Risk Management Agency; 2014 Farm Bill Implementation Listening Session, 14472-14475 [2014-05710]

Download as PDF 14472 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 50 / Friday, March 14, 2014 / Notices Comments on this notice must be received by May 13, 2014 to be assured of consideration. Additional Information or Comments: Contact Ken Vorgert, Chief, Dairy Grading Branch, Dairy Programs, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2150 Western Court, Suite 100, Lisle, IL 60532–1793 telephone 630–437–5037, Fax 630–437–5060 or Email ken.vorgert@ams.usda.gov. Comments: Comments are welcome and should reference the docket number and the date and page number of this issue of the Federal Register. Comments may be submitted by mail to Ken Vorgert, 2150 Western Court, Suite 100, Lisle, IL 60532 or online at www.regulations.gov. All comments received will be available for public inspection during regular business hours at the same address, or they can be viewed at www.regulations.gov. All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public record. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Dairy Request for Applicant Number. OMB Number: 0581–0272. Expiration Date of Approval: July 31, 2014. Type of Request: Extension and revision of a currently approved information collection. Abstract: The dairy grading program is a voluntary user fee program authorized under the Agricultural Marketing Act (AMA) of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1621–1627). The regulations governing inspection and grading services of manufactured or processed dairy products are contained in 7 CFR part 58. In order for a voluntary inspection program to perform satisfactorily, appropriate information must be collected. In general, information requested is used to identify and contact the party responsible for payment of the export certification, inspection, grading or equipment evaluation fee and expense. The information requested on the form is required for AMS Dairy Grading Branch to set up accounts to allow applicants to do business with AMS Dairy Grading Branch. This information includes name of contact, phone number of contact, address of business and tax identification number. This information is currently collected over the telephone, or through faxes, letters or emails. The form allows for uniform collection of the information and more secure management of the information. The DA–228, Request for Applicant Number, will be updated and the sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES DATES: VerDate Mar<15>2010 19:18 Mar 13, 2014 Jkt 232001 information collected slightly reduced. The form will now be available in a Word format as opposed to the previous PDF format. The form will no longer request, ‘‘whom the information was requested by’’, ‘‘date’’, or ‘‘service type’’. The DA–229, Export Applicant Number Activation form has become obsolete and is no longer necessary. This form was previously used to activate applicant accounts that were already in the system. Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 0.05 hours per response. Respondents: Businesses or other forprofit. Estimated Number of Respondents: 100. Estimated Total Annual Responses: 100. Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1. Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 3 minutes. Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the proposed 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 the burden of the proposed collection of information 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 the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Dated: February 26, 2014. Rex A. Barnes, Associate Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service. [FR Doc. 2014–05559 Filed 3–13–14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–02–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Agricultural Research Service Notice of Intent to Grant Exclusive License Agricultural Research Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of intent. AGENCY: Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, intends to grant to Washington State Crop Improvement Association of Pullman, SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Washington, an exclusive license to the variety of lentil described in U.S. Plant Variety Protection Certificate Application No. 201400093, ‘‘Avondale,’’ filed on December 19, 2013. DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 14, 2014. ADDRESSES: Send comments to: USDA, ARS, Office of Technology Transfer, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Rm. 4–1174, Beltsville, Maryland 20705–5131. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: June Blalock of the Office of Technology Transfer at the Beltsville address given above; telephone: 301–504–5989. