[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 213 (Monday, November 4, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65960-65962]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-26288]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. APHIS-2013-0047]


Enhancing Agricultural Coexistence; Request for Public Input

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: We are informing the public that the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting comments to identify ways to foster 
communication and collaboration among those involved in diverse 
agricultural production systems in order to further agricultural 
coexistence. We are taking this action in response to recommendations 
from the USDA's Advisory Committee on Biotechnology & 21st Century 
Agriculture.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
January 3, 2014.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2013-0047-0001.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2013-0047, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, 
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1238.
    Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may 
be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2013-
0047 or in our reading room, which is located in room 1141 of the USDA 
South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, 
DC. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you, 
please call (202) 799-7039 before coming.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Meghan Klingel, Acting Advisor for 
State and Stakeholder Relations, Office of the Deputy Administrator, 
LPA, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 51, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 
851-4055, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 65961]]

Background

    Agricultural coexistence refers to the concurrent cultivation of 
crops produced through diverse agricultural systems, including 
traditionally produced, organic, identity preserved (IP),\1\ and 
genetically engineered crops. As the complexity and diversity of U.S. 
agriculture increases, so does the importance of managing issues that 
affect agricultural coexistence, such as seed purity, gene flow, post-
harvest mixing, identity testing, and market requirements.
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    \1\ An identity preserved crop is a crop of an assured quality 
in which the identity of the material is maintained from the 
germplasm or breeding stock to the processed product on a retail 
shelf.
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    On November 19, 2012, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) 
Advisory Committee on Biotechnology & 21st Century Agriculture (AC21) 
presented a report \2\ to Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack entitled, 
``Enhancing Coexistence: A Report of the AC21 to the Secretary of 
Agriculture.'' The AC21 report on coexistence made recommendations in 
five major areas regarding agricultural coexistence: (1) Potential 
compensation mechanisms, (2) stewardship, (3) education and outreach, 
(4) research, and (5) seed quality. In the area of education and 
outreach, we are seeking public input regarding the implementation of 
the recommendation that USDA foster communication and collaboration to 
strengthen coexistence. Following the comment period, USDA intends to 
hold a public forum to discuss input provided by commenters and further 
explore ways to implement the recommendations in the AC21 report on 
enhancing coexistence, particularly in the area of education and 
outreach.
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    \2\ To view the report and learn more about the AC21, go to 
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=AC21Main.xml.
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    USDA's goal in seeking comment is to determine how we can best 
foster communication and collaboration among those involved in diverse 
agricultural systems on the topic of coexistence as well as how USDA 
can best communicate and collaborate with those entities. To do this, 
USDA needs to better understand our stakeholders' needs and the 
challenges they face when it comes to communicating and collaborating 
about coexistence. Specific topics for input are discussed below. To 
aid in our evaluation of comments, we request that commenters identify 
which topic number(s) they are addressing in their comment when 
practicable. We also request that commenters indicate where any tools 
or information that they identify in their comment can be obtained.
    1. As we seek improved communication and collaboration among 
agricultural stakeholders, we are interested in identifying information 
needs and exploring successful communication methods.
     When you or members of your organization seek information 
related to coexistence, what type of information are you seeking and 
where do you go to get it? Why?
     What information regarding coexistence, in what format, is 
currently available (printed or electronic brochures, factsheets, blog 
posts, Web sites, discussion forums, etc.)? Is this information useful? 
Why or why not? What additional information, in what format, would be 
useful to you or members of your organization?
     Please indicate your preferences with respect to receiving 
information or communications from USDA. Would you be interested in 
receiving information or communications from non-USDA sources? How 
might you or your organization, as agricultural stakeholders, want to 
be involved in disseminating information?
     Where should USDA focus its efforts to best foster 
communication and collaboration amongst stakeholders? What would best 
facilitate farmer-to-farmer communication and collaboration?
     Please share any examples of and feedback regarding 
successful communication models, including those that have worked well 
for other issues.
    2. As part of USDA's outreach and education efforts, we are 
interested in identifying education needs and exploring the creation of 
``outreach toolkits'' that will encourage communication, planning, and 
crop-specific practices to facilitate successful coexistence.
     What tools and educational services are already available? 
Are these tools and services useful? What tools and educational 
services would be useful to you?
     How might USDA assist farmers to better understand the 
contracts they enter into (e.g., contracts to provide organic products 
and IP products for specialty markets) and their commitments with 
respect to coexistence?
     What geographic information, in what format, is available 
regarding the location of crops that are planted and grown using 
different types of agricultural systems (e.g., pinning maps)? Is the 
information updated regularly? What are stakeholders doing to make this 
type of geographic information more widely available? What can USDA do 
to assist in these efforts?
     Would a decision support system, i.e., a computer-based 
information system that could be used to support data-based, planting-
related decisions, with topics such as when and where to plant, 
suitable isolation distances, and gene flow, be useful? Why or why not? 
If such a decision support system would be useful, what data would be 
needed for the system to be effective?
    3. Farmers and others in the food and feed production chain have an 
important role in collaborating to make coexistence work, particularly 
with reference to stewardship, contracting, and attention to gene flow. 
As we seek to improve collaboration among those involved in diverse 
agricultural systems, we are interested in hearing what practices and 
activities that support collaboration are available or in use and how 
USDA can help make collaboration and coexistence work for everyone 
involved.
     What are factors that might prevent or promote the broad 
adoption of local, voluntary solutions aimed at facilitating 
coexistence?
     Please provide examples of effective coexistence practices 
(e.g., between neighboring farmers or among regional networks of farms) 
and on-farm and off-farm techniques for mitigating the potential 
economic risks from occurrences that affect successful coexistence. How 
might they be made to be more effective?
     What types of coexistence practices could be supported in 
potential joint coexistence plans,\3\ i.e., voluntary written plans 
specifying farming practices (such as farmer-to-farmer communication, 
cropping plans, temporal and physical isolation, and harvesting 
techniques) that can be used to support coexistence and identity-
preserved production? What might an effective, supportable, joint 
coexistence plan look like? How might USDA encourage adoption of joint 
coexistence plans?
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    \3\ The AC21 report (see footnote 2) recommends that USDA 
consider supporting the development of such plans among neighboring 
farmers.
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    4. We also welcome any recommendations regarding collaborative 
meeting formats that would best ensure coexistence issues will be 
frankly and fully explored at the public forum that USDA intends to 
hold following the close of the public comment period.
    Any comments submitted will be available for review as indicated 
under ADDRESSES above. USDA will evaluate

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all the comments received during the comment period. Input provided by 
commenters and ways to implement the recommendations in the AC21 report 
on enhancing coexistence (see footnote 2), particularly in the area of 
education and outreach, will be further explored at a public forum that 
USDA intends to hold following the close of the public comment period. 
The time and place of the public forum will be announced in the Federal 
Register.

    Dated: October 28, 2013.
Thomas J. Vilsack,
Secretary of Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2013-26288 Filed 11-1-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P