[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 97 (Friday, May 17, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43370-43372]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-10790]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 97 / Friday, May 17, 2024 / Notices  

[[Page 43370]]



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 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 June 17, 2024. 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: Aquaculture Survey--Substantive Change.
    OMB Control Number: 0535-0150.
    Summary of Collection: The primary objective of the National 
Agricultural Statistics Service is to prepare and issue State and 
national estimates of crop and livestock production, prices, and 
disposition. The Aquaculture Surveys program produces estimates at the 
national level on both trout and catfish. Survey results are used by 
government agencies and others in planning farm programs.
    The trout survey includes sales (dollars, pounds, and quantities), 
percent of product sold by outlet at the point of first sale, 
distribution (dollars, pounds, and quantities) of fish raised for 
release into open waters, and losses. The catfish surveys include 
inventory counts, water surface acreage used for production and sales 
(dollars, pounds, and quantities).
    The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is requesting a 
substantive change to the Aquaculture Survey information collection 
request (OMB No. 0535-0150) for trout program changes. Every five years 
NASS conducts a program review following the completion of the Census 
of Agriculture. The program changes balance resources across all of the 
programs included in the annual estimating program, which represents 
over 400 individual reports across multiple Information Collection 
Requests (ICRs). This substantive change is to accommodate the trout 
program changes that affect this ICR. The methodology, publication 
dates, burden and data collection plan do not change as result of these 
program changes. The changes to these surveys will not affect burden 
hours.
    Need and Use of the Information: Survey results are used by members 
of the Cooperative Extension System and the National Sea Grant College 
Program who research and work in aquaculture. The information is used 
to analyze changing trends in the number of commercial operations and 
production levels by State, as well as to demonstrate the growing 
importance of aquaculture to officials of federal and State government 
agencies who manage and direct policy for programs in agriculture and 
natural resources. Extension specialists use the data to demonstrate 
the impact of educational programs and other efforts to assist in 
developing economically viable aquaculture operations. The type of 
information collected and reported provides extension educators and 
research scientists with data that indicate important areas that 
require special educational and/or research efforts, such as causes for 
fish loss and pond inventories of fish of various sizes.
    Description of Respondents: Farms; businesses or other for-profits.
    Number of Respondents: 2,950.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: on occasion; annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 551.

National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)

    Title: Bee and Honey Survey--Substantive Change.
    OMB Control Number: 0535-0153.
    Summary of Collection: The primary functions of the National 
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) are to prepare and issue State 
and national estimates of crop and livestock production, disposition, 
and prices, and to collect information on related environmental and 
economic factors. Crop and livestock statistics help maintain a stable 
economic atmosphere and reduce risk for production, marketing, and 
distribution operations. Modern agriculture increasingly calls upon 
NASS to supply reliable, timely, and detailed information through its 
commodity estimation program. As part of this function, estimates are 
made for honey production, stocks, and prices.
    The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is requesting a 
substantive change to the Bee and Honey Survey information collection 
request (OMB No. 0535-0153) for honey program changes. Every five years 
NASS conducts a program review following the completion of the Census 
of Agriculture. The program changes balance resources across all of the 
programs included in the annual estimating program, which represents 
over 400 individual reports across multiple Information Collection 
Requests (ICRs). This substantive change is to accommodate the honey 
program changes that affect this ICR. The methodology, publication 
dates,

[[Page 43371]]

