[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 133 (Friday, July 10, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 41328-41330]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-14855]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Office of the Secretary

7 CFR Part 9

[Docket ID: FSA-2020-0004]
RIN 0503-AA65


Coronavirus Food Assistance Program; Correction

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, USDA.

ACTION: Correcting amendments.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary of Agriculture implemented the Coronavirus Food 
Assistance Program (CFAP), which provides assistance to agricultural 
producers impacted by the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, through a 
final rule published in the Federal Register on May 21, 2020. We 
realized that there were errors in some of the payment rates in that 
final rule. In addition, we were able to reevaluate the payment rates 
for certain specialty crops based on data that was available from 
industry in response to the CFAP notice of funding availability, which 
was published in the Federal Register on May 22, 2020. This document 
corrects payment rates and categories for those specialty crops that 
were published in the final rule.

DATES: Effective Date: July 10, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William L. Beam; telephone: (202) 720-
3175; 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: This document corrects the CFAP regulations 
in 7 CFR part 9, which were implemented in the final rule that was 
published in the Federal Register on May 21, 2020 (85 FR 30825-30835). 
This is the second set of corrections. The first set of corrections was 
published in the Federal Register on June 12, 2020 (85 FR 35799-35800). 
This document augments those corrections.
    In response to the notice of funding availability published in the 
Federal Register on May 22, 2020 (85 FR 31062-31065), a few commenters 
stated that USDA had miscalculated price decreases for certain 
commodities. USDA reviewed the data for all specialty crop commodities 
and found some inconsistencies in data points.
    Accordingly, USDA is correcting the errors to make apples, 
blueberries, garlic, potatoes, raspberries, tangerines, and taro 
eligible for payment under 7 CFR 9.5(b)(1), and adding CARES Act 
payment rates for sales losses for those crops to Table 1 to Sec.  
9.5(h).
    USDA found that peaches and rhubarb no longer qualify for payment 
based on sales losses under Sec.  9.5(b)(1). Peaches showed a 3 percent 
sales price decrease and rhubarb showed an increase in sales price of 
28 percent when corrections to the data sets were made. Therefore, we 
are removing the CARES Act payment rates for sales losses for these two 
crops from Table 1 to Sec.  9.5(h).
    USDA took into account data submitted by the apple industry to 
determine price eligibility under Sec.  9.5(b)(1) for apples. The price 
data sets came from actual sales of 43.8 million bushels of apples that 
average 42 pounds. This quantity is more than half of all the apples 
marketed during the study period. The data came from surveys of 
marketers from the four largest apple producing states--Washington, New 
York, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Those four states' combined production 
is approximately 94 percent of the U.S. total. The Washington State 
Tree Fruit Association reflects approximately 85 percent of Washington 
apple sales. Washington state apple production comprises about two-
thirds of the U.S. total, but an even higher share of total U.S. sales 
during the study period. Data submitted showed an industry average loss 
of 10.9 percent. Accordingly, USDA is adding apple eligibility for 
payment losses.
    USDA is also adding eligibility for certain potatoes. Original 
prices used by USDA for the May 12, 2020, rule included all fresh 
potatoes and did not include prices for processing or seed potatoes as 
those are not obtained at shipping points or terminal markets. The 
potato industry submitted price data from industry surveys and reports. 
The industry data show that seed potatoes had a 15 percent price 
decline and fresh food retail and service potatoes had a 6.7 percent 
price decline over the rule stated period. However, the industry 
reported fresh price only for russet potatoes.
    Another potato commenter used data from one potato producing state 
to determine shipping point price changes for non-organic russet 
potatoes in 50-lb units. Terminal market prices were also reported. A 
notable difference between the USDA payment calculations is that prices 
generated by USDA included prices from all states.
    The potato industry also requested payments for seed potatoes. Seed 
potatoes can be any type of potato and can be diverted to the fresh 
market if needed. USDA agrees. Accordingly, seed potatoes is now a 
category of potatoes eligible for payment.
    After reviewing all the data submitted by the potato industry USDA 
agrees that the potato category be corrected to be divided as follows:
     Potatoes fresh--Russets;
     Potatoes fresh--other;
     Potatoes--processing; and
     Potatoes--seed.
    Payment rates for these categories are shown on the table below.
    As discussed above, USDA is correcting the payment rates in Table 1 
to Sec.  9.5(h) for apples, artichokes, asparagus, blueberries, 
cantaloupes, cucumbers, garlic, kiwifruit, mushrooms, papaya, peaches, 
potatoes (separated into categories for fresh--Russets, fresh--other, 
processing, and seed), raspberries, rhubarb, tangerines, and taro.
    The correction and addition in the payment rates and the resulting 
changes in the eligibility for specific types of

