[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 85 (Thursday, May 2, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25695-25697]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-10393]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

National Agricultural Statistics Service


Notice of Intent To Seek Approval To Conduct 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, this 
notice announces the intention of the National Agricultural Statistics 
Service (NASS) to seek approval to conduct a new information 
collection, the 2013 Current Agricultural Industrial Reports (CAIR).

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by July 1, 2013 to be 
assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number 0535-
NEW, by any of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include docket number 
above in the subject line of the message.
     Fax: (202) 720-6396.
     Mail: Mail any paper, disk, or CD-ROM submissions to: 
David Hancock, NASS Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
Room 5336 South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 
20250-2024.
     Hand Delivery/Courier: Hand deliver to: David Hancock, 
NASS Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 5336 South 
Building,1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-2024.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Current Agricultural Industrial Reports (CAIR).
    OMB Control Number: 0535--NEW.
    Type of Request: Intent to Seek Approval to Conduct a New 
Information Collection.
    Abstract: The Current Industrial Reports (CIR) program (0607-0476) 
was conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau previously. It was discontinued 
on April 30, 2012. The previous approval was for 47 different surveys. 
These previous industrial reports included a wide range of surveys that 
included commodities from the following commodity groups: agriculture, 
aerospace, appliances, pharmaceuticals, textiles and many more. NASS is 
requesting the authority to reinstate eight data collection instruments 
previously used by the Census Bureau. Data from these instruments will 
be used to generate four separate publications. The data from these 
surveys will supply data users with important information on the 
utilization of many of the crops, livestock, and poultry produced in 
the United States. NASS currently collects crop data on acres planted 
and harvested, production, price and stocks for these crops (grains, 
oilseeds, cotton, nuts, olives, etc.), along with livestock data on the 
number of animals and poultry produced, slaughtered, prices, and the 
amount of meat kept in cold storage. This new data series will provide 
data users with vital information on how much of these commodities were 
processed into fuels, cooking oils, flour, fabric, etc. These data are 
needed to provide a more complete picture of the importance of 
agriculture to the American population.
    In order to develop a complete and comprehensive list of 
operations, NASS will also conduct an Operation Profile at the 
beginning of the survey process. This profile will be used to identify 
operations that do not meet the criteria to be included in this group 
of surveys also to serve as a training tool. If warranted the profile 
can be repeated on an annual basis, or used selectively to train new 
respondents. The training that will be provided is designed to help 
insure consistent, accurate, and complete data reported on a monthly 
basis. The remaining eight different data collections will be conducted 
monthly of all known operations. These surveys will be conducted as a 
part of the Census of Agriculture and are mandatory as defined under 
Title 7, Sec. 2204(g).

