[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 209 (Tuesday, October 31, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74402-74403]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-23959]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Agriculture will submit the following information 
collection requirement(s) to OMB for review and approval under the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

[[Page 74403]]

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 November 30, 2023. 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

    Title: Stocks Reports--Substantive Change.
    OMB Control Number: 0535-0007.
    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 National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is seeking 
approval to make a substantive change to the Off-farm Grain and 
Oilseeds Program by adding an Operation Profile survey. The Operation 
Profiles will have three main functions:
    1. Inform the respondent about our data needs so they will have the 
details to provide storage capacity and the amount of grain stored 
according to NASS definitions.
    2. Document items that the respondent cannot correctly report or 
estimate for each quarter.
    3. Identify respondents who do not store any of the commodities of 
interest in their facilities.
    The substantial change will add a contact to the entire sample over 
the course of three years (\1/3\ of the sample per year) and an average 
of 280 burden hours to the already approved annual total burden hours 
of 5,062.
    Need and Use of the Information: The primary objective of the 
National Agricultural Statistics Service is to prepare and issue State 
and national estimates of crop and livestock production, stocks, 
disposition, and prices. The Stocks Report surveys, provide estimates 
of stocks of grains, hops, oilseeds, peanuts, potatoes, and rice that 
are stored off-farm. These off-farm stocks are combined with on-farm 
stocks to estimate stocks in all positions. The Stocks Reports are a 
principle economic indicator as defined by OMB. Stocks statistics are 
used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help administer programs; 
by State agencies to develop, research, and promote the marketing of 
products; and by producers and buyers to find their best market 
opportunity(s). The Stocks Reports are instrumental in providing 
timely, accurate data to help grain market participants. In order to 
maintain a complete and comprehensive list of operations, NASS needs to 
conduct an Operation Profile survey annually to add new operations to 
the survey population. This profile is also used to identify operations 
that do not meet the criteria to be included in the Off-farm Grain and 
Oilseeds Survey.
    Description of Respondents: Farms and businesses.
    Number of Respondents: 8,330.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Monthly; Quarterly; Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 5,342.

Levi S. Harrell,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-23959 Filed 10-30-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-20-P