burden and data collection plan do not change as result of these 
program changes. The changes to these surveys will not affect burden 
hours.
    Need and Use of the Information: The bee and honey surveys are 
conducted in all States. These surveys collect data on the number of 
colonies each operation has, the amount of honey produced and the 
amount of honey stocks available for sale.
    The Agricultural Research Service (ARS), State-level apiarists, and 
agricultural colleges throughout the U.S. use NASS bee and honey data 
to administer their honeybee research programs. Current research 
projects at ARS focus on colony collapse disorder, parasites, 
Africanized honeybees, foul brood disease, food safety and inspection 
(including honey), and other topics.
    The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) uses NASS honey production 
data as control data for the administration of the research and 
promotion programs. The Honey Packers and Importers Research, 
Promotion, Consumer Education, and Industry Information Order (Order) 
[7 CFR part 1212] is authorized by the Commodity Promotion, Research, 
and Information Act of 1996 (1996 Act) [7 U.S.C. 7411-7425]. Under the 
Order, assessments are collected on honey and honey products packed or 
imported into the 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. 
The funds collected are used by the National Honey Board for research 
and development, advertising and promotion of honey and honey products, 
consumer education, and industry information, under AMS supervision. 
The National Honey Board administers the research and promotion 
programs and reimburses the Federal government for the costs incurred 
in implementing and administering the program.
    The Economic Research Service (ERS) uses NASS honey data to 
construct U.S. and per capita caloric sweetener consumption estimates. 
The data are used in the Sugar and Sweeteners Yearbook tables provided 
by ERS. The data are also utilized in the Situation and Outlook Report 
and the Food Consumption series, which are mandated by Congress. 
Economic data published in the Honey report is also used to prepare 
valuations related to pollinators.
    The Farm Service Agency (FSA) uses NASS honey production data as 
source data. The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 
provides that the FSA administer the nonrecourse marketing assistance 
loan and loan deficiency payment (LDP) program for honey. The honey 
nonrecourse marketing assistance loan and LDP program provides eligible 
honey producers with two forms of Federal assistance. The program helps 
to stabilize America's honey industry and ensure the wellbeing of 
agriculture in the United States. Nonrecourse marketing assistance 
loans are administered by FSA on behalf of the Commodity Credit 
Corporation (CCC). The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 
Farm Bill) authorized the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey 
Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP). ELAP assistance covers some 
species, loss conditions, and losses that are not eligible for other 
disaster assistance programs, including colony collapse disorder. The 
Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill) authorized the 
use of Commodity Credit Corporation funds for the Emergency Assistance 
for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP). ELAP 
provides emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock, 
honeybees and farm-raised fish. It covers losses due to an eligible 
adverse weather or loss condition, including blizzards and wildfires, 
as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture. ELAP covers losses that 
are not covered under other disaster assistance programs authorized by 
the 2014 Farm Bill, such as the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) 
and the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP).
    The Risk Management Agency (RMA) is now offering a pilot insurance 
program for apiculture. This pilot program uses rainfall and vegetation 
greenness indices to estimate local rainfall and plant health, allowing 
beekeepers to purchase insurance protection against production risks. 
The program will use a 5-year average honey yield at the state level 
and the annual average honey price at the national level, both based on 
NASS data, to determine insurance payments.
    The Pollinator Health Task Force uses data from the Honey Bee 
Colonies report to monitor honeybee colony losses during winter. Their 
goal, as laid out in the Pollinator Research Action Plan, is to reduce 
these losses to no more than 15 percent within 10 years. The Food and 
Drug Administration provided some background information on the 
importance of honeybees in an article they published in July 2018. 
``Honey bees are not native to the New World. Most crops grown in the 
U.S. are not New World natives either. Both the crops and the bees 
evolved together in other areas of the globe, and were brought here by 
European settlers. Information suggests that the first honeybee 
colonies arrived in the Colony of Virginia from England early in 1622.
    Today, the commercial production of more than 90 crops relies on 
bee pollination. Of the approximately 3,600 bee species that live in 
the U.S., the European honeybee2 (scientific name Apis mellifera) is 
the most common pollinator, making it the most important bee to 
domestic agriculture. About one-third of the food eaten by Americans 
comes from crops pollinated by honey bees, including apples, melons, 
cranberries, pumpkins, squash, broccoli, and almonds, to name just a 
few. Without the industrious honey bee, American dinner plates would 
look quite bare.''
    Description of Respondents: Businesses or other for-profits; Farms.
    Number of Respondents: 12,225.
    Frequency of Responses: Quarterly; Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 7,920.

National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)

    Title: Agricultural Resource Management Phases 1 & 2 and Chemical 
Use Surveys--Substantive Change.
    OMB Control Number: 0535-0218.
    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 requesting a 
substantive change to the Aquaculture Survey information collection 
request (OMB No. 0535-0150) for vegetable chemical use program changes. 
Every five years NASS conducts a program review following the 
completion of the Census of Agriculture. The program changes balance 
resources across all of the programs included in the annual estimating 
program, which represents over 400 individual reports across multiple 
Information Collection Requests (ICRs). This substantive change is to 
accommodate the trout program changes that affect this ICR.

[[Page 43372]]

The methodology, publication dates, burden and data collection plan do 
not change as result of these program changes. The changes to these 
surveys will not affect burden hours.
    Included with this change request are (1) Addition of the Arizona 
Enterprise Version of the Vegetable Chemical Use Survey that should 
have been added earlier, and
    (2) One version of the ARMS 2 Wheat Production Practices Report. 
The one version will be used in lieu of three versions (winter, Durum, 
and other spring wheat) submitted earlier.
    Need and Use of the Information: ARMS is the only annual source of 
whole farm information available for objective evaluation of many 
critical issues related to agriculture and the rural economy. This 
issues that will be addressed in this request are: input usage, 
production practices, and chemical use. Without these data, decision 
makers cannot analyze and report on critical issues that affect farms 
and farm households when pesticide regulatory actions are being 
considered.
    Description of Respondents: Farms; Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 416,150.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Quarterly; Semi-annually; 
Monthly; Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 52,147.

Levi S. Harrell,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-10790 Filed 5-16-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-20-P