Notice of Request for Approval of an Information Collection, 7354-7356 [2024-02129]
Download as PDF
7354
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 23 / Friday, February 2, 2024 / Notices
Form LP–51–1, Soybean
Promotion and Research Order Request
for Referendum, may be obtained by
mail, fax, or in person from the Farm
Service Agency (FSA) county offices
from May 6, 2024, to May 31, 2024.
Form LP–51–1 may also be obtained via
the internet at https://www.ams.usda.
gov/rules-regulations/researchpromotion/soybean during the same
time period. Completed forms and
supporting documentation must be
returned to the appropriate county FSA
office by fax or in person no later than
close of business May 31, 2024, or if
returned by mail, must be postmarked
by midnight May 31, 2024, and received
in the county FSA office by close of
business on June 7, 2024.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jason Julian, Agricultural Marketing
Specialist, Research and Promotion
Division, Livestock and Poultry
Program, AMS, USDA, STOP 0249, 1400
Independence Avenue SW, Washington,
DC 20250–0249; Telephone (202) 720–
5705; or Email to Jason.Julian@
usda.gov; or contact a local FSA Office;
the phone numbers, fax numbers, and
mailing addresses can be found at
https://www.farmers.gov/.
In
accordance with the Act (7 U.S.C. 6301–
6311), this notice announces the dates
when the Request for Referendum will
be conducted and the place where
soybean producers may request a
referendum on the Order (7 CFR part
1220). The Act provides that the
Secretary, 5 years after the conduct of
the initial referendum and every 5 years
thereafter, shall give soybean producers
an opportunity to request a referendum
on the Order. The initial referendum
was held in February 1994, and the
results were announced on April 1,
1994. During the initial referendum,
85,606 valid ballots were cast, with
46,060 (53.8 percent) in favor of
continuing the Order and 39,546 votes
(46.2 percent) against continuing the
Order. The Act required approval by a
simple majority for the Order to
continue.
The most recent opportunity for
producers to request a referendum on
the Order was in May 2019. During that
period, 708 producers completed valid
requests—short of the 51,501 required to
trigger a referendum. On July 17, 2019,
USDA announced the results of the
Request for Referendum and that the
requisite number of producers had not
requested that a referendum be
conducted.
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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Eligibility
To be eligible to participate, soybean
producers must certify that they or the
entity they are authorized to represent
paid an assessment under the Soybean
Checkoff Program at sometime between
January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023.
They must complete and submit Form
LP–51–1—Soybean Promotion and
Research Order Request for Referendum,
in person; by mail, postmarked by May
31, 2024, and received no later than
June 7, 2024; or by fax between May 6,
2024, and May 31, 2024. Individual
producers and other producer entities
would request a referendum at the
county FSA office where FSA maintains
and processes the producer’s,
corporation’s, or other entity’s
administrative farm records. For the
producer, corporation, or other entity
not participating in FSA programs, the
opportunity to request a referendum
would be provided at the county FSA
office serving the county where the
producer, corporation, or other entity
owns or rents land. Form LP–51–1 may
also be obtained via the internet at
https://www.ams.usda.gov/rulesregulations/research-promotion/
soybean. If obtained by the internet,
Form LP–51–1 must be completed and
returned by mail, fax, or in person with
the supporting documentation to the
county FSA office where FSA maintains
and processes the producer’s,
corporation’s, or other entity’s
administrative farm records.
In accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501–
3521), the information collection
requirements connected with the
Request for Referendum have been
approved by the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) and assigned OMB
control number 0581–0093.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 6301–6311.
Melissa Bailey,
Associate Administrator, Agricultural
Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–02136 Filed 2–1–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–02–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Notice of Request for Approval of an
Information Collection
Office of the Chief Economist,
Office of Pest Management Policy,
USDA.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice announces the intention of
SUMMARY:
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Sfmt 4703
USDA’s Office of Pest Management
Policy to request renewal of an existing
information collection for Multiple Crop
and Pesticide Use Surveys.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be
received by April 2, 2024 to be assured
of consideration.