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Government’s rights in this plant variety are assigned to the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture. It is in the public interest to so license this plant variety as Washington State Crop Improvement Association of Pullman, Washington has submitted a complete and sufficient application for a license. The prospective exclusive license will be royalty-bearing and will comply with the terms and conditions of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 404.7. The prospective exclusive license may be granted unless, within thirty (30) days from the date of this published Notice, the Agricultural Research Service receives written evidence and argument which establishes that the grant of the license would not be consistent with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 404.7. Mojdeh Bahar, Assistant Administrator. [FR Doc. 2014–05568 Filed 3–13–14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–03–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Farm Service Agency Risk Management Agency; 2014 Farm Bill Implementation Listening Session Farm Service Agency and Risk Management Agency, USDA. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: In preparing to implement the Agricultural Act of 2014 (commonly referred to as the 2014 Farm Bill), we are hosting a listening session for initial public input about the new programs and changes to existing programs for which the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Risk Management Agency (RMA) have been delegated the authority to implement. The 2014 Farm Bill is intended to maintain a strong farm safety-net, restore funding for a SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM 14MRN1 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 50 / Friday, March 14, 2014 / Notices number of critical programs including disaster assistance that has lapsed, conserve our natural resources, and prepare the nation for the next generation of farming and agriculture. The listening session will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to voice their priorities, concerns, or requests. Examples of new programs FSA will implement include the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC), Price Loss Coverage (PLC), and Dairy Margin Protection Programs (MPP-Dairy). RMA will be implementing the new Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO), Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) for producers of upland cotton, conservation compliance requirements, and several new program revisions leading to enhanced crop insurance coverage. Instructions regarding registering for and attending the listening session are in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice. Listening session: The listening session will be on March 27, 2014, and will begin at 9:00 a.m. and is scheduled to end by 5:00 p.m. Registration: You must register by March 15, 2014, to attend the listening session and to provide oral comments during the listening session. DATES: Comments: Written comments are due by April 2, 2014. ADDRESSES: We invite you to participate in the listening session. The listening session is open to the public. The meeting will be held in the Jefferson Auditorium of the South Building at 14th Street and Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20250. We also invite you to submit comments by any of the following methods: • Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments; or • Orally at the listening session; please also provide a written copy of your comments online as specified above or in hard copy at the listening session. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Stephenson; phone: (202) 720– 4019. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication (Braille, large print, audio tape, etc.) should contact the USDA Target Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 7, 2014, the 2014 Farm Bill (Pub. L. 113–79) was signed into law. The Secretary of Agriculture and the 14473 respective USDA agencies, including, but not limited to FSA and RMA, are working to implement the provisions of the 2014 Farm Bill as expeditiously as possible to meet the needs of producers and other stakeholders. In order to implement the provisions expeditiously and to ensure transparency, it is important to hear from stakeholders to be aware of their priorities, concerns, or requests. FSA and RMA will hold the listening session on the following date and location. The listening session is open to the public. The stakeholders and public are invited to provide oral comments during the meeting on March 27, 2014. A written copy of the oral comments is requested. (See the ADDRESSES section above for information about submitting written comments.) In addition, written comments may be submitted by April 2, 2014. As a listening session, the focus is for FSA and RMA to hear from the public; this is not a discussion with FSA and RMA officials or a question and answer session. The purpose is to receive public input that each agency can factor into discretionary decisions that need to be made to implement the provisions of the 2014 Farm Bill. Time Location information March 27, 2014 ............................... sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Date 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m ....................... USDA headquarters, in the South Building, Jefferson Auditorium 14th Street and Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20250. The listening session will begin with brief opening remarks from the USDA Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services. Individual speakers providing oral comments will be limited to an estimated 3–5 minutes; however, this time will be adjusted based on stakeholder interest. As noted above, we request that speakers providing oral comments