[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 145 (Monday, July 29, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36567-36568]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-15996]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Farm Service Agency


Stakeholder Listening Sessions on Heirs' Property

AGENCY: Farm Service Agency, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is hosting two listening 
sessions for public input about the heirs' property relending program 
and heirs' property issues for landowners or farm operators providing 
proper documentation as the owner of the farm or land in order to 
obtain a farm number to be eligible for the FSA programs, as required 
by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill). FSA is 
interested in your input and comments in resolving ownership and 
succession on farmland and undivided interest that has multiple owners. 
We invite you to participate in the listening session. The listening 
session is open to the public.

DATES: 
    Listening session: July 31, 2019, in Jackson, Mississippi beginning 
at 1:30 p.m. Central Standard Time; and August 14, 2019, in Washington, 
DC beginning at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
    Registration: You must register by July 26, 2019, to attend the 
listening session in Jackson, Mississippi; and by August 9, 2019, in 
Washington, DC. You are encouraged to provide written comments prior to 
the listening session.
    Oral comments (in writing): Submit your written comments by July 
26, 2019 for Jackson, Mississippi attendances; and August 9, 2019 for 
Washington, DC attendances at www.regulations.gov.
    Comments: For those orally presenting comments at the listening 
session, written comments are encouraged by July 26, 2019, for Jackson, 
Mississippi attendees and by August 9, 2019, for Washington, DC 
attendees.
    Additional written comments will be accepted through August 31, 
2019.

ADDRESSES: 
    Listening session: The meetings will be held at two locations:
    a. Jackson, Mississippi: In the Farm Bureau Auditorium of the MS 
FSA State Office at 6311 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS 39211. Entry to 
the Farm Bureau Building is through the gates to the Main Visitor 
Entrance; visitor sign in is required.
    b. Washington, DC: In Room 107-A of the Whitten Building at 1400 
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250. Entry to the Whitten 
Building for the listening session is through the front building 
entrance on Jefferson Drive; valid photo identification is required.
    Registration: To register, click the registration link on https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/outreach-and-education/meeting-registration/index and follow the instructions.
    Comments: We invite you to submit comments on this notice. In your 
comments, include the date, volume, and page number of this issue of 
the Federal Register, and the title of the notice.
    You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID FSA-2019-0010. Follow the 
online instructions for submitting comments.
     You may submit your written comments at the listening 
session.
    All written comments received will be publicly available on 
www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: J. Latrice Hill, phone (202) 690-1700 
or email: [email protected]. Persons with disabilities who 
require alternative means for communication should contact the USDA 
Target Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The listening session will provide an 
opportunity for stakeholders and interested members of the public to 
share their thoughts about how FSA can streamline and improve program 
delivery, as well as enhance outreach on FSA programs that address 
heirs' property issues. Heirs' property refers to land that has been 
passed down

[[Page 36568]]