ADDRESSES: USDA invites interested
persons to submit comments on this
notice. Comments may be submitted by
one of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: This
website provides the ability to type
short comments directly into the
comment field on this web page or
attach a file for lengthier comments. Go
to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow
the on-line instructions at that site for
submitting comments.
• Mail, including CD–ROMs, etc.:
Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Office of Pest
Management Policy, 1400 Independence
Ave. SW, Room3871—South Building,
Mailstop 3817, Washington, DC 20250–
3700.
• Hand- or courier-delivered
submittals: Deliver to 1400
Independence Ave. SW, Room4054—
South Building, Washington, DC 20250–
3700. You may also want to send
comments to the Desk Officer for
Agriculture, Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, Office of
Management and Budget, Washington,
DC 20503.
Instructions: All items submitted by
mail or electronic mail must include the
Agency name and docket number.
Comments received in response to this
docket will be made available for public
inspection and posted without change,
including any personal information, to
https://www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michelle Ranville, Office of the Chief
Economist, Office of Pest Management
Policy, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
1400 Independence Ave. SW,
Washington, DC 20250–3700, (202) 577–
1980.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Generic Clearance to Conduct
Multiple Crop and Pesticide Use
Surveys.
OMB Number: 0503–0026.
Expiration Date of Approval: Three
years from approval date.
Type of Request: Renewal and
revision of a currently approved
information collection.
Abstract: The Office of Pest
Management Policy (OPMP) of the
United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) requests approval from the
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for generic clearance that will
allow OPMP to collect information from
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02FEN1
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 23 / Friday, February 2, 2024 / Notices
agricultural entities. The primary
purpose of this information will be to
support OPMP’s understanding of
agricultural practices pertaining to pest
management. OPMP is undertaking this
effort to satisfy legislative requirements
outlined in Title X, Section 10109 of the
2018 Farm Bill, which mandates that
The Secretary of Agriculture, acting
through the Office of the Chief
Economist’s Director of OPMP, collect
this information.
Pest management information is
critical to supporting a key
responsibility of OPMP, i.e., to ‘‘consult
with agricultural producers that may be
affected by pest management or
pesticide-related activities or actions of
the Department or other agencies,’’ as
outlined in the Agricultural Research,
Extension, and Education Reform Act of
1998. The information collected under
this approval improves OPMP’s ability
to better understand the utilization of
pest management tools by agricultural
producers via input from producers and
pest management advisors, including
extension experts and crop consultants,
who in addition to being advisors are
often agricultural producers themselves.
Data collected are intended to capture
agricultural practices and needs to
support federal activities that pertain to
pest management, which are typically
time-sensitive and necessitate the need
for rapid data collection.
In most cases, the turnaround time for
these information collections will be a
function of 60-day public comment
periods associated with pesticide
licensing actions, making it essential for
OPMP to promptly administer requests
and collect responses. Various factors
drive what types of questions OPMP
may ask, including the active
ingredient, crop, region, application
method, and specific target pest
problems. Examples of questions
include inquiries regarding pesticide
usage, the availability and comparative
utility of alternative pest management
tactics for target pests, the feasibility of
pesticide mitigations, and resistance
management concerns. Further, OPMP
often needs to understand niche pest
situations on specific crops and/or
regions, which typically is not
information that is readily available
from other sources.
This effort does not intend to
duplicate information collection
activities administered by USDA’s
National Agricultural Statistics Service
(NASS) that pertain to pest
management. When needed data are
current and available through NASS
collection efforts, it is OPMP’s policy to
utilize and recognize such information
as Best Available Data.
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17:08 Feb 01, 2024
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These data will be collected under the
authority of 7 U.S.C. 2204(a).
Individually identifiable data collected
under this authority are governed by
section 1770 of the Food Security Act of
1985, 7 U.S.C. 2276. This Notice is
submitted in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub.
L. 104–113) and Office of Management
and Budget regulations at 5 CFR part
1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29, 1995).