also provide a written copy of their comments. (See the ADDRESSES section above for information about submitting written comments.) All stakeholders and interested members of the public are welcome to register to provide oral comments; however, due to the time constraints a limited number will be selected on a first come, first serve basis. The purpose of the listening session is for FSA and RMA to hear from stakeholders and other interested members of the public about the programs that are being implemented or revised by FSA or RMA as required by the 2014 Farm Bill. Please refer to the name of the FSA or RMA program in your comment and the relevant section VerDate Mar<15>2010 19:18 Mar 13, 2014 Jkt 232001 number in the 2014 Farm Bill. In your comments, provide your input about the program, changes, outreach, education, tools, and anything else that may be helpful for us as we implement the new programs and changes. The following list of programs that span multiple sections in the 2014 Farm Bill or program names that may not be obvious from the section title include: • New ARC and PLC Programs (2014 Farm Bill sections 1111–1118); • Revised MAL and LDP for 2015 and subsequent crops and the extension of the Sugar Program and the related Feedstock Flexibility Program (2014 Farm Bill sections 1201–1210, 1301, and 9009); • New MPP-Dairy and the new Dairy Product Donation Program (2014 Farm Bill sections 1401–1422, 1425, and 1431); • Revised disaster assistance programs for 2015 and subsequent crops, including the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) (2014 Farm Bill section 1501); • Common provisions for payment limits & payment eligibility for 2015 and subsequent crops (2014 Farm Bill sections 1603 and 1605); • Actively engaged requirements for payment eligibility (2014 Farm Bill section 1604); • Highly erodible land and wetland conservation for crop insurance (2014 Farm Bill section 2611); and • New SCO and STAX programs (2014 Farm Bill sections 11003 and 11017). To identify the section numbers for your comments and to find the relevant text for FSA and RMA programs in the 2014 Farm Bill, which is available on the FSA Farm Bill Web page (https:// www.fsa.usda.gov/farmbill), the following is an excerpt from the 2014 Farm Bill Table of Contents that focuses on the sections for the FSA and RMA programs: E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM 14MRN1 14474 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 50 / Friday, March 14, 2014 / Notices Agricultural Act of 2014 Part III—Dairy Product Donation Program Title I—Commodities Sec. 1431. Dairy product donation program. Subtitle A—Repeals and Reforms Part II—Commodity Policy Sec. 1111. Definitions. Sec. 1112. Base acres. Sec. 1113. Payment yields. Sec. 1114. Payment acres. Sec. 1115. Producer election. Sec. 1116. Price loss coverage. Sec. 1117. Agriculture risk coverage. Sec. 1118. Producer agreements. Sec. 1119. Transition assistance for producers of upland cotton. Subtitle E—Supplemental Agricultural Disaster Assistance Programs Sec. 1501. Supplemental agricultural disaster assistance. Subtitle F—Administration Subtitle B—Marketing Loans Sec. 1201. Availability of nonrecourse marketing assistance loans for loan commodities. Sec. 1202. Loan rates for nonrecourse marketing assistance loans. Sec. 1203. Term of loans. Sec. 1204. Repayment of loans. Sec. 1205. Loan deficiency payments. Sec. 1206. Payments in lieu of loan deficiency payments for grazed acreage. Sec. 1207. Special marketing loan provisions for upland cotton. Sec. 1208. Special competitive provisions for extra long staple cotton. Sec. 1209. Availability of recourse loans for high moisture feed grains and seed cotton. Sec. 1210. Adjustments of loans. sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Subtitle C—Sugar Sec. 1301. Sugar policy. Subtitle D—Dairy Part I—Margin Protection Program for Dairy Producers Sec. 1401. Definitions. Sec. 1402. Calculation of average feed cost and actual dairy production margins. Sec. 1403. Establishment of margin protection program for dairy producers. Sec. 1404. Participation of dairy operations in margin protection program. Sec. 1405. Production history of participating dairy operations. Sec. 1406. Margin protection payments. Sec. 1407. Premiums for margin protection program. Sec. 1408. Effect of failure to pay administrative fees or premiums. Sec. 1409. Duration. Sec. 1410. Administration and enforcement. Part II—Repeal or Reauthorization of Other Dairy-Related Provisions Sec. 1421. Repeal of dairy product price support program. Sec. 1422. Temporary continuation and eventual repeal of milk income loss contract program. Sec. 1423. Repeal of dairy export incentive program. Sec. 1424. Extension of dairy forward pricing program. Sec. 1425. Extension of dairy indemnity program. Sec. 1426. Extension of dairy promotion and research program. Sec. 1427. Repeal of Federal Milk Marketing Order Review Commission. VerDate Mar<15>2010 19:18 Mar 13, 2014 Jkt 232001 Sec. 1601. Administration generally. Sec. 1603. Payment limitations. Sec. 1604. Rulemaking related to significant contribution for active personal management. Sec. 1605. Adjusted gross income limitation. Sec. 1606. Geographically disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. Sec. 1607. Personal liability of producers for deficiencies. Sec. 