[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 31, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61362-61363]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-24060]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 31, 2025 /
Notices
[[Page 61362]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Farm Service Agency
[Docket ID FSA-2023-0005]
Application Fast Track Pilot Program--Extension
AGENCY: Farm Service Agency, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is announcing the extension of
the Application Fast Track (AFT) pilot program that was published
August 3, 2023 (88 FR 51260-51265), and extended September 30, 2024 (89
FR 79504), which continues the expedited processing of qualified direct
Operating Loans (OL) and Farm Ownership Loans (FO) to family farmers
and ranchers. AFT has been available to all customers nationwide since
January 1, 2024. AFT is being extended to allow for an expanded number
of applicants that qualify for AFT and to allow FSA time to make the
program permanent through publication of a final rule. FSA will see the
pilot run until December 31, 2026 or until the aforementioned final
rule is published, whichever is sooner. This will allow time for FSA to
continue to evaluate the administrative effectiveness of AFT while
drafting the final rule. The initial results of AFT reflect a
significant improvement in processing times for all customers, and FSA
is continuing to monitor loan performance, and overall satisfaction
with the AFT pilot program from both customers and staff.
DATES: The effective date for the extension of AFT as provided in this
notice is December 30, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Houston Bruck; telephone: (202) 650-
7874; email: [email protected]. Individuals with disabilities who
require alternative means for communication should contact the USDA
TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and text telephone (TTY)) or
dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay service (both voice and text
telephone users can initiate this call from any telephone).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
FSA is extending the ``Application Fast Track'' that was published
August 3, 2023 (88 FR 51260-51265), which continues the expedited
processing of qualified direct OLs and FOs to family farmers and
ranchers. AFT provides an alternative underwriting process for
applicants that meet certain financial benchmarks. AFT has been
available to all customers nationwide since January 1, 2024. FSA is
expanding AFT, enabling an increased number of applicants to qualify
for the streamlined AFT process and will see the pilot run until
December 31, 2026 or until FSA publishes a final rule to codify the
program, whichever is sooner. All other AFT pilot provisions are
unchanged in this notice from what was announced in the August 3, 2023,
notice.
The August 3, 2023 notice that originally announced the pilot
program (88 FR 51260-51265) provided specific details regarding which
sections of 7 CFR parts 761, 764, and 765 were waived for the pilot
program because they would have been contradictory to the alternative
underwriting process that AFT provides. Those sections of the CFR will
be amended before December 31, 2026, to permanently codify the
alternative underwriting process provided by AFT. The affected sections
of the CFR are: 7 CFR 761.8(a); 7 CFR 761.103(b)(6) and (7); 7 CFR
761.103(c)(2) and (4); 7 CFR 761.104 (c), (d), (e), (f), and (g); 7 CFR
764.107(b)(1); 7 CFR 764.154(a)(2); 7 CFR 764.154(b) and (b)(1); 7 CFR
764.254(a)(2); 7 CFR 764.254(b)(2); 7 CFR 764.401(a)(1)(i) and (b)(1);
7 CFR 764.453(a) and (b); and 7 CFR 765.105(b).
Authority
The authority to conduct AFT is provided in section 333D of the
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (CONACT, 7 U.S.C. 1983d),
which authorizes pilot projects of limited scope and duration to
evaluate processes and techniques to improve program efficiency and
effectiveness.
AFT Initial Results
The initial results of AFT reflect a significant improvement in
processing times for all customers, with no impact to portfolio
performance and loan repayment. FSA is continuing to monitor loan
performance, overall satisfaction with the AFT pilot program from both
customers and staff, and the administrative effectiveness of AFT. The
initial results of the AFT pilot program have resulted in approximately
23 percent of customers qualifying for AFT, with significant reduction
in processing time for those applications of approximately 8 calendar
days. FSA portfolio performance, loan repayment rates, and delinquency
rates, have not been impacted by AFT.
Contact Information
Questions on AFT may be directed to the Farm Loan Programs staff in
the local FSA county office. The local FSA county office may be found
at http://www.farmers.gov/working-with-us/USDA-service-centers.
Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements
In accordance with the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), there are no changes to the information
collection approved by OMB under control numbers 0560-0236 and 0560-
0237.
Environmental Review
The environmental impacts have been considered in a manner
consistent with the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347) and the USDA regulation for compliance with
NEPA (7 CFR part 1b).
The purpose of AFT is to improve internal underwriting processes to
expedite Farm Loan Programs application processing. The limited
discretionary aspects of AFT do not have the potential to impact the
human environment as they are administrative. Accordingly, these
discretionary aspects are covered by the FSA Categorical Exclusions
specified in 7 CFR 1b.4(c)(1)(i) that applies to Farm Loan Programs,
provided no extraordinary circumstances are found to exist. As such,
the implementation of AFT and the participation in AFT do not
constitute major Federal actions that would significantly affect the
quality of
[[Page 61363]]
the human environment, individually or cumulatively. Therefore, FSA
will not prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact
statement for this action and this document serves as documentation of
the programmatic environmental compliance decision for this federal
action.
Federal Assistance Programs
The title and number of the Federal assistance programs, as found
in the Assistance Listing, to which this document applies is 10.406
Farm Operating Loans and 10.407 Farm Ownership Loans.
William Beam,
Administrator, Farm Service Agency.
[FR Doc. 2025-24060 Filed 12-30-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-E2-P