Estimate of Burden: Public reporting
burden for this collection of information
is estimated to average 15 minutes per
response. Outside of upfront
demographic questions, no more than
fifteen questions will be asked per
response.
Type of Respondents: American
Society of Agronomy (ASA) Certified
Crop Advisors (CCAs); crop consultants
associated with the National Alliance of
Independent Crop Consultants (NAICC);
county extension agents affiliated with
the National Association of County
Agricultural Agents (NACAA); other
agricultural stakeholders, such as
farmers, ranchers, nursery operators,
animal operations (cattle, chickens,
catfish, etc.), foresters, beekeepers, farm
managers, farm contractors,
extermination and pest control
operators, postharvest crop packing
and/or processing activities, cotton
ginning, etc.; university agricultural
academics/experts (other than those
represented through NACAA); and/or
other specialists that work with or on
behalf of these groups.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
Given that it is impossible to predict the
number of impactful federal actions that
pertain to pest management in any given
year, the entire universe of specialists
employed in the areas outlined above
could be considered as possible
respondents. Realistically, however,
only a small subset of these individuals
is expected to respond to a request.
Using estimates provided by the ASA,
the NAICC, and the NACAA, as of
November 2023 there were 10,720 CCAs
in the United States, 604 NAICC
independent crop consultants, and
3,259 agricultural experts affiliated with
the NACAA. Although some individuals
are both CCAs and independent crop
consultants, at most the total universe of
crop advisors/consultants is 14,583
respondents. OPMP adds 1,000 to this
number to account for outreach to
smaller stakeholder groups for
knowledge/information on pest
management that may not be readily
available from crop consultants (e.g.,
pest management in packing houses,
commercial seed treatment practices,
etc.). On the first iteration of this ICR,
NASS survey methodologists estimated
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7355
a response rate of 15% should be
expected until further empirical data is
available. OPMP has retained this
estimate for the revision of this ICR.
This could lead to a maximum number
of 2,338 total respondents per survey.
Potential respondents will be contacted
by email. They will have the option to
quickly read a summary of the survey
topic and delete the survey request if it
is not applicable to them. OPMP
estimates a burden of 1 minute per nonresponse, though it is likely to be even
lower.
Estimated Number of Responses: It is
not possible to precisely predict the
number of significant actions or
activities that would necessitate OPMP
conducting an information collection
request. From 2016 to 2019, EPA made
approximately 40 requests to OPMP for
information across a total of more than
85 crops. From 2020 to 2023, that
number of requests was lower,
approximately 30 requests. But EPA also
issued roughly 200 Proposed Interim
Decisions (PIDs) over that time period in
addition to more than 100 Draft Risk
Assessments (DRAs). OPMP provided
written responses to the vast majority of
these actions. OPMP does not need to
seek additional information for all
actions, and each action typically only
applies to a subset of crops grown in the
United States. However, for actions that
apply broadly to multiple crops and
regions, OPMP may want to seek broad
input from producers of many crops.
EPA actions are typically posted to the
docket in quarterly batches. Thus,
OPMP may be able to combine
questions across multiple crops, active
ingredients, practices, etc., into one
survey. For this collection request, the
crop consultant groups (total 14,583)
could be contacted up to eight times
annually. Up to 15 percent of those may
provide responses to questionnaires, or
17,500 responses per year. In addition,
other niche groups, up to 1,000
respondents total across groups, may be
contacted up to two times annually for
an additional 300 responses. This
amounts to approximately 17,800
responses per year maximum.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: Respondents will be
contacted no more than eight times
annually.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 6,131 burden hours
annually, or 18,393 hours over the
three-year life of the ICR.
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
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 23 / Friday, February 2, 2024 / Notices
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.
Comments may be sent to United States
Department of Agriculture, 1400
Independence Ave. SW, Room 4054,
Washington, DC 20250–9810. All
comments received will be available for
public inspection during regular
business hours at the same address.
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.
Cynthia Nickerson,
Deputy Chief Economist, United States
Department of Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2024–02129 Filed 2–1–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–18–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request—Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program
Education (SNAP-Ed) Intervention
Submission Form and Scoring Tool
Food and Nutrition Service
(FNS), Department of Agriculture
(USDA).