1608. Prevention of deceased individuals receiving payments under farm commodity programs. Sec. 1609. Technical corrections. Sec. 1610. Appeals. Sec. 1612. Tracking of benefits. Sec. 1613. Signature authority. Sec. 1614. Implementation. Sec. 1615. Research option. Title II—Conservation Subtitle A—Conservation Reserve Program Sec. 2001. Extension and enrollment requirements of conservation reserve program. Sec. 2002. Farmable wetland program. Sec. 2003. Duties of owners and operators. Sec. 2004. Duties of the Secretary. Sec. 2005. Payments. Sec. 2006. Contract requirements. Sec. 2007. Conversion of land subject to contract to other conserving uses. Sec. 2008. Effect on existing contracts. Subtitle G—Funding and Administration Sec. 2602. Technical assistance. Sec. 2604. Reservation of funds to provide assistance to certain farmers or ranchers for conservation access. Sec. 2606. Administrative requirements applicable to all conservation programs. Sec. 2609. Wetlands mitigation. Sec. 2610. Lesser prairie-chicken conservation report. Sec. 2611. Highly erodible land and wetland conservation for crop insurance. Sec. 2712. Temporary administration of conservation programs. Title V—Credit Subtitle A—Farm Ownership Loans Sec. 5001. Eligibility for farm ownership loans. Subtitle B—Operating Loans Sec. 5101. Eligibility for farm operating loans. Sec. 5105. Valuation of local or regional crops. Sec. 5106. Microloans. Subtitle C—Emergency Loans Sec. 5201. Eligibility for emergency loans. Subtitle D—Administrative Provisions Sec. 5302. Farmer loan pilot projects. PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Subtitle E—Miscellaneous Sec. 5402. Loans to purchasers of highly fractionated land. Title IX—Energy Sec. 9009. Feedstock Flexibility Program for Bioenergy Producers. Sec. 9010. Biomass Crop Assistance Program. Title XI—Crop Insurance Sec. 11001. Information sharing. Sec. 11002. Publication of information on violations of prohibition on premium adjustments. Sec. 11003. Supplemental coverage option. Sec. 11004. Crop margin coverage option. Sec. 11005. Premium amounts for catastrophic risk protection. Sec. 11006. Permanent enterprise unit subsidy. Sec. 11007. Enterprise units for irrigated and nonirrigated crops. Sec. 11008. Data collection. Sec. 11009. Adjustment in actual production history to establish insurable yields. Sec. 11010. Submission of policies and Board review and approval. Sec. 11011. Consultation. Sec. 11012. Budget limitations on renegotiation of the standard reinsurance agreement. Sec. 11013. Test weight for corn. Sec. 11014. Crop production on native sod. Sec. 11015. Coverage levels by practice. Sec. 11016. Beginning farmer and rancher provisions. Sec. 11017. Stacked income protection plan for producers of upland cotton. Sec. 11018. Peanut revenue crop insurance. Sec. 11019. Authority to correct errors. Sec. 11020. Implementation. Sec. 11021. Crop insurance fraud. Sec. 11022. Research and development priorities. Sec. 11023. Crop insurance for organic crops. Sec. 11024. Program compliance partnerships. Sec. 11025. Pilot programs. Sec. 11026. Index-based weather insurance pilot program. Sec. 11027. Enhancing producer self-help through farm financial benchmarking. Sec. 11028. Technical amendments. Title XII—Miscellaneous Subtitle B—Socially Disadvantaged Producers and Limited Resource Producers Sec. 12204. Receipt for service or denial of service from certain department of agriculture agencies. Subtitle C—Other Miscellaneous Provisions Sec. 12305. Noninsured crop assistance program. Instructions for Attending the Meeting Space for attendance at the meeting is limited. Due to USDA headquarters security and space requirements, all persons wishing to attend the public meeting or provide oral comments to FSA and RMA during the listening session must send an email to robert.stephenson@wdc.usda.gov by March 25, 2014, to register the names of E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM 14MRN1 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 50 / Friday, March 14, 2014 / Notices those planning to attend. Registrations will be accepted until maximum room capacity is reached. To register, provide the following information: • First Name • Last Name • Organization • Title • Email • City • State Upon arrival at the USDA South Building, registered persons must provide valid photo identification in order to enter the building; visitors need to enter the South Building through Wing 4. Please allow extra time to get through security. Additional information about the listening session, agenda, directions to get to the listening session, and how to provide comments is available at the FSA Farm Bill Web site: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/farmbill. All written comments received will be publicly available on www.regulations.gov. If you require special accommodations, such as a sign language interpreter, use the contact information above. The listening session location is accessible to persons with disabilities. Signed on: March 11, 2014. Michael T. Scuse, Under Secretary, Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services. [FR Doc. 2014–05710 Filed 3–12–14; 11:15 am] BILLING CODE 3410–05–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Shoshone Resource Advisory Committee Meeting Forest Service, USDA. Notice of meeting. AGENCY: ACTION: The Shoshone Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Thermopolis, Wyoming. The committee is authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community SelfDetermination Act (Pub. L. 110–343) (the Act) and operates in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the committee is to improve collaborative relationships and to provide advice and recommendations to the Forest Service concerning projects and funding consistent with the title II of the Act. The meeting is open to the public. