[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 17, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2265-2266]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-707]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration


Request for Extension and Revision of a Currently Approved 
Information Collection

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

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 
this notice announces the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards 
Administration's (GIPSA) intention to request that the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) approve a 3-year extension of and revision 
to a currently approved information collection of a voluntary customer 
survey concerning the delivery of official inspection, grading, and 
weighing services authorized under the United States Grain Standards 
Act and the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946. This voluntary survey 
gives customers that are primarily in the grain, oilseed, rice, lentil, 
dry pea, edible bean, and related agricultural commodity markets an 
opportunity to provide feedback on the quality of services they receive 
and provides GIPSA with information on new services that customers wish 
to receive. Customer feedback assists GIPSA's Federal Grain Inspection 
Service (FGIS) with enhancing the value of services and service 
delivery provided by the official inspection, grading, and weighing 
system.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before March 19, 2012.

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments on this notice. You may 
submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Internet: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the 
online instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail, hand deliver, or courier: Tess Butler, GIPSA, USDA, 
1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 2530-S, Washington, DC 20250-3604.
     Fax: (202) 690-2173.

Instructions: All comments should be identified as ``FGIS customer 
service survey'' and should reference the date and page number of this 
issue of the Federal Register. Information collection package and other 
documents relating to this action will be available for public 
inspection in the above office during regular business hours. All 
comments will be available for public inspection in the above office 
during regular business hours (7 CFR 1.27(b)). Please call GIPSA's 
Management and Budget Services Staff at (202) 720-7486 to arrange to 
inspect documents.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Idelisse Rodriguez, Program Analyst, 
Office of the Deputy Administrator, email address: 
[email protected], telephone (202) 720-5688.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Congress enacted the United States Grain 
Standards Act (USGSA) (7 U.S.C. 71-87k) and the Agricultural Marketing 
Act (AMA) (7 U.S.C. 1621-1627) to facilitate the marketing of grain, 
oilseeds, pulses, rice, and related commodities. These statutes provide 
for the establishment of standards and terms which accurately and 
consistently measure the quality of grain and related products, provide 
for uniform official inspection and weighing, provide regulatory and 
service responsibilities, and furnish the framework for commodity 
quality improvement incentives to both domestic and foreign buyers. The 
GIPSA's Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) establishes policies, 
guidelines, and regulations to carry out the objectives of the USGSA 
and the AMA. Regulations appear at 7 CFR 800, 801, and 802 for the 
USGSA and 7 CFR 868 for the AMA.
    The USGSA, with few exceptions, requires official inspection of 
export grain sold by grade. Official services are provided, upon 
request, for grain in domestic commerce. The AMA

[[Page 2266]]

authorizes similar inspection and weighing services, upon request, for 
rice, pulses, flour, corn meal, and certain other agricultural 
products. There are approximately 9,000 current users of the official 
inspection, grading, and weighing programs. These customers are located 
nationwide and represent a diverse mixture of small, medium, and large 
producers, merchandisers, processors, exporters, and other financially 
interested parties. These customers request official services from an 
FGIS Field Office; delegated, designated, or cooperating State office; 
or designated private agency office.
    The goal of FGIS and the official inspection, grading, and weighing 
system is to provide timely, high quality, accurate, consistent, and 
professional service that facilitates the orderly marketing of grain 
and related commodities. To accomplish this goal and in accordance with 
Executive Order 12862, FGIS is seeking feedback from a representative 
sample of customers to evaluate the services provided by the official 
inspection, grading, and weighing programs.
    Title: Survey of Customers of the Official Inspection, Grading, and 
Weighing Programs (Grain and Related Commodities).
    OMB Number: 0580-0018.
    Expiration Date of Approval: November 30, 2012.
    Type of Request: Extension and revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Abstract: The collection of information using a voluntary customer 
service survey will provide a representative sample of paying customers 
of FGIS and the official inspection, grading, and weighing services an 
opportunity to evaluate, on a scale of one to five, the timeliness, 
cost-effectiveness, accuracy, consistency, and usefulness of those 
services and results, and the professionalism of employees. Customers 
will also have an opportunity to provide additional comments or 
indicate what new or existing services they would use if such services 
were offered or available.
    FGIS needs to maintain a formal means of determining customers' 
expectations or the quality of official services that are delivered. To 
collect this information, FGIS would continue to distribute, over a 3-
year period, an annual voluntary customer service survey to customers 
requesting official inspection, grading, and weighing services. FGIS 
would survey a statistically random sample of approximately 1100 
customers per year representing the customers' population as a whole. 
The survey instrument would continue to consist of nine questions only; 
subsequent survey instruments would be tailored to earlier responses. 
FGIS would make available to our customers an electronic version of the 
survey. The information collected from the survey would permit FGIS to 
gauge customers' satisfaction with existing services, compare results 
from year to year, and determine what new services customers' desire. 
The customer service survey consists of one document containing 
questions about timeliness, cost effectiveness, accuracy, consistency, 
usefulness of services and results, and the professionalism of 
employees. Some examples of survey questions include the following: ``I 
receive results in a timely manner,'' ``Official results are 
accurate,'' and ``Inspection personnel are knowledgeable.'' These 
survey questions would be assessed using a one to five rating scale 
with responses ranging from ``strongly disagree'' to ``strongly agree'' 
or ``no opinion.'' Customers would also be asked about the products for 
which they primarily request service, and what percentage of their 
product is officially inspected. Customers can also provide additional 
comments or request new or existing services on the survey. Space would 
be added on the revised survey for the customer to provide its email 
address should it wish to receive future surveys electronically.
    By obtaining information from customers through a voluntary 
customer service survey, FGIS believes that it will continue to improve 
services and service delivery of its official inspection, grading, and 
weighing programs that meets or exceeds customer expectations.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 10 minutes (i.e., 0.167 hours) per 
response.
    Respondents: The primary respondents will be a statistically random 
sample of direct paying customers of FGIS and the official inspection, 
grading, and weighing programs.
    FY 2012: Estimated Number of Respondents: 605 (i.e., 1100 total 
customers times 55% response rate = 605).
    Frequency of Responses: 1.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 101 hours. (605 responses times 0.167 
hours/response = 101 hours).
    FY 2013: Estimated Number of Respondents: 616. (i.e., 1100 total 
customers times 56% response rate = 616).
    Frequency of Responses: 1.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 103 hours. (616 responses times 0.167 
hours/response = 103 hours).
    FY 2014: Estimated Number of Respondents: 627 (i.e., 1100 total 
customers times 57% response rate = 627).
    Frequency of Responses: 1.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 105 hours. (627 responses times 0.167 
hours/response = 105 hours).
    As required by the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)) and its 
implementing regulations (5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1)(i)), GIPSA specifically 
requests comments on: (1) 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; (2) the accuracy of GIPSA's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who 
are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public 
record.

J. Dudley Butler,
Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration.
[FR Doc. 2012-707 Filed 1-13-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-EN-P