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice invites the general public and
other public agencies to comment on
this proposed revision to the currently
approved information collection for the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP) FNS–885, ‘‘SNAP
Education (SNAP-Ed) Intervention
Scoring Tool’’ and the FNS–886, ‘‘SNAP
Education (SNAP-Ed) Intervention
Submission Form.’’ This revision to
forms FNS–885 and FNS–886 will
provide an improved user experience by
simplifying scoring criteria and
clarifying the information requested for
certain fields. These updates will also
align with the new SNAP-Ed National
Program Evaluation and Reporting
System (N–PEARS), to ensure
consistency with SNAP-Ed specific
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SUMMARY:
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17:08 Feb 01, 2024
Jkt 262001
terms. More information on changes to
these forms is in the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this notice.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be
received on or before April 2, 2024 to
be assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to
Aurora Calvillo Buffington, Food and
Nutrition Service, Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program, Program
Administration and Nutrition Division,
1320 Braddock Place, 5th Floor,
Alexandria, VA 22314. Comments may
also be submitted via email to SNAPEd@usda.gov or through the Federal
eRulemaking Portal. Go to https://
www.regulations.gov, and follow the
online instructions for submitting
comments electronically.
All responses to this notice will be
summarized and included in the request
for Office of Management and Budget
approval. All comments will become a
matter of public record.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of this information collection
should be directed to Divyani Pendleton
at 703–305–2031 or Divyani.Pendleton@
usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments
are invited on: (a) whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of agency
functions, including whether the
information shall have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate
of the burden of the proposed collection
of information, including the validity of
the methodology and the assumptions
used; (c) ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and (d) ways to minimize
the burden of the collection of
information on those who respond,
including use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
technology.
Title: SNAP-Ed Intervention Scoring
Tool and SNAP-Ed Intervention
Submission Form.
Form Number: FNS–885 and FNS–
886.
OMB Number: 0584–0639.
Expiration Date: 9/30/2024.
Type of Request: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Abstract: The Food and Nutrition Act
of 2008, as amended (the Act)
§ 28(c)(3)(A) states that State agencies
‘‘may use funds provided under this
section for any evidence-based
allowable use of funds’’ including ‘‘(i)
individual and group-based nutrition
education, health promotion, and
intervention strategies; (ii)
comprehensive, multilevel interventions
at multiple complementary
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
organizational and institutional levels;
and (iii) community and public health
approaches to improve nutrition.’’ 7
CFR 272.2(d)(2)(vii)(D) states ‘‘SNAP-Ed
activities must include evidence-based
activities using two or more of these
approaches: individual or group-based
nutrition education, health promotion,
and intervention strategies;
comprehensive, multi-level
interventions at multiple
complementary organizational and
institutional levels; community and
public health approaches to improve
nutrition and physical activity.’’
The SNAP-Ed Strategies and
Interventions: An Obesity Prevention
Toolkit for States (SNAP-Ed Toolkit)
was developed collaboratively by FNS
National and Regional Office SNAP-Ed
staff, the National Collaborative on
Childhood Obesity Reduction (NCCOR),
and the Association of SNAP Nutrition
Education Administrators (ASNNA).
Currently, more than 150 interventions
are available on the SNAP-Ed Toolkit
website https://snapedtoolkit.org/. State
agencies use the SNAP-Ed Toolkit to
locate evidence-based interventions for
their implementation of SNAP-Ed
programming.
The SNAP-Ed Intervention
Submission Form, FNS–886, and the
SNAP-Ed Intervention Scoring Tool,
FNS–885, provide a uniform and
transparent method for submission,
review, and scoring of nutrition
education, physical activity promotion,
and obesity prevention interventions for
inclusion in the SNAP-Ed Toolkit.
