Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request, 44848 [2020-16065]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 143 (Friday, July 24, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 44848]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16065]


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                                                Federal Register
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This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 143 / Friday, July 24, 2020 / 
Notices

[[Page 44848]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

July 21, 2020.
    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: 
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; the accuracy of the agency's 
estimate of burden including the validity of the methodology and 
assumptions used; ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and 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 August 24, 2020. 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 Resource Management 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.
    Using the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) and the 
Vegetable Chemical Use Survey, NASS collects environmental data which 
includes cropping practices, fertilizer applications, pesticide usage 
for weeds, insects, fungus, mold, etc., and the use of various pest 
management practices. Through cooperative agreements with the Economic 
Research Service and the Office of Pest Management Policy NASS collects 
additional data to aid in their research. Additional questions were 
added to the ARMS III questionnaires to measure the impact the COVID-19 
pandemic has had on the farming industry in 2020. Complete listings of 
the questions added, deleted or changed on each questionnaire version 
are attached to this submission.
    The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the modes of data collection. In 
previous years, NASS has relied primarily on data collection by 
personal interviews for the ARMS and Chemical Use Surveys. With social 
distancing, NASS will incorporate a computer assisted web interview 
(CAWI) along with a computer assisted telephone interview (CATI). 
Operators will also be able to complete the questionnaire by mail if 
they choose to. With these changes to data collection modes NASS will 
postpone the ARMS II and III corn versions until 2021. The remaining 
versions will be conducted in 2020.
    The overall annual, average sample size for the ARMS and Chemical 
Use program will remain at 105,051. However, these substantive changes 
will make a minor adjustment to the number of respondents for these 
surveys. These changes will result in a net decrease in respondent 
burden of 1,842 hours and a decrease in number of responses of 3,534 
from the currently approved annual average total. A detailed listing of 
the changes, are attached to the docket submission.
    Need and Use of the Information: The Office of Pest Management 
Policy (OPMP), the Economic Research Service (ERS), universities, and 
numerous other State and Federal Agencies will be able to better 
address changes in the farming practices and chemicals used on these 
crops that have occurred since the original approval of this docket.
    Description of Respondents: Farms.
    Number of Respondents: 105,051.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Once.
    Total Burden Hours: 104,934.

Ruth Brown,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-16065 Filed 7-23-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-20-P