farm size, and 
environmental and conservation policy goals. Integration of the CEAP-
ARMS surveys will be further evaluated by obtaining the unique 
identifier of the Common Land Unit as identified by the Farm Services 
Agency in one State. This additional effort to link environmental data 
with practice, economic, and household characteristics has the 
potential to reduce collection burden by enabling the use of existing 
biophysical information.
    These data will be collected under the authority of 7 U.S.C. 
2204(a). Individually identifiable data collected under this authority 
are governed by Section 1770 of the Food Security Act of 1985, 7 U.S.C. 
2276, which requires USDA to afford strict confidentiality to non-
aggregated data provided by respondents.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 43 minutes.

[[Page 23842]]

    Respondents: Farms, Packers, Shippers, and Warehouses.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 81,000.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 58,000 hours.
    Copies of this information collection and related instructions can 
be obtained without charge from Ginny McBride, NASS Clearance Officer, 
at (202) 720-5778.
    Comments: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 
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 
the burden of the proposed collection of information including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (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 on 
those who are to respond, including use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    All responses to this notice will become a matter of public record 
and be summarized in the request for OMB approval.

    Signed at Washington, DC, March 24, 2005.
Carol House,
Associate Administrator.
[FR Doc. 05-8983 Filed 5-2-05; 2:35 pm]
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