SNAP-Ed State and implementing
agencies, nutrition education and public
health agencies, and other organizations
use these voluntary forms to submit
interventions for consideration. The
SNAP-Ed Intervention Submission Form
and Scoring Tool make it possible for
SNAP-Ed implementers and the review
committee to determine if the
intervention submitted for inclusion in
the SNAP-Ed Toolkit is evidence-based
and uses one or more of the required
approaches. These forms support FNS
efforts to increase the selection of
interventions available in the SNAP-Ed
Toolkit, improve innovation in service
delivery using interventions which
reflect the latest research, and respond
directly to entities submitting
interventions (submitters) for the SNAPEd Toolkit.
The collection of this information for
the submission, review, and scoring of
nutrition education, physical activity
promotion, and obesity prevention
interventions for inclusion in the SNAPEd Toolkit is necessary to:
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 23 (Friday, February 2, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7354-7356]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-02129]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Notice of Request for Approval of an Information Collection
AGENCY: Office of the Chief Economist, Office of Pest Management
Policy, USDA.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice announces the intention of USDA's Office of Pest Management
Policy to request renewal of an existing information collection for
Multiple Crop and Pesticide Use Surveys.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by April 2, 2024 to be
assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: USDA invites interested persons to submit comments on this
notice. Comments may be submitted by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: This website provides the
ability to type short comments directly into the comment field on this
web page or attach a file for lengthier comments. Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions at that site for
submitting comments.
Mail, including CD-ROMs, etc.: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Office of Pest Management Policy, 1400
Independence Ave. SW, Room3871--South Building, Mailstop 3817,
Washington, DC 20250-3700.
Hand- or courier-delivered submittals: Deliver to 1400
Independence Ave. SW, Room4054--South Building, Washington, DC 20250-
3700. You may also want to send comments to the Desk Officer for
Agriculture, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of
Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503.
Instructions: All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must
include the Agency name and docket number. Comments received in
response to this docket will be made available for public inspection
and posted without change, including any personal information, to
https://www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Ranville, Office of the Chief
Economist, Office of Pest Management Policy, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20250-3700,
(202) 577-1980.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Generic Clearance to Conduct Multiple Crop and Pesticide Use
Surveys.
OMB Number: 0503-0026.
Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from approval date.
Type of Request: Renewal and revision of a currently approved
information collection.
Abstract: The Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP) of the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requests approval from the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for generic clearance that will
allow OPMP to collect information from
[[Page 7355]]
agricultural entities. The primary purpose of this information will be
to support OPMP's understanding of agricultural practices pertaining to
pest management. OPMP is undertaking this effort to satisfy legislative
requirements outlined in Title X, Section 10109 of the 2018 Farm Bill,
which mandates that The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the
Office of the Chief Economist's Director of OPMP, collect this
information.
Pest management information is critical to supporting a key
responsibility of OPMP, i.e., to ``consult with agricultural producers
that may be affected by pest management or pesticide-related activities
or actions of the Department or other agencies,'' as outlined in the
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998. The
information collected under this approval improves OPMP's ability to
better understand the utilization of pest management tools by
agricultural producers via input from producers and pest management
advisors, including extension experts and crop consultants, who in
addition to being advisors are often agricultural producers themselves.
Data collected are intended to capture agricultural practices and needs
to support federal activities that pertain to pest management, which
are typically time-sensitive and necessitate the need for rapid data
collection.
In most cases, the turnaround time for these information
collections will be a function of 60-day public comment periods
associated with pesticide licensing actions, making it essential for
OPMP to promptly administer requests and collect responses. Various
factors drive what types of questions OPMP may ask, including the
active ingredient, crop, region, application method, and specific
target pest problems. Examples of questions include inquiries regarding
pesticide usage, the availability and comparative utility of
alternative pest management tactics for target pests, the feasibility
of pesticide mitigations, and resistance management concerns. Further,
OPMP often needs to understand niche pest situations on specific crops
and/or regions, which typically is not information that is readily
available from other sources.
This effort does not intend to duplicate information collection
activities administered by USDA's National Agricultural Statistics
Service (NASS) that pertain to pest management. When needed data are
current and available through NASS collection efforts, it is OPMP's
policy to utilize and recognize such information as Best Available
Data.