[[Page 41329]]

payments per commodity will not change CFAP costs.

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 9

    Agricultural commodities, Agriculture, Disaster assistance, 
Indemnity payments.

    Accordingly, 7 CFR part 9 is corrected by making the following 
correcting amendments:

PART 9--CORONAVIRUS FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

0
1. The authority citation for part 9 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  15 U.S.C. 714b and 714c; and Division B, Title I, 
Pub. L. 116-136.


0
2. In Sec.  9.5, amend Table 1 to paragraph (h), as follows:
0
a. Revise the entries for ``Apples'', ``Artichokes'', ``Asparagus'', 
``Blueberries'', ``Cantaloupes'', ``Cucumbers'', ``Garlic'', 
``Kiwifruit'', ``Mushrooms'', ``Papaya'', ``Peaches''
0
b. Remove the entry for ``Potatoes'';
0
c. Add the entries for ``Potatoes Fresh--Other'', ``Potatoes Fresh- 
Russets'', Potatoes--Processing'', and ``Potatoes--seed'' in 
alphabetical order; and
0
d. Revise the entries for ``Raspberries'', ``Rhubarb'', ``Tangerines'', 
and ``Taro''.
    The revisions and additions read as follows:


Sec.  9.5  Calculation of payments.

* * * * *
    (h) * * *

                           Table 1 to Paragraph (h)--Payment Rates For Specialty Crops
                             [Including, but not limited to, the listed commodities]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                CARES Act payment  rate
                                                                 for product that  left
                                       CARES Act payment  rate  the farm but spoiled or   CCC Payment rate  ($/
              Commodity                 for sales losses  ($/    is unpaid due to  loss            lb)
                                                 lb)             of marketing  channel
                                                                         ($/lb)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
Apples...............................                    $0.05                    $0.22                    $0.04
Artichokes...........................                     0.88                     0.69                     0.13
Asparagus............................  .......................                     0.25                     0.05
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
Blueberries..........................                     0.20                     0.93                     0.18
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
Cantaloupes..........................  .......................                     0.14                     0.03
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
Cucumbers............................                     0.18                     0.17                     0.03
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
Garlic...............................                     0.17                     1.10                     0.22
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
Kiwifruit............................  .......................                     0.44                     0.09
Mushrooms............................  .......................                     0.58                     0.11
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
Papaya...............................  .......................                     0.31                     0.06
Peaches..............................  .......................                     0.30                     0.06
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
Potatoes fresh--other................                     0.01                     0.04                     0.01
Potatoes fresh--Russets..............                     0.07                     0.09                     0.02
Potatoes--processing.................                     0.02                     0.03                     0.01
Potatoes--seed.......................                     0.02                     0.04                     0.01
Raspberries..........................                     0.44                     1.69                     0.33
Rhubarb..............................  .......................                     0.76                     0.15
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
Tangerines...........................                     0.05                     0.25                     0.05
Taro.................................                     0.12                     0.29                     0.06
 
                                                  * * * * * * *
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 41330]]

* * * * *

Stephen L. Censky,
Vice Chairman, Commodity Credit Corporation, and Deputy Secretary, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2020-14855 Filed 7-9-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-05-P