[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 78 (Monday, April 23, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17642-17643]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-08387]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

National Agricultural Statistics Service


Public Notice of Non-Response Follow-Up for the 2017 Census of 
Agriculture

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 adjust the non-response follow-up methodology for the 
2017 Census of Agriculture.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by May 7, 2018 to be 
assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number 0535-
0226, by any of the following methods:

[[Page 17643]]

     Email: [email protected]. Include docket number 
above in the subject line of the message.
     E-fax: (855) 838-6382.
     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: Kevin L. Barnes, Associate 
Administrator, National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, (202)720-2707. Copies of this information 
collection and related instructions can be obtained without charge from 
David Hancock, NASS--OMB Clearance Officer, at (202) 690-2388 or at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: The 2017 Census of Agriculture.
    OMB Control Number: 0535-0226.
    Expiration Date of Previous Approval: October 31, 2019.
    Type of Request: Notice and request for comment on non-response 
follow-up for the 2017 Census of Agriculture.
    Abstract: The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is 
currently conducting the 2017 Census of Agriculture. The Census of 
Agriculture provides the only basis of consistent, comparable farm data 
for each county, county equivalent, and State in the United States. A 
farm is any place that produced and sold, or normally would produce and 
sell, $1,000 or more of agricultural products during the census 
reference year.
    The Census of Agriculture is required by law under the ``Census of 
Agriculture Act of 1997,'' Public Law 105-113, 7 U.S.C. 2204(g).
    The original due date for reporting to the 2017 Census of 
Agriculture was February 5, 2018. Despite receiving up to three paper 
questionnaires in the mail and being provided opportunities to report 
on the web, NASS has not received responses from over one-third of the 
initial Census of Agriculture mail list. Low response rates threaten 
the quality of the results and the usefulness of the information 
collected. To ensure proper representation of various geographic areas 
and sub-populations in the results, NASS will begin contacting non-
respondents by using both telephone and in-person interviews. NASS will 
also make an additional contact to non-respondents via mail to 
encourage response either by mail or on the web. Due to budget and time 
limitations, contacting all non-respondents for interviews is not 
possible; therefore, NASS will randomly select respondents for 
increased efforts to obtain responses, prioritizing certain geographic 
areas and sub-populations. This involves a modification of the non-
response follow-up procedures identified in the original supporting 
statements NASS submitted for this information collection (OMB Control 
Number 0535-0226).
    NASS will use historical data to prioritize which non-respondents 
to contact. Priority will be given to non-respondents: In low-response 
counties; those believed to produce commodities with low-coverage in 
past censuses of agriculture; those believed to produce commodities or 
perform production practices NASS will target in future Census of 
Agriculture follow-on studies; or those believed to be members of 
minority groups, which are also known to have lower coverage in 
previous censuses of agriculture. Priority will also be given to those 
with a higher response likelihood based on previous contact for NASS 
censuses and surveys.
    NASS will use well-established statistical weighting and 
calibration techniques to ensure the results from the 2017 Census of 
Agriculture properly represent the intended population of inference.
    Individually identifiable information collected by the Census of 
Agriculture is 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, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) 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. The law guarantees 
farm operators' individual information will be kept confidential. NASS 
uses the information only for statistical purposes and publishes only 
tabulated total data.
    Comments: Comments are invited on NASS's follow-up process for 2017 
Census of Agriculture non-respondents.
    All responses to this notice will become a matter of public record.

    Signed at Washington, DC, April 9, 2018.
Kevin L. Barnes,
Associate Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2018-08387 Filed 4-20-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-20-P