[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 234 (Wednesday, December 6, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70735-70738]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-20696]



[[Page 70735]]

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Commodity Credit Corporation


2005 Louisiana Sugarcane Hurricane Disaster Assistance Program

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice implements section 3011 of the Emergency 
Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2006 (2006 Act) which 
authorizes the 2005 Louisiana Sugarcane Hurricane Disaster Assistance 
Program (2005 Program). The 2005 Program requires the Commodity Credit 
Corporation (CCC) to provide compensation totaling $40 million to 
Louisiana sugarcane producers and processors who suffered economic 
losses from the cumulative effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 
August and September of 2005. CCC will make $29 million in payments for 
2005-crop (Fiscal Year 2006) losses to affected sugarcane processors, 
who shall share these payments with affected producers in a manner 
reflecting current contracts between the two parties. In addition, CCC 
will make payments of $10 million to compensate affected sugarcane 
producers for losses that are suffered only by producers, including 
losses due to saltwater flooding, wind damage, or increased planting, 
replanting, or harvesting costs. The funds for ``producer-only losses'' 
will be paid to processors, who will then disburse payments to affected 
producers without regard to contractual arrangements for dividing sugar 
revenue. CCC is reserving $1 million in the event of appeals and will 
disburse the residual, if any, to processors, who will then disburse 
payments to producers in a manner reflecting current contracts between 
the two parties. This notice provides eligibility criteria and 
application procedures that will be used to conduct this program.

DATES: The dates applicable to the 2005 Sugarcane Hurricane Disaster 
Assistance Program are as follows:
    (1) Eligible producers who did not select a base year under the 
2003 Hurricane Assistance Program (2003 Program) have until December 
21, 2006 to select a base year (1999, 2000 or 2001) to calculate their 
2005-crop sugar loss.
    (2) Farm operators have until January 22, 2007, to certify 
ownership tract sugar losses and producer-only losses on their farms.
    (3) Sugarcane processor applications for loss compensation must be 
submitted no later than February 5, 2007.
    (4) Payments will be issued to applicants meeting all eligibility 
requirements beginning February 20, 2007 or as the Louisiana Farm 
Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director determines.
    (5) Producers must be paid by their processors within 15 days of 
the date the initial payments were made to the applicants.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Fecso, Dairy and Sweeteners 
Group, USDA/FSA/EPAS, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., STOP 0516, 
Washington, DC 20250-0516; telephone (202) 720-4146; facsimile (202) 
690-1480; electronic mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Environmental Compliance

    The potential impacts of this notice on the human environment have 
been considered in accordance with the provisions of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., 
regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR parts 1500-
1508), and FSA's regulations for NEPA compliance, 7 CFR part 799. This 
notice does not constitute a major Federal action significantly 
affecting the quality of the human environment because the actions 
involved solely provide financial assistance with no site-specific or 
ground disturbing actions occurring as an immediate result of 
implementing this program.
    Section 217(b) of Title II of Division N of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Resolution, 2003 (Public Law 108-7) (2003 Act) requires 
that this notice be promulgated and the programs administered without 
regard to 44 U.S.C. 35, the Paperwork Reduction Act. Thus, information 
to be collected from the public to implement this program and the 
associated burden, in time and money, the information collection will 
have on the public do not need Office of Management and Budget approval 
and are not subject to the 60-day public comment period 5 CFR 
1320.8(d)(1) requires.

Background

    This notice implements the 2005 Louisiana Sugarcane Hurricane 
Disaster Assistance Program which is intended to partially compensate 
Louisiana sugarcane producers and processors for losses related to the 
natural disaster declaration resulting from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita 
in August and September, 2005. Section 3011(b) of the 2006 Act requires 
CCC to assist Louisiana sugarcane producers and processors by providing 
payments totaling $40 million from CCC funds.
    The portion of the 2005 Program for distributing $29 million of the 
$40 million is similar to the 2003 Program for Louisiana, which 
compensated Louisiana sugarcane growers and processors for the sugar 
lost from the crop due to tropical storm and hurricane events in 2002. 
The producer's base sugar yield per acre for measuring sugar loss is 
required to be the base yield used in the 2003 program. CCC is required 
to make the payments for estimated sugar loss to sugarcane processors, 
who will then share the payment with producers that deliver sugarcane 
to their mills according to the producer/processor contract, as in the 
2003 Program. Louisiana processors normally share the revenue from the 
sale of sugar and molasses, after deducting marketing costs, with their 
producers, with about 60 percent of the net revenue distributed to 
producers. Thus, processors are expected to retain about 40 percent of 
CCC's payments for sugar loss.
    However, unlike the 2003 Program, the 2005 Program also compensates 
for damages strictly borne by producers. The payments for these 
producer-only losses will not be split with the processor. CCC has 
determined that it will measure the producer-only losses as (1) lost 
plant or stubble cane acreage, requiring replanting, due to saltwater 
flooding, (2) damaged cane acreage due to flooding saltwater intrusion, 
and (3) additional harvest costs due to wind damaged fields. When 
hurricane flood waters surged over the Louisiana sugarcane region, 
approximately 3,500 acres of freshly planted cane and stubble cane were 
destroyed because they either did not germinate or were uprooted. In 
addition, saltwater severely damaged the soil on roughly 35,000 acres 
of the sugarcane cropland, which is expected to result in reduced 
production on these acres for the 2006 crop. Further, hurricane winds 
lodged sugarcane on all approximate 422,000 harvested acres, which 
dramatically slowed harvesting speed and increased fuel costs. Losses 
for the destruction of plant and stubble sugarcane, saltwater flood-
damaged sugarcane, and increased harvesting costs are not compensated 
under existing programs such as the Emergency Conservation Program, 
federal crop insurance, or the Hurricane Indemnity Program.
    CCC has determined that it will allocate the $40 million among the 
different damage types with a higher proportion of reimbursement for 
the