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the status of current SRS Title II projects and to review, and possibly vote on, project proposal for 2013 Title II funds. sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 19:18 Mar 13, 2014 Jkt 232001 The meeting will be held April 22, 2014 from 9:00 until 3:30 p.m. MST. All RAC meetings are subject to cancellation. For status of meeting prior to attendance, please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. DATES: The meeting will be held at Bighorn Federal Savings Bank, 643 Broadway Street, Thermopolis, WY. Written comments may be submitted as described under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. All comments, including names and addresses when provided, are placed in the record and are available for public inspection and copying. The public may inspect comments received at Shoshone National Forest, Supervisor’s Office, 808 Meadow Lane, Cody, Wyoming. Please call ahead (307–527–6241) to facilitate entry into the building. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Schacht by phone at 307–335– 2171 or via email at sschacht@fs.fed.us. Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday. Please make requests in advance for sign language interpreting, assistive listening devices or other reasonable accomodation for access to the facility or procedings by contacting the person listed in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. ADDRESSES: SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Additional RAC information, including the meeting agenda and the meeting summary/minutes can be found at the following Web site: https:// fsplaces.fs.fed.us/fsfiles/unit/wo/ secure_rural_schools.nsf. The agenda will include time for people to make oral statements of three minutes or less. Individuals wishing to make an oral statement should request in writing by April 10, 2014 to be scheduled on the agenda. Anyone who would like to bring related matters to the attention of the committee may file written statements with the committee staff before or after the meeting. Written comments and requests for time for oral comments must be sent to Steve Schacht, District Ranger, 333 East Main St., Lander, WY 82520; or by email to sschacht@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to 307–332–0264. Dated: March 6, 2014. Joseph G. Alexander, Forest Supervisor . [FR Doc. 2014–05552 Filed 3–13–14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–11–P PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 14475 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of information under the emergency provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). Agency: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Title: Nomination Applications for Participation in a Forensics Organization of Scientific Area Committees. OMB Control Number: None. Form Number(s): NA. Type of Request: Emergency submission (new information collection). Number of Respondents: 2,500. Average Hours per Response: 30 minutes. Burden Hours: 1,250. Needs and Uses: The information requested will allow NIST along with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to populate over 500 positions in the newly established Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) to enable a coordinated U.S. approach to Standards for the Forensic Science Disciplines to include broad participation from forensic science practitioners, researchers, metrologists, accreditation bodies, defense, and prosecution. NIST needs to determine who wants to serve on the OSAC, which of the thirty organizational components of the OSAC they are interested in working on, and the experience they bring to the OSAC so those selected will reflect a balance of perspectives. The application will be used to for this process. NIST is requesting expedited review that will allow OSAC participants to be identified by May 2014, which will allow sufficient time to train the members on their responsibilities and guideline development, and to host the inaugural OSAC meeting by the end of FY 2014. Affected Public: Individuals or households. Frequency: One-time only. Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. This information collection request may be viewed at https:// www.reginfo.gov/public. Follow the instructions to review Department of Commerce collections under review. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent by March 31, 2014 to OIRA_Submission@ omb.eop.gov or fax no. (202) 395–5806. E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM 14MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 50 (Friday, March 14, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14472-14475]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-05710]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Farm Service Agency