informally from generation to generation and is owned ``in common'' by 
all heirs, absent a will, regardless of whether they live on the land, 
pay the taxes or have ever visited the land. An heir is a person 
legally entitled to the property.
    The listening session will begin with brief opening remarks from 
FSA. Individual speakers providing oral comments will be limited to 3-5 
minutes each; however, if all speakers can be accommodated within the 
allotted time for the session, individual speaking times may be 
adjusted at the written request of the stakeholder (use the contact 
information above). As noted above, we request that speakers providing 
oral comments also provide a written copy of their comments by July 26, 
2019, for the Mississippi listening session and August 9, 2019, for the 
DC listening session. All stakeholders and interested members of the 
public are welcome to register to provide oral and written comments; 
however, based on the session time or topic area constraints, FSA may 
not be able to allocate time for all registered attendees to provide 
oral comments during the sessions.
    The purpose of the listening sessions is for FSA to hear from 
stakeholder organizations, producers and other interested members of 
the public about heirs' property issues and programs that are being 
implemented or revised by FSA as required by the 2018 Farm Bill (Pub. 
L. 115-334). Please refer to the name of the FSA program in your 
comment and the relevant section number in the 2018 Farm Bill. In your 
comments, provide your input about the program(s), changes, and 
anything else that may be helpful to FSA. We welcome public input that 
we can factor into decisions that need to be made to implement the 
provisions on heirs' property issues.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Date                      Time         Location information
------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 31, 2019.................  1:30 p.m. CST....  MS FSA State Office,
                                                    in the Farm Bureau
                                                    Building, Farm
                                                    Bureau Auditorium,
                                                    6311 Ridgewood Rd.,
                                                    Jackson, MS 39211.
August 14, 2019...............  1:30 p.m. EST....  USDA headquarters, in
                                                    the Whitten
                                                    Building, Room 107-
                                                    A, 12th Street and
                                                    Jefferson Drive SW,
                                                    Washington, DC
                                                    20250.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The following are specific program sections related to heirs' 
property issues in the 2018 Farm Bill (Agricultural Improvement Act of 
2018, Pub. L. 115-379) (see listing below for complete section-by-
section names):
     Relending programs to resolve ownership and succession of 
farmland (2018 Farm Bill section 5104, Title V Credit).
     Eligibility for operators on heirs' property land to 
obtain a farm number (2018 Farm Bill section 12615; Title XII 
Miscellaneous).
    FSA is interested in all comments, but, requests input on:
    1. What are some outreach methods FSA can implement to inform 
landowners of existing proof of ownership options available for heirs' 
property landowners?
    2. What are additional proof of ownership options that FSA should 
consider accepting that are not currently allowed?
    3. What changes to the process of obtaining a farm number would 
improve or simplify the process for individuals who may not able to 
provide certification?
    4. What have been the greatest barriers to obtaining a farm number 
with FSA?
    5. What are the potential challenges of an intermediary lender 
implementing the proposed Heirs' Property Relending Program?
    6. What eligibility criteria should be considered when evaluating a 
potential intermediary lender?
    7. Should there be a minimum or maximum amount of funds an 
intermediary lender can receive?
    8. Should there be restrictions for the use of funds under the 
proposed Heirs' Property Relending Program?
    9. What eligibility criteria should be considered for individual 
applicants in the proposed Heirs' Property Relending Program?
    10. What are suggestions for how a lender might address minimum 
loan collateral requirements?

Instructions for Attending the Meeting

    For Jackson, Mississippi attendance: Space for attendance at the 
listening session is limited. All persons wishing to attend the 
listening session must register at https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/outreach-and-education/meeting-registration/index by July 
26, 2019. To register, information will be required including, but not 
limited to:
     Attendee contact information;
     Organization representation information; and
     If you would like to speak, provide written comments.
    Upon arrival in the Visitor's Entrance of the Farm Bureau Building, 
registered persons must sign in to enter the building. Please allow 
extra time to get through security.
    All written comments received will be publicly available on 
www.regulations.gov.
    If you require special accommodations, such as a sign language 
interpreter, use the contact information above. The listening session 
location is accessible to persons with disabilities.
    For Washington, DC attendance: Space for attendance at the 
listening session is limited. All persons wishing to attend the 
listening session must register at https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/outreach-and-education/meeting-registration/index by 
August 14, 2019. To register, information will be required, including, 
but not limited to:
     Attendee contact information;
     Company or organization representation information; and
     If you would like to speak, provide written comments.
    Upon arrival at the front entrance of the USDA Whitten Building, 
registered persons must provide valid photo identification to enter. 
Please allow extra time to get through security.
    All written comments received will be publicly available on 
www.regulations.gov.
    If you require special accommodations, such as a sign language 
interpreter, use the contact information above. The listening session 
location is accessible to persons with disabilities.

Richard Fordyce,
Administrator, Farm Service Agency.
[FR Doc. 2019-15996 Filed 7-25-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-05-P