[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 194 (Friday, October 7, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58662-58663]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-20166]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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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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 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 194 / Friday, October 7, 2005 / 
Notices  

[[Page 58662]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

October 3, 2005.
    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), [email protected] or 
fax (202) 395-5806 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) 720-8958.
    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.

Agricultural Marketing Service

    Title: Dried Prunes Produced in California--Dried Prune Handler 
Compensation Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 0581-0208.
    Summary of Collection: Marketing Orders (Orders) and Agreements 
(Agreements) covering the respective commodities emanate from the 
Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, Secs. 1-19, 48 Stat. 31, 
as amended; 7 U.S.C. 601-674. This regulation, hereinafter referred to 
as the Act, was designed to permit regulation of certain agricultural 
commodities for the purpose of providing orderly marketing conditions 
in interstate commerce and improving returns to producers. The Act 
provides in section 608(d)(1) that information necessary to determine 
the extent to which an order has effectuated the declared policy of the 
Act shall be furnished at the request of the Secretary of Agriculture 
(Secretary). Under the Prune Marketing Order, handlers are compensated 
for such costs as inspection, receiving, storing, grading and 
fumigation of reserve prunes held for the account of the Prune 
Marketing Committee. A formula has been established in the 
administrative rules and regulations that allow the Committee to 
compute the level of handler payments that reflect current industry 
costs. The Committee will obtain current industry costs through surveys 
of dried prune handlers, and average costs will be computed based on 
the number of handlers participating in the survey and the compensation 
rate will be updated based on the survey.
    Need and Use of the Information: When volume regulations are in 
effect, the survey is filled out by handlers on a voluntary basis to 
inform the Prune Marketing Committee of their costs associated with 
inspection, receiving, storing, grading, handling and fumigation, as 
well as other costs.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; farms.
    Number of Respondents: 22.
    Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion; 
Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 6.

Agricultural Marketing Service

    Title: Dried Prunes Produced in California--Prune Dehydrator 
Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 0581-0211.
    Summary of Collection: Marketing Orders (Orders) and Agreements. 
(Agreements) covering the respective commodities emanate from the 
Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, Secs. 1-19, 48 Stat. 31, 
as amended; 7 U.S.C. 601-674. This regulation, hereinafter referred to 
as the Act, was designed to permit regulation of certain agricultural 
commodities for the purpose of providing orderly marketing conditions 
in interstate commerce and improving returns to producers. Under the 
Prune Marketing Order, prune producers may participate in a voluntary 
prune plum diversion program, when a reserve pool is implemented. Under 
this program, prune producers can elect to divert part of their prune 
plum crop from normal prune or prune product markets. Because dry-away 
ratios are the basis for computing the dried weight equivalent of 
diverted fresh prune plums, and those currently established are 
outdated, the Prune Marketing Committee will obtain current dry-away 
ratios through a voluntary survey submitted by commercial prune 
dehydrators, when the program is implemented.
    Need and Use of the Information: The commercial prune dehydrators 
inform the Committee of their annual dry-away ratios for the preceding 
five years by completing this survey. The Prune Marketing Committee 
will use the information to average those ratios and compute a five-
year average dray-away ratio for each producing region, and apply that 
ratio to diverted prune plums in those regions. The information to be 
provided is on a voluntary basis and includes the most recent six years 
of dry-away ratios for each commercial prune dehydrator owned or 
operated, the dehydrator location, the county(ies) where the dehydrator 
receives prunes, and in cases of dehydrators receiving prunes from 
multiple counties, the estimated percentage of production each county 
supplies to the dehydrator.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; farms.
    Number of Respondents: 17.
    Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion; 
annually.

[[Page 58663]]

    Total Burden Hours: 5.

Charlene Parker,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-20166 Filed 10-6-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P