Risk Management Agency; 2014 Farm Bill Implementation Listening 
Session

AGENCY: Farm Service Agency and Risk Management Agency, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In preparing to implement the Agricultural Act of 2014 
(commonly referred to as the 2014 Farm Bill), we are hosting a 
listening session for initial public input about the new programs and 
changes to existing programs for which the Farm Service Agency (FSA) 
and the Risk Management Agency (RMA) have been delegated the authority 
to implement. The 2014 Farm Bill is intended to maintain a strong farm 
safety-net, restore funding for a

[[Page 14473]]

number of critical programs including disaster assistance that has 
lapsed, conserve our natural resources, and prepare the nation for the 
next generation of farming and agriculture. The listening session will 
provide an opportunity for stakeholders to voice their priorities, 
concerns, or requests. Examples of new programs FSA will implement 
include the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC), Price Loss Coverage (PLC), 
and Dairy Margin Protection Programs (MPP-Dairy). RMA will be 
implementing the new Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO), Stacked Income 
Protection Plan (STAX) for producers of upland cotton, conservation 
compliance requirements, and several new program revisions leading to 
enhanced crop insurance coverage. Instructions regarding registering 
for and attending the listening session are in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this notice.

DATES: Listening session: The listening session will be on March 27, 
2014, and will begin at 9:00 a.m. and is scheduled to end by 5:00 p.m.
    Registration: You must register by March 15, 2014, to attend the 
listening session and to provide oral comments during the listening 
session.
    Comments: Written comments are due by April 2, 2014.

ADDRESSES: We invite you to participate in the listening session. The 
listening session is open to the public. The meeting will be held in 
the Jefferson Auditorium of the South Building at 14th Street and 
Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20250.
    We also invite you to submit comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments; or
     Orally at the listening session; please also provide a 
written copy of your comments online as specified above or in hard copy 
at the listening session.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Stephenson; phone: (202) 720-
4019. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 
communication (Braille, large print, audio tape, etc.) should contact 
the USDA Target Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 7, 2014, the 2014 Farm Bill 
(Pub. L. 113-79) was signed into law. The Secretary of Agriculture and 
the respective USDA agencies, including, but not limited to FSA and 
RMA, are working to implement the provisions of the 2014 Farm Bill as 
expeditiously as possible to meet the needs of producers and other 
stakeholders. In order to implement the provisions expeditiously and to 
ensure transparency, it is important to hear from stakeholders to be 
aware of their priorities, concerns, or requests.
    FSA and RMA will hold the listening session on the following date 
and location. The listening session is open to the public. The 
stakeholders and public are invited to provide oral comments during the 
meeting on March 27, 2014. A written copy of the oral comments is 
requested. (See the ADDRESSES section above for information about 
submitting written comments.) In addition, written comments may be 
submitted by April 2, 2014. As a listening session, the focus is for 
FSA and RMA to hear from the public; this is not a discussion with FSA 
and RMA officials or a question and answer session. The purpose is to 
receive public input that each agency can factor into discretionary 
decisions that need to be made to implement the provisions of the 2014 
Farm Bill.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Date                      Time         Location information
------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 27, 2014................  9:00 a.m.-5:00     USDA headquarters, in
                                 p.m.               the South Building,
                                                    Jefferson Auditorium
                                                    14th Street and
                                                    Independence Ave.
                                                    SW., Washington, DC
                                                    20250.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The listening session will begin with brief opening remarks from 
the USDA Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services. 
Individual speakers providing oral comments will be limited to an 
estimated 3-5 minutes; however, this time will be adjusted based on 
stakeholder interest. As noted above, we request that speakers 
providing oral comments also provide a written copy of their comments. 
(See the ADDRESSES section above for information about submitting 
written comments.) All stakeholders and interested members of the 
public are welcome to register to provide oral comments; however, due 
to the time constraints a limited number will be selected on a first 
come, first serve basis.
    The purpose of the listening session is for FSA and RMA to hear 
from stakeholders and other interested members of the public about the 
programs that are being implemented or revised by FSA or RMA as 
required by the 2014 Farm Bill. Please refer to the name of the FSA or 
RMA program in your comment and the relevant section number in the 2014 
Farm Bill. In your comments, provide your input about the program, 
changes, outreach, education, tools, and anything else that may be 
helpful for us as we implement the new programs and changes. The 
following list of programs that span multiple sections in the 2014 Farm 
Bill or program names that may not be obvious from the section title 
include:
     New ARC and PLC Programs (2014 Farm Bill sections 1111-
1118);
     Revised MAL and LDP for 2015 and subsequent crops and the 
extension of the Sugar Program and the related Feedstock Flexibility 
Program (2014 Farm Bill sections 1201-1210, 1301, and 9009);
     New MPP-Dairy and the new Dairy Product Donation Program 
(2014 Farm Bill sections 1401-1422, 1425, and 1431);
     Revised disaster assistance programs for 2015 and 
subsequent crops, including the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), the 
Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), the Emergency Assistance for 
Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), and the Tree 
Assistance Program (TAP) (2014 Farm Bill section 1501);
     Common provisions for payment limits & payment eligibility 
for 2015 and subsequent crops (2014 Farm Bill sections 1603 and 1605);
     Actively engaged requirements for payment eligibility 
(2014 Farm Bill section 1604);
     Highly erodible land and wetland conservation for crop 
insurance (2014 Farm Bill section 2611); and
     New SCO and STAX programs (2014 Farm Bill sections 11003 
and 11017).
    To identify the section numbers for your comments and to find the 
relevant text for FSA and RMA programs in the 2014 Farm Bill, which is 
available on the FSA Farm Bill Web page (https://www.fsa.usda.gov/farmbill), the following is an excerpt from the 2014 Farm Bill Table of 
Contents that focuses on the sections for the FSA and RMA programs:


[[Page 14474]]



Agricultural Act of 2014

Title I--Commodities

Subtitle A--Repeals and Reforms

Part II--Commodity Policy

Sec. 1111. Definitions.
Sec. 1112. Base acres.
Sec. 1113. Payment yields.
Sec. 1114. Payment acres.
Sec. 1115. Producer election.
Sec. 1116. Price loss coverage.
Sec. 1117. Agriculture risk coverage.
Sec. 1118. Producer agreements.
Sec. 1119. Transition assistance for producers of upland cotton.

Subtitle B--Marketing Loans

Sec. 1201. Availability of nonrecourse marketing assistance loans 
for loan commodities.
Sec. 1202. Loan rates for nonrecourse marketing assistance loans.
Sec. 1203. Term of loans.
Sec. 1204. Repayment of loans.
Sec. 1205. Loan deficiency payments.
Sec. 1206. Payments in lieu of loan deficiency payments for grazed 
acreage.
Sec. 1207. Special marketing loan provisions for upland cotton.
Sec. 1208. Special competitive provisions for extra long staple 
cotton.
Sec. 1209. Availability of recourse loans for high moisture feed 
grains and seed cotton.
Sec. 1210. Adjustments of loans.

Subtitle C--Sugar

Sec. 1301. Sugar policy.

Subtitle D--Dairy

Part I--Margin Protection Program for Dairy Producers

Sec. 1401. Definitions.
Sec. 1402. Calculation of average feed cost and actual dairy 
production margins.
Sec. 1403. Establishment of margin protection program for dairy 
producers.
Sec. 1404. Participation of dairy operations in margin protection 
program.
Sec. 1405. Production history of participating dairy operations.
Sec. 1406. Margin protection payments.
Sec. 1407. Premiums for margin protection program.
Sec. 1408. Effect of failure to pay administrative fees or premiums.
Sec. 1409. Duration.
Sec. 1410. Administration and enforcement.

Part II--Repeal or Reauthorization of Other Dairy-Related Provisions

Sec. 1421. Repeal of dairy product price support program.
Sec. 1422. Temporary continuation and eventual repeal of milk income 
loss contract program.
Sec. 1423. Repeal of dairy export incentive program.
Sec. 1424. Extension of dairy forward pricing program.
Sec. 1425. Extension of dairy indemnity program.
Sec. 1426. Extension of dairy promotion and research program.
Sec. 1427. Repeal of Federal Milk Marketing Order Review Commission.

Part III--Dairy Product Donation Program

Sec. 1431. Dairy product donation program.

Subtitle E--Supplemental Agricultural Disaster Assistance Programs

Sec. 1501. Supplemental agricultural disaster assistance.

Subtitle F--Administration

Sec. 1601. Administration generally.
Sec. 1603. Payment limitations.
Sec. 1604. Rulemaking related to significant contribution for active 
personal management.
Sec. 1605. Adjusted gross income limitation.
Sec. 1606. Geographically disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.
Sec. 1607. Personal liability of producers for deficiencies.
Sec. 1608. Prevention of deceased individuals receiving payments 
under farm commodity programs.
Sec. 1609. Technical corrections.
Sec. 1610. Appeals.
Sec. 1612. Tracking of benefits.
Sec. 1613. Signature authority.
Sec. 1614. Implementation.
Sec. 1615. Research option.

Title II--Conservation

Subtitle A--Conservation Reserve Program

Sec. 2001. Extension and enrollment requirements of conservation 
reserve program.
Sec. 2002. Farmable wetland program.
Sec. 2003. Duties of owners and operators.
Sec. 2004. Duties of the Secretary.
Sec. 2005. Payments.
Sec. 2006. Contract requirements.
Sec. 2007. Conversion of land subject to contract to other 
conserving uses.
Sec. 2008. Effect on existing contracts.