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damages that are deemed to have the greatest impact on operation 
viability. Because the $10 million in producer-only losses were deemed 
to have a greater impact on sugarcane operation viability, these will 
be reimbursed at a higher rate.
    The total destruction of plant or stubble cane by the saltwater 
flooding is strictly borne by the producer and will have a 
reimbursement rate of 65 percent, the general agriculture disaster 
maximum, or $366 per acre. The per-acre compensation for destroyed 
sugarcane acres (lost plant and stubble cane) within the storm surge 
flooded region is derived from the simple average of prorated billet 
planting costs of $835 per acre for plant cane, $598 per acre for first 
year stubble and $260 per year for second year stubble.
    The next most damaging impacts of the storms, also borne only by 
the producer, were determined to be the damage to standing cane by 
saltwater flooding and increased harvest expenditures due to wind 
damage. CCC will reimburse 34 percent of flooded cane damages, or $100 
per acre, as estimated by Louisiana State University (LSU). The payment 
will partially compensate for increased insecticide application 
(estimated at $100 per acre) and the producer's share of the 2006-crop 
yield loss due to elevated soil salt content on an estimated 35,000 
acres (estimated by LSU at $194.04 per acre). CCC will reimburse 
harvest costs at $12 per acre, or 47 percent of the estimated average 
increase in harvesting costs, $25.44 per acre.
    CCC will only reimburse sugar yield loss for the 2005-crop at 19 
percent of estimated total losses, using 1999 sugar yield as the base 
to calculate this loss percentage. This damage, while significant, was 
determined less likely to affect the operational viability of Louisiana 
sugarcane producers. To further target the $29 million in assistance to 
producers and processors with significant losses, only ownership tracts 
with losses greater than 20 percent will be eligible. This will result 
in an expected payment per eligible pound of sugar loss of 21 cents per 
pound.
    These reimbursement rates result in a split of $29 million between 
producers (for the sugar yield losses) and processors (for lost 
throughput), and $10 million for producer-only losses. $1 million will 
be held in reserve in the event of program appeals. This is the maximum 
limit for appeals. Any reserve funds remaining after the appeal process 
has been satisfied will be paid to processors, who will then share 
these payments with producers according to their contractual 
arrangements. Based on the experience with the 2003 Program, CCC 
expects less than 2 percent of the $29 million, or $580,000, to be 
spent on sugar-loss appeals, leaving an estimated $420,000 of the 
reserve for producer-only loss appeals.
    As in the 2003 Program, this notice requires evidence of an 
ownership tract 2005-crop sugar percentage loss equal to or greater 
than 20 percent relative to the chosen base year (1999, 2000, 2001). 
Compensation will only be paid on the portion of losses exceeding this 
threshold. Acres of sugarcane and plant cane lost or destroyed, 
including cane abandoned, prior to August 29, 2005 are not covered. 
This percent loss, coupled with estimated economic losses from 
increased billet planting costs, increased hauling costs, mill cane 
used for seedcane and increased milling costs results in an implicit 
required loss of 35 percent, the traditional agricultural loss required 
for Federal assistance.

2005 Louisiana Sugarcane Hurricane Disaster Assistance Program (2005 
Program)

I. Applicability

    This notice sets forth terms and conditions under which CCC will 
make payments to eligible Louisiana sugarcane processors and producers 
for 2005-crop (Fiscal Year 2006) hurricane-related sugarcane losses.

