[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 59 (Wednesday, March 26, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15969-15970]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6090]



[[Page 15969]]

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration


Proposed Posting of Stockyards

AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces that 16 facilities now meet the 
definition of a stockyard under the Packers and Stockyards Act and 
therefore we propose to post signs identifying these facilities as 
posted stockyards. The purpose of this notice is to inform stockyard 
owners and the public of the posting status of all these facilities, 
and to provide an opportunity to comment on whether the facilities 
should be posted.

DATES: For the proposed posting of stockyards, we will consider 
comments that we receive by April 10, 2008.

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments on this notice. You may 
submit comments by any of the following methods:
     E-Mail: Send comments via electronic mail to 
[email protected].
     Mail: Send hardcopy written comments to H. Tess Butler, 
GIPSA, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 1633-S, Washington, DC 
20250-3604.
     Fax: Send comments by facsimile transmission to: (202) 
690-2755.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver comments to: H. Tess 
Butler, GIPSA, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 1643-S, 
Washington, DC 20250-3604.
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions for submitting 
comments.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards 
Administration (GIPSA) administers and enforces the Packers and 
Stockyards Act of 1921 (7 U.S.C. 181-229) (P&S Act). The P&S Act 
prohibits unfair, deceptive, and fraudulent practices by livestock 
market agencies, dealers, stockyard owners, meat packers, swine 
contractors, and live poultry dealers in the livestock, poultry, and 
meatpacking industries.
    Section 302 of the P&S Act (7 U.S.C. 202) defines the term 
``stockyard'' as follows:

* * * any place, establishment, or facility commonly known as 
stockyards, conducted, operated, or managed for profit or nonprofit 
as a public market for livestock producers, feeders, market 
agencies, and buyers, consisting of pens, or other inclosures, and 
their appurtenances, in which live cattle, sheep, swine, horses, 
mules, or goats are received, held, or kept for sale or shipment in 
commerce.

    Section 302(b) of the P&S Act requires the Secretary to determine 
which stockyards meet this definition, and to notify the owner of the 
stockyard and the public of that determination by posting a notice in 
each designated stockyard. After giving notice to the stockyard owner 
and to the public, the stockyard will be subject to the provisions of 
Title III of the P&S Act (7 U.S.C. 201-203 and 205-217a) until the 
Secretary deposts the stockyard by public notice. To post a stockyard, 
we assign the stockyard a facility number, notify the owner of the 
stockyard facility, and send an official posting notice to the owner of 
the stockyard to post on display in public areas of the stockyard. The 
entire process is referred to as posting. The date of posting is the 
date on which the posting notices are physically displayed. A facility 
that doesn't meet the definition of stockyard in the P&S Act isn't 
posted and therefore isn't subject to provisions of the Packers and 
Stockyards Act. A posted stockyard can be deposted. We depost a 
stockyard when the facility can no longer be used as a stockyard.
    This document notifies the stockyard owners and the public that the 
following 16 facilities meet the definition of a stockyard and that we, 
therefore, propose to post them. If we do not receive comments about 
these facilities, we expect that they will be posted by DD/MM/YY. If we 
receive comments that these facilities do not meet the definition of a 
stockyard, these facilities may not be posted, or the posting may be 
delayed while we consider the comments.

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                 Facility number                                                        Stockyard name and location
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AL-195..........................................  RS Auctions, Clayton, Alabama.
AL-196..........................................  Clay County Goat & Poultry Auction, Goodwater, Alabama.
AR-180..........................................  King Livestock Goat and Sheep Auction, North Lonoke, Arkansas.
AR-181..........................................  G.P. Rivers d.b.a. Rivers Horse Center, Lewisville, Arkansas.
CO-156..........................................  Western Slope Cattlemen's Livestock Auction, LLC, Loma, Colorado.
GA-231..........................................  Thomas County Stockyards, Inc., Thomasville, Georgia.
MO-288..........................................  CRS Sales LLC, Hughlandville, Missouri.
MS-176..........................................  Cuevas Auction, Picayune, Mississippi.
NY-176..........................................  Howard W. Visscher, Hilltop Dairy Auction, Savannah, New York.
SC-162..........................................  Claxton's Auction Co., LLC, Ruffin, South Carolina.
TN-197..........................................  Jimmy Brown d.b.a. JB Livestock Auction, Gleason, Tennessee.
TN-198..........................................  Wallace P. Mitchell d.b.a. Mitchell's Trade Center & Auctions, Inc., Castalian Springs, Tennessee.
TN-199..........................................  Middle Tennessee Sheep and Goat Sale, LLC, Dickson, Tennessee.
TX-350..........................................  Hereford Livestock Exchange, Hereford, Texas.
VA-163..........................................  Blythe Livestock, LLC, Courtland, Virginia.
WI-150..........................................  Turenne Livestock Market, Thorp, Wisconsin.
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[[Page 15970]]

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 202.

James E. Link,
 Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards 
Administration.
 [FR Doc. E8-6090 Filed 3-25-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-KD-P