Subtitle G--Funding and Administration

Sec. 2602. Technical assistance.
Sec. 2604. Reservation of funds to provide assistance to certain 
farmers or ranchers for conservation access.
Sec. 2606. Administrative requirements applicable to all 
conservation programs.
Sec. 2609. Wetlands mitigation.
Sec. 2610. Lesser prairie-chicken conservation report.
Sec. 2611. Highly erodible land and wetland conservation for crop 
insurance.
Sec. 2712. Temporary administration of conservation programs.

Title V--Credit

Subtitle A--Farm Ownership Loans

Sec. 5001. Eligibility for farm ownership loans.

Subtitle B--Operating Loans

Sec. 5101. Eligibility for farm operating loans.
Sec. 5105. Valuation of local or regional crops.
Sec. 5106. Microloans.

Subtitle C--Emergency Loans

Sec. 5201. Eligibility for emergency loans.

Subtitle D--Administrative Provisions

Sec. 5302. Farmer loan pilot projects.

Subtitle E--Miscellaneous

Sec. 5402. Loans to purchasers of highly fractionated land.

Title IX--Energy

Sec. 9009. Feedstock Flexibility Program for Bioenergy Producers.
Sec. 9010. Biomass Crop Assistance Program.

Title XI--Crop Insurance

Sec. 11001. Information sharing.
Sec. 11002. Publication of information on violations of prohibition 
on premium adjustments.
Sec. 11003. Supplemental coverage option.
Sec. 11004. Crop margin coverage option.
Sec. 11005. Premium amounts for catastrophic risk protection.
Sec. 11006. Permanent enterprise unit subsidy.
Sec. 11007. Enterprise units for irrigated and nonirrigated crops.
Sec. 11008. Data collection.
Sec. 11009. Adjustment in actual production history to establish 
insurable yields.
Sec. 11010. Submission of policies and Board review and approval.
Sec. 11011. Consultation.
Sec. 11012. Budget limitations on renegotiation of the standard 
reinsurance agreement.
Sec. 11013. Test weight for corn.
Sec. 11014. Crop production on native sod.
Sec. 11015. Coverage levels by practice.
Sec. 11016. Beginning farmer and rancher provisions.
Sec. 11017. Stacked income protection plan for producers of upland 
cotton.
Sec. 11018. Peanut revenue crop insurance.
Sec. 11019. Authority to correct errors.
Sec. 11020. Implementation.
Sec. 11021. Crop insurance fraud.
Sec. 11022. Research and development priorities.
Sec. 11023. Crop insurance for organic crops.
Sec. 11024. Program compliance partnerships.
Sec. 11025. Pilot programs.
Sec. 11026. Index-based weather insurance pilot program.
Sec. 11027. Enhancing producer self-help through farm financial 
benchmarking.
Sec. 11028. Technical amendments.

Title XII--Miscellaneous

Subtitle B--Socially Disadvantaged Producers and Limited Resource 
Producers

Sec. 12204. Receipt for service or denial of service from certain 
department of agriculture agencies.

Subtitle C--Other Miscellaneous Provisions

Sec. 12305. Noninsured crop assistance program.

Instructions for Attending the Meeting

    Space for attendance at the meeting is limited. Due to USDA 
headquarters security and space requirements, all persons wishing to 
attend the public meeting or provide oral comments to FSA and RMA 
during the listening session must send an email to 
robert.stephenson@wdc.usda.gov by March 25, 2014, to register the names 
of

[[Page 14475]]

those planning to attend. Registrations will be accepted until maximum 
room capacity is reached. To register, provide the following 
information:

 First Name
 Last Name
 Organization
 Title
 Email
 City
 State

    Upon arrival at the USDA South Building, registered persons must 
provide valid photo identification in order to enter the building; 
visitors need to enter the South Building through Wing 4. Please allow 
extra time to get through security. Additional information about the 
listening session, agenda, directions to get to the listening session, 
and how to provide comments is available at the FSA Farm Bill Web site: 
https://www.fsa.usda.gov/farmbill.
    All written comments received will be publicly available on 
www.regulations.gov.
    If you require special accommodations, such as a sign language 
interpreter, use the contact information above. The listening session 
location is accessible to persons with disabilities.

    Signed on: March 11, 2014.
Michael T. Scuse,
Under Secretary, Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services.
[FR Doc. 2014-05710 Filed 3-12-14; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-05-P
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