II. Definitions

    Commercially Recoverable Sugar (CRS) Final Settlement Payment 
Pounds. Equals the product of the actual weight and actual polarity of 
sugar made divided by 96.
    Farm. The acreage identified under one FSA Farm Serial Number.
    Farm Operator. An individual, entity or joint operation which is 
determined by the FSA County Committee to be in general control of the 
farming operation on all ownership tracts of a farm during the program 
year.
    FSA. The Farm Service Agency.
    Ownership Tract. A subset of the acreage of a farm associated with 
a separate ownership interest.
    Producer. An owner, operator, landlord, or tenant who receives a 
payment or shares in the payment a sugarcane processor makes for 
delivery of sugarcane.
    Split Shippers. Farm operators who deliver their harvested cane to 
more than one sugarcane processor during a given crop year.
    Sugarcane Processor. A person or entity that produces raw cane 
sugar by commercially processing sugarcane and has an allocation under 
the sugar marketing allotment program. The sugarcane processor is the 
2005 Program applicant.

III. Applicant Eligibility Requirements

    Applicants must meet all the following requirements to be eligible 
for payments under the 2005 Program:
    (1) Be a sugarcane processor located in Louisiana.
    (2) Be eligible to obtain a loan under section 156(a) of the 
Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 
7272(a)).
    (3) Submit the application according to the requirements and 
deadlines of this notice.

IV. Aggregate Amount of Assistance

    Total compensation shall equal $40 million.

V. 2005-Crop Sugar Loss

    (1) Loss will be measured for each ownership tract by the following 
formula: Loss = [(sugar per acre (base year); not to exceed 12,000 
lbs.) minus sugar per acre (2005 crop)] x ownership tract acres in 
2005.
    (2) The base year for figuring losses will be the year elected by 
the farm operator under the 2003 Hurricane Assistance Program (2003 
Program).
    (A) Exceptions:
    (i) If the farm operator did not select a base year for the 2003 
Program, he must select either 1999, 2000 or 2001.
    (ii) If a new entity was formed and 50 percent or more of the 
members were individuals or members of the previous operation, the new 
farm operator will use the previously selected base year. If more than 
1 member of the new entity had a base year yield, these yields will be 
weighted for computation of the new base year yield.
    (iii) If a person assumes the operation of an ownership tract from 
a family member, the new farm operator will use the base year 
previously selected by his family member. A family member is defined as 
``an individual to whom another member in the farming operation is 
related as lineal ancestor, lineal descendant, or sibling, including 
spouses of those family members who do not make a significant 
contribution to the farming operation themselves. The term `family 
member' shall include: Great grandparent; grandparent; parent; child, 
including legally adopted children; grandchild; great grandchild; 
sibling of the family members in the farming operation; spouse of 
family members, if the family member does not make a significant 
contribution of active personal labor or active personal management to 
the farming operation as an individual''.

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    (B) Producers have until December 21, 2006 to select a base year.
    (C) Ownership tract acreage must have been FSA-certified for the 
production of sugar or seed in 2005 to be eligible for disaster 
reimbursement.
    (D) The same base year will be used for all ownership tracts with 
the same farm operator. If some ownership tracts (cannot be ALL 
ownership tracts) had no production in the base year, the State yield 
will be used.
    (E) Ownership tracts with production in the base year and no FSA-
certified acres will require the farm operator to:
    (i) Pick a different base year; or
    (ii) Make this ownership tract ineligible for disaster benefits.
    (F) Ownership tracts with FSA-certified acreage and no production 
in the base year will require the farm operator to:
    (i) Pick a different base year; or
    (ii) Make this ownership tract ineligible for disaster benefits.
    (3) Sugar per acre for each ownership tract is calculated as:
    (A) The CRS Final Settlement Payment Pounds from sugarcane 
processor records for the applicable year divided by
    (B) The ownership tract's total cane acres identified in the FSA 
Certified Acreage Report for the same year.
    (4) The 1999 average state yield will be applied to any eligible 
ownership tract that produced sugarcane in the 2005 crop year but did 
not have production history in 1999, 2000 or 2001, other than the 
exceptions in paragraphs V(A)(2)(ii) and (iii) above.
    (5) In the case of split-shippers, total FSA-certified acres will 
be prorated to each mill based on pounds of sugar each mill produced. 
For mills that did not identify sugar produced by ownership tract at 
time of delivery, the total production will be prorated to each 
ownership tract based on total FSA-certified acres.
    (6) Farm operators have until January 22, 2007 to certify ownership 
tract sugar losses on their farms.
    (7) Applicants must submit a CCC-prescribed form certifying the 
sugarcane processor's crop loss and producer-only loss calculations to 
CCC, no later than February 5, 2007.
    (A) No late-filed applications will be accepted.
    (B) All eligible farm operators must certify the loss calculations 
included in the application.

