[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 9, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8753-8754]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-02643]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

February 4, 2021.
    The Department of Agriculture will submit the following information 
collection requirement(s) to OMB for review and clearance under the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 on or after the date 
of publication of this notice. Comments are requested regarding: (1) 
Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the 
agency's estimate of burden including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize 
the burden of the collection of information on those who are to 
respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    Comments regarding these information collections are best assured 
of having their full effect if received by March 11, 2021. Written 
comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection 
should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of this notice on 
the following website www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this 
particular information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day 
Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information 
unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB 
control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to 
respond to the collection of information that such persons are not 
required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays 
a currently valid OMB control number.

National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)

    Title: Agricultural Surveys Program--Substantive Change.
    OMB Control Number: 0535-0213.
    Summary of Collection: General authority for these data collection 
activities is granted under U.S. Code Title 7, Section 2204 which 
specifies that ``The Secretary of Agriculture shall procure and 
preserve all information concerning agriculture which he can obtain . . 
. by the collection of statistics . . .''. The primary objective of the 
National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is to provide data 
users with timely and reliable agricultural production and economic 
statistics, as well as environmental and specialty agricultural related 
statistics. To accomplish this objective, NASS relies on the use of 
diverse surveys that show changes within the farming industry over 
time.
    The Agricultural Surveys Program is a combination of surveys 
utilizing several different sampling frames. Basic agricultural data is 
collected from farmers and ranchers throughout the nation and used to 
prepare agricultural estimates and forecasts of crop acreages, yields, 
and production; stocks of grains and oilseeds; hog and pig inventory; 
sheep inventory and lamb crop; goat and kid inventory; cattle 
inventory; cattle on feed, and land values. The surveys provide the 
basis for estimates of the current season's crop and livestock 
production and supplies of grain and oilseeds in storage. Survey 
results provide the foundation for setting livestock and poultry 
inventory numbers. Estimates derived from these surveys supply 
information needed by farmers to make decisions for both short- and 
long-term planning.
    Due to the COVID-19 virus, numerous changes took place for the 2020 
calendar year. The June Area Survey was suspended for 2020 and will be 
conducted again in 2021 and 2022. Normally, this survey relies on face 
to face interviews with farmers and ranchers. Instead the data from the 
2019 survey was used to adjust for list incompleteness in 2020.
    The 2021 June Area Survey will have the field level questions 
removed and only tract and whole farm data will be collected. This has 
been done so that the questionnaire can be conducted by telephone to 
allow for the continuation of social distancing.
    The overall annual, average sample size for the Agricultural 
Surveys Program will remain at 551,600. No additional burden is being 
added for the changes included in this submission.
    A detailed listing of the questions that have been updated are 
listed in the Supporting Statement Part A.
    Need and Use of the Information: Uses of NASS statistical 
information are extensive and varied. The producer is the primary user; 
other users of agricultural statistics are farm organizations, 
agribusinesses, State and national farm policy makers, foreign buyers 
of agricultural products, universities, and various researchers. 
Federal farm programs require information on acreages, production 
potential, stocks, prices, and income. Agricultural statistics are used 
to plan and administer other related federal and State programs in such 
areas as consumer protection, conservation, foreign trade, education, 
and recreation. Estimates are used by producers to determine production 
and marketing strategies, by the agricultural industry to assess 
markets and potential demand for products, and by the federal 
government to analyze potential and actual production.
    Some of the Federal agricultural agencies that use information from 
these surveys are the Economic Research Service, Foreign Agricultural 
Service, Agricultural Marketing Service, Farm Service Agency and the 
Risk Management Agency. The Bureau of Economic Analysis in the 
Department of Commerce is a major non-USDA agency that uses data from 
this information collection to prepare national and regional estimates 
of farm income and products. The Forest Service and Department of 
Interior use data collected on forage values to establish public land 
grazing rates in Western States.

[[Page 8754]]

    Several agricultural agencies utilize NASS data to carry out 
programs required by legislation. Examples are the school lunch 
program, administration of marketing orders, grazing fee rates, and 
establishment of foreign trade policies. The Secretary of Agriculture 
uses information collected to help determine agricultural policy.
    Description of Respondents: Farms and Ranches.
    Number of Respondents: 551,600.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Two.
    Total Burden Hours: 175,583.

Levi S. Harrell,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2021-02643 Filed 2-8-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-20-P