These data will be collected under the authority of 7 U.S.C.
2204(a). Individually identifiable data collected under this authority
are governed by section 1770 of the Food Security Act of 1985, 7 U.S.C.
2276. This Notice is submitted in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-113) and Office of Management and
Budget regulations at 5 CFR part 1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29, 1995).
Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 15 minutes per response. Outside of
upfront demographic questions, no more than fifteen questions will be
asked per response.
Type of Respondents: American Society of Agronomy (ASA) Certified
Crop Advisors (CCAs); crop consultants associated with the National
Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants (NAICC); county extension
agents affiliated with the National Association of County Agricultural
Agents (NACAA); other agricultural stakeholders, such as farmers,
ranchers, nursery operators, animal operations (cattle, chickens,
catfish, etc.), foresters, beekeepers, farm managers, farm contractors,
extermination and pest control operators, postharvest crop packing and/
or processing activities, cotton ginning, etc.; university agricultural
academics/experts (other than those represented through NACAA); and/or
other specialists that work with or on behalf of these groups.
Estimated Number of Respondents: Given that it is impossible to
predict the number of impactful federal actions that pertain to pest
management in any given year, the entire universe of specialists
employed in the areas outlined above could be considered as possible
respondents. Realistically, however, only a small subset of these
individuals is expected to respond to a request. Using estimates
provided by the ASA, the NAICC, and the NACAA, as of November 2023
there were 10,720 CCAs in the United States, 604 NAICC independent crop
consultants, and 3,259 agricultural experts affiliated with the NACAA.
Although some individuals are both CCAs and independent crop
consultants, at most the total universe of crop advisors/consultants is
14,583 respondents. OPMP adds 1,000 to this number to account for
outreach to smaller stakeholder groups for knowledge/information on
pest management that may not be readily available from crop consultants
(e.g., pest management in packing houses, commercial seed treatment
practices, etc.). On the first iteration of this ICR, NASS survey
methodologists estimated a response rate of 15% should be expected
until further empirical data is available. OPMP has retained this
estimate for the revision of this ICR. This could lead to a maximum
number of 2,338 total respondents per survey. Potential respondents
will be contacted by email. They will have the option to quickly read a
summary of the survey topic and delete the survey request if it is not
applicable to them. OPMP estimates a burden of 1 minute per non-
response, though it is likely to be even lower.
Estimated Number of Responses: It is not possible to precisely
predict the number of significant actions or activities that would
necessitate OPMP conducting an information collection request. From
2016 to 2019, EPA made approximately 40 requests to OPMP for
information across a total of more than 85 crops. From 2020 to 2023,
that number of requests was lower, approximately 30 requests. But EPA
also issued roughly 200 Proposed Interim Decisions (PIDs) over that
time period in addition to more than 100 Draft Risk Assessments (DRAs).
OPMP provided written responses to the vast majority of these actions.
OPMP does not need to seek additional information for all actions, and
each action typically only applies to a subset of crops grown in the
United States. However, for actions that apply broadly to multiple
crops and regions, OPMP may want to seek broad input from producers of
many crops. EPA actions are typically posted to the docket in quarterly
batches. Thus, OPMP may be able to combine questions across multiple
crops, active ingredients, practices, etc., into one survey. For this
collection request, the crop consultant groups (total 14,583) could be
contacted up to eight times annually. Up to 15 percent of those may
provide responses to questionnaires, or 17,500 responses per year. In
addition, other niche groups, up to 1,000 respondents total across
groups, may be contacted up to two times annually for an additional 300
responses. This amounts to approximately 17,800 responses per year
maximum.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: Respondents will be
contacted no more than eight times annually.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 6,131 burden hours
annually, or 18,393 hours over the three-year life of the ICR.
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
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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. Comments may be sent to United States Department of
Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Room 4054, Washington, DC
20250-9810. All comments received will be available for public
inspection during regular business hours at the same address.
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.
Cynthia Nickerson,
Deputy Chief Economist, United States Department of Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2024-02129 Filed 2-1-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-18-P