VI. Eligible 2005-Crop Ownership Tract Sugar Losses

    (1) Ownership tract sugar losses are eligible if the ownership 
tract's 2005-crop sugar percentage loss is equal to or greater than 20 
percent.
    (2) The 2005-crop sugar percentage loss for an ownership tract is 
defined as: [1-(sugar per acre (2005-crop)/sugar per acre (base year))] 
x 100.
    The eligible ownership tract sugar losses are defined as losses 
equal to 20 percent or greater.

VII. Producer Only Loss eligibility

    (1) Plant or stubble loss acreage: Eligible acres will be those 
acres suffering complete destruction of 2006-crop stubble or 2006-crop 
plant cane caused by the result of saltwater flooding due to tidal 
surge included in the acreage delineated on maps provided by LSU. Acres 
of sugarcane and plant cane lost or destroyed, including cane 
abandoned, prior to August 29, 2005 are not eligible for payment under 
this portion of the program. Acreage destroyed and/or reported as 
failed (planted but not harvested) to FSA after July 15, 2006, (FSA's 
final acreage reporting date) will not be eligible for payment under 
this portion of the program.
    (2) Saltwater intrusion acreage: Eligible acres will be those acres 
damaged as a result of saltwater intrusion due to tidal surge as 
included in the acreage delineated on maps provided by LSU, excluding 
any acreage qualifying for payment under VII(1).
    (3) Wind damage and additional harvest cost acreage: Eligible 2005-
crop acres will be those acres harvested for sugarcane as reported to 
FSA in 2005.

VIII. Payment Calculations

    (1) 2005-crop sugar loss: An applicant's payment will equal the 
total eligible ownership tract sugar losses for its producers divided 
by the sum of the total eligible tract sugar losses for all sugarcane 
processors in Louisiana multiplied by the $29 million allocated for 
crop losses. If the computed total of all 2005-crop eligible ownership 
tract sugar losses across all eligible sugarcane processors is less 
than $29 million, a factor will be applied to make this total exactly 
$29 million.
    (2) Producer-only losses.
    (a) Plant or stubble loss acreage: $366 per acre.
    (b) Saltwater intrusion acreage: $100 per acre.
    (c) Wind damage and additional harvest cost: $12 per acre, except
    (i) If payments (a) plus (b) plus (c) above exceed $10 million in 
aggregate, the harvest cost payment will be reduced by the overage, and
    (ii) If payments under (a) and (b) plus (c) are less than $10 
million in aggregate, the harvest cost payment will be increased by the 
underage.

IX. Reserve

    A reserve of $1 million will be held pending the resolution of 
appeals provided in section XV, below. The residual, if any, after 
appeal payments will be distributed to sugarcane processors, to be 
shared with producers as in X(1) below.

X. Payments to Affected Producers

    (1) Crop loss: Applicants must share their sugar loss payments with 
affected producers according to the percentage shares for dividing net 
revenue as stated in their 2005 farm processor/producer contracts that 
govern the delivery of sugarcane.
    (2) Payments must be made to producers within 15 days of the date 
initial payments were made to applicants.
    (3) Producers receiving mill payments are responsible for sharing 
payments with landowners according to their lease arrangements.

XI. Contract Liability

    All sugarcane processors and associated farm operators receiving a 
share of the total hurricane assistance payment are jointly and 
severally liable for program violations and resulting repayments, if 
applicable.

XII. Misrepresentation, Scheme, or Device

    A person shall be ineligible to receive assistance under this 
notice and be subject to such other remedies as law may allow if the 
FSA State or county committee, or any other FSA official with authority 
to do so, determines that such person has:
    (1) Adopted a scheme or other device that tends to defeat the 
purpose of the program operated under this notice,
    (2) Made any fraudulent representation regarding this program, or
    (3) Misrepresented any fact affecting a program determination.

XIII. Creditor Liens and Claims; and CCC Offsets and Withholdings

    (1) Any benefit or portion thereof due any person under this 
program shall be allowed without regard to questions of title under 
State law and without regard to any claim or lien in favor of any 
person, except agencies of the U.S. Government.
    (2) CCC may offset or withhold any amount due CCC in accordance 
with the provisions of the regulations at 7 CFR part 1403 or successor 
regulations as designated by the Department.

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XIV. Administration

    When circumstances beyond the applicant's control preclude 
compliance, the county committee may request the Louisiana FSA State 
Executive Director to grant relief. In such cases, except for statutory 
requirements, the Louisiana FSA State Executive Director may, in order 
to more equitably accomplish this notice's goals, waive or modify 
deadlines if the failure to meet such deadlines does not adversely 
affect program operation. All program payments will be subject to 
review.

XV. Appeals

    Regulations at 7 CFR part 11 apply to this notice. CCC is not 
involved in resolving disputes between processors and producers.

    Signed at Washington, DC on October 31, 2006.
Teresa C. Lasseter,
Executive Vice-President, Commodity Credit Corporation.
 [FR Doc. E6-20696 Filed 12-5-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-05-P