[[Page 25696]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN02MY13.008

    Primary users of these data include government and regulatory 
agencies, business firms, trade associations, and private research and 
consulting organizations. The USDA World Agricultural Outlook Board 
(WAOB) uses the data in many of their indexes. The Bureau of Economic 
Analysis (BEA) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) use the data in 
the estimation of components of gross domestic product (GDP) and the 
estimate of output for productivity analysis, respectively. Many 
government agencies, such as the Department of Agriculture, Food and 
Drug Administration, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and International 
Trade Administration use the data for industrial analysis, projections, 
and monitoring import penetration.
    NASS proposes to make several changes to the previously approved 
questionnaires.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
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M311H--Animal and Vegetable Fats and      Remove tung, caster,
 Oils (Warehouse Stocks).                 vegetable foots, sperm, fish
                                          oil, glycerin, tall and fatty
                                          acids oils.
                                          Add olive oil.
M311L--Fats and Oils...................   Remove inedible tallow
                                          and yellow grease direct
                                          shipments to livestock feed
                                          mixers.
M311M--Animal and Vegetable Fats and      Aggregate consumed in
 Oils (Consumption and Stocks).           soap, paint, animal feeds,
                                          methyl esters, resins, and
                                          lubricants to a classification
                                          ``Total Inedible Use.'' This
                                          will be done for all oils in
                                          the questionnaire.
                                          Remove tung, fish, and
                                          tall oils.
M311N--Animal and Vegetable Fats and      Aggregate consumed in
 Oils (Production, Consumption, and       soap, paint, animal feeds,
 Stocks).                                 methyl esters, resins, and
                                          lubricants to a classification
                                          ``Total Inedible Use.'' This
                                          will be done for all oils in
                                          the questionnaire.
M311C--Corn (Wet and Dry Mill Producers   Create separate
 of Ethanol).                             questionnaires for dry mill
                                          producers and wet mill
                                          producers.
                                          Add feed grade corn
                                          oil, industrial grade corn
                                          oil, HFCS 42, HFCS 55, glucose
                                          & dextrose, and steepwater
                                          (liquor) to a wet mill
                                          producer questionnaire.
M311J--Oilseeds, Beans, and Nuts          Remove lecithin
 (Primary Processors).                    produced, stocks of beans, and
                                          stocks of crude oil.
                                          Remove seeds received
                                          at mill, hulls produced,
                                          linters produced (first,
                                          second cut, and mill run),
                                          stocks of crude oil, hulls,
                                          linters (first, second cut,
                                          and mill run).
                                          Remove flaxseed seeds
                                          crushed, stocks of seed, and
                                          stocks of crude oil.
                                          Remove nuts crushed,
                                          crude oil produced, cake and
                                          meal produced, stocks, crude
                                          oil, cake and meal stocks for
                                          peanuts, tung nut, copra, and
                                          caster beans.
                                          Add olives crushed for
                                          oil and crude oil produced.
M313P--Cotton, Manmade Fiber, Staple,     Remove staple length
 and Raw Linters (Consumption and         classification for American
 Stocks, and Spindle Activity).           Upland domestic raw cotton
                                          consumed.
                                          Remove consumption of
                                          foreign upland cotton cleared
                                          by the Customs Bureau.

[[Page 25697]]

 
                                          Remove foreign cotton
                                          awaiting opening of quota or
                                          held in a customs bonded
                                          warehouse for export stocks.
                                          Remove nylon staple
                                          consumption and stocks.
                                          Remove acrylic staple
                                          consumption and stocks.
                                          Remove all spindle
                                          numbers and hours of
                                          operation.
MQ311A--Flour Milling Products            Break out ``all wheat
 (Production, Stocks, and Capacity).      including durum'' flour
                                          milling questions for the
                                          following classes: hard red
                                          winter, hard red spring, soft
                                          red winter, white, and durum.
M311C--Corn (Wet and Dry Mill Producers   Create separate
 of Ethanol).                             questionnaires for dry mill
                                          producers and wet mill
                                          producers.
                                          Add feed grade corn
                                          oil, industrial grade corn
                                          oil, HFCS 42, HFCS 55, glucose
                                          & dextrose, and steepwater
                                          (liquor) to a wet mill
                                          producer questionnaire.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The National Agricultural Statistics Service will use the 
information collected only for statistical purposes and will publish 
the data only as tabulated totals.

    Authority: The census of agriculture and subsequent follow-on 
censuses are required by law under the ``Census of Agriculture Act 
of 1997,'' 7 U.S.C. 2204(g). Individually identifiable data 
collected under this authority are governed by Section 1770 of the 
Food Security Act of 1985 as amended, 7 U.S.C. 2276, which requires 
USDA to afford strict confidentiality to non-aggregated data 
provided by respondents. This Notice is submitted 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.

    NASS also complies with OMB Implementation Guidance, 
``Implementation Guidance for Title V of the E-Government Act, 
Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 
2002 (CIPSEA),'' Federal Register, Vol. 72, No. 115, June 15, 2007, p. 
33362.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 10-85 minutes per response. 
Publicity materials and instruction sheets will account for about 30 
minutes of additional burden per respondent, annually. Respondents who 
refuse to complete the survey will be allotted 2 minutes of burden per 
attempt to collect the data.
    Respondents: The target population will consist of managers of 
processing facilities that produce oils and fats from animals, grains, 
oilseeds, nuts, tree fruits or vegetables; or operations that are 
involved in the storing, rendering, or marketing of these products. 
Managers of ethanol plants, cotton gins, and flour mills will also be 
included in the target population for this group of surveys.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,650.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 14,000 hours.
    Copies of this information collection and related instructions can 
be obtained without charge from NASS Clearance Officer, at (202) 720-
2248.
    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 through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, technological or other forms of 
information technology collection methods.
    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, April 12, 2013.
Joseph T. Reilly,
Associate Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2013-10393 Filed 5-1-13; 8:45 am]
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