[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 94 (Thursday, May 14, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28928-28929]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-10340]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[Docket number AMS-FTPP-20-0023]


Proposed Posting, and Posting of Stockyards

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), USDA, is taking 
action to post stockyards under the Packers and Stockyards Act (P&S 
Act). Specifically, we are proposing that 10 stockyards now operating 
subject to the P&S Act be posted. We are also posting 10 stockyards 
that were identified previously as operating subject to the P&S Act.

DATES: For the proposed posting of stockyards, we will consider 
comments that we receive on or before May 29, 2020.

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. Follow the on-
line instructions for submitting comments.
     Fax: (202) 690-3207.
     Mail, hand delivery, or courier: Stuart Frank, USDA, AMS, 
1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 2507-S, Washington, DC 20250-3601.
    Instructions: All comments should refer to the date and page number 
of this issue of the Federal Register. The comments and other documents 
relating to this action will be available for public inspection during 
regular business hours.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Donna A. Ash, Program

[[Page 28929]]

Analyst, AMS, Packers and Stockyards Division at (202) 720-0222 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: AMS administers and enforces the P&S Act of 
1921, (7 U.S.C. 181 et seq.). The P&S Act prohibits unfair, deceptive, 
and fraudulent practices by livestock market agencies, dealers, 
stockyard owners, meat packers, swine contractors, and live poultry 
dealers in the livestock, poultry, and meatpacking industries.
    Section 302 of the P&S Act (7 U.S.C. 202) defines the term 
``stockyard'' as, ``. . . any place, establishment, or facility 
commonly known as stockyards, conducted, operated, or managed for 
profit or nonprofit as a public market for livestock producers, 
feeders, market agencies, and buyers, consisting of pens, or other 
enclosures, and their appurtenances, in which live cattle, sheep, 
swine, horses, mules, or goats are received, held, or kept for sale or 
shipment in commerce.''
    Section 302 (b) of the P&S Act requires the Secretary of 
Agriculture to determine which stockyards meet this definition, and to 
notify the owner of the stockyard and the public of that determination 
by posting a notice in each designated stockyard. Once the Secretary 
provides notice to the stockyard owner and the public, the stockyard is 
subject to the provisions of Title III of the P&S Act (7 U.S.C. 201-203 
and 205-217a) until the Secretary de-posts the stockyard by public 
notice. To post a stockyard, we assign the stockyard a facility number, 
notify the stockyard owner, and send an official posting notice to the 
stockyard owner to display in a public area of the stockyard. This 
process is referred to as ``posting.'' The date of posting is the date 
that the posting notices are physically displayed at the stockyard. A 
facility that does not meet the definition of a stockyard is not 
subject to the P&S Act and therefore cannot be posted. A posted 
stockyard can be ``de-posted,'' which occurs when the facility is no 
longer used as a stockyard.
    We are hereby notifying stockyard owners and the public that the 
following 10 stockyards meet the definition of a stockyard and that we 
propose to designate these stockyards as posted stockyards.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Proposed facility No.             Stockyard name and location
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NY-178.......................  Davis Livestock Sales, Inc., Gouverneur,
                                New York
NY-179.......................  Argyle Livestock Station, LLC, Argyle,
                                New York
OK-266.......................  Geary Livestock Market, LLC, Geary,
                                Oklahoma
OK-227.......................  McDaniel Livestock Exchange LLC,
                                Valliant, Oklahoma
TX-358.......................  Mort Livestock Exchange, Canton, Texas
TX-359.......................  Amarillo West Stockyards LLC, Wildorado,
                                Texas
PA-164.......................  Double E. Auction Service LLC,
                                Quarryville, Pennsylvania
KY-190.......................  Triple C. Auctions Ewing, Kentucky
FL-141.......................  Cattleman's Market of Okeechobee LLC,
                                Okeechobee, Florida
ND-134.......................  Bismarck Livestock Auction, LLC,
                                Bismarck, North Dakota
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    We are also notifying the public that the stockyards listed in the 
following table meet the P&S Act's definition of a stockyard, and 
therefore, we have posted these stockyards. On June 7, 2019, we 
published a notice in the Federal Register (Vol. 84. No. 110) proposing 
to post these 10 stockyards. Since we received no comments to our 
proposal, we assigned the stockyards a facility number and notified the 
owners of the stockyard facilities. Posting notices were sent to each 
stockyard owner to display in public areas of their stockyard. The 
table below reflects the date of posting for these stockyards.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Date of
     Facility No.         Stockyard name and location         posting
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KS-210...............  Hill City Commission, LLC, Hill        07/15/2019
                        City, Kansas.
KY-189...............  Blue Grass Stockyards, LLC             07/15/2019
                        Lexington, Kentucky.
KY-190...............  Franklin Livestock Market Inc.,        07/15/2019
                        Franklin, Kentucky.
MN-194...............  Heidelberger Farm Equipment, LLC,      07/15/2019
                        Pine City, Minnesota.
NE-189...............  Chappell Livestock LLC, Chappell,      07/16/2019
                        Nebraska.
NM-125...............  Santa Teresa Livestock Auction         12/07/2019
                        LLC, Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
OK-222...............  Heart & Soul Horse Co., Sallisaw       07/16/2019
                        Oklahoma.
OK-223...............  Hinz Auction Land and Cattle,          07/17/2019
                        LLC, Clinton, Oklahoma.
OK-225...............  C.M.S. Livestock Auction, LLC,         12/03/2019
                        Wanette, Oklahoma.
VA-163...............  Alex Eugene Dill Hollering Hill        07/15/2019
                        Auction LLC, Nathalie, Virginia.
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    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 202.

Bruce Summers,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-10340 Filed 5-13-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P