Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request, 12302-12303 [2024-03281]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 33 (Friday, February 16, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12302-12303]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03281]


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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, 
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 33 / Friday, February 16, 2024 / 
Notices

[[Page 12302]]



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 March 18, 2024. Written 
comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection 
should be submitted, identified by docket number 0535-0264, within 30 
days of the publication of this notice by any of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include docket number 
above in the subject line of the message.
     E-fax: 855-838-6382.
     Mail: Mail any paper, disk, or CD-ROM submissions to: 
Richard Hopper, NASS Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
Room 5336 South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 
20250-2024.
     Hand Delivery/Courier: Hand deliver to: Richard Hopper, 
NASS Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 5336 South 
Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-2024.
    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 Surveys Program.
    OMB Control Number: 0535-0213.
    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 Agricultural Surveys Program information 
collection request (OMB No. 0535-0213) for 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 field crop 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: The surveys provide the basis for 
estimates of the current season's crop and livestock production and 
supplies of grain in storage. Crop and livestock statistics help 
develop a stable economic atmosphere and reduce risk for production, 
marketing, and distribution operations. These commodities affect the 
well being of the nation's farmers, commodities markets, and national 
and global agricultural policy. Users of agricultural statistics are 
farm organizations, agribusiness, state and national farm policy 
makers, and foreign buyers of agricultural products but the primary 
user of the statistical information is the producer. Agricultural 
statistics are also used to plan and administer other related federal 
and state programs in such areas as school lunch program, conservation, 
foreign trade, education, and recreation. Collecting the information 
less frequent would eliminate needed data to keep the government and 
agricultural industry abreast of changes at the state and national 
levels.
    Description of Respondents: Farms and Ranches.
    Number of Respondents: 491,600.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Quarterly; Semi-annually; 
Monthly; Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 184,481.

National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)

    Title: Agricultural Resource Management Phases 1 & 2 and Chemical 
Use Surveys.
    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

[[Page 12303]]

substantive change to the Agricultural Resource Management Phases 1 & 2 
and Chemical Use Surveys information collection request (OMB No. 0535-
0218) for an increase in sample size due to screening for changes 
resulting from the reinstatement of the Tenure, Ownership and 
Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL) for 2024. Every 10 years NASS 
conducts the TOTAL as a follow-on survey to the 2022 Census of 
Agriculture and are authorized by the Food, Conservation, and Energy 
Act of 2008 as amended.
    The Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) Phase 3 (OMB # 
0535-0275) will be suspended for a period of one year. The suspended 
survey will be the 2024 survey that would have been conducted in 2025. 
The scope of the TOTAL survey is greater than that of the ARMS 3 
survey. To maintain the ARMS 3 data series, data will be gleaned from 
the TOTAL surveys to replace the 2024 ARMS 3 data collection.
    As a result of the ARMS 3 data being gleaned from TOTAL, the 2024 
Integrated Screening Survey (ISS) will include the screening for the 
TOTAL. Current screening sample size approved for this ICR is 100,000. 
This substantive change documents the need for the sample size to be 
increased.
    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.

National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)

    Title: Water Use Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 0535-0262.
    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 Water Use survey program will collect information on water 
usage for North Carolina agricultural operations that likely use 
between 10,000 and 1,000,000 gallons per day. Agricultural operations 
who use over 1,000,000 gallons in any one day are required to report 
their water usage directly to North Carolina Department of 
Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) and are not included in this survey. All 
questionnaires included in this information collection will be 
voluntary. This project is conducted as a cooperative effort with the 
North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Funding 
for this survey is being provided by NCDACS.
    Need and Use of the Information: The program will help the North 
Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDACS) and 
NCDEQ fulfill the requirements of North Carolina state legislation 
enacted in 2008 (SL2008-0143).
    Description of Respondents: Farms; Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 4,000.
    Frequency of Responses: Once for the even numbered years. Data are 
collected on the odd number years.
    Total Burden Hours: 1,918.

National Agricultural Statistics Service

    Title: Oregon and Washington Christmas Tree Survey--Production Year 
2023.
    OMB Control Number: 0535-0264.
    Summary of Collection: The primary objectives of the National 
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) are to prepare and issue 
official State and national estimates of crop and livestock production, 
disposition and prices, economic statistics, and environmental 
statistics related to agriculture and to conduct the Census of 
Agriculture and its follow-on surveys. NASS will conduct a survey of 
agricultural operations with Christmas Tree acreage in Oregon and 
Washington. Selected farmers will be asked to provide data on (1) 
Number of trees sold and gross sales both by species and county, (2) 
Number of new seedlings by species, and (3) Percentage of mortality.
    General authority for these data collection activities is granted 
under U.S.C. Title 7, Section 2204. This survey will be conducted on a 
full cost recovery basis with the Oregon Department of Agriculture and 
the Washington State Department of Agriculture.
    Need and Use of the Information: Oregon leads the nation in Cut 
Christmas Tree production, with Washington also a major producer. NASS 
estimates have brought stability into this important Pacific Northwest 
industry. No other data source is available to enable growers to make 
decisions about production. This project involves sending a survey 
questionnaire to growers, following up on non-response with telephone 
calls, editing, analyzing, and summarizing the data. Estimates are 
generated, including adjustment for non-response for number of trees 
and value, by variety, seedlings planted by variety, geographic area, 
and other selected characteristics of Christmas Trees in the states of 
Oregon and Washington.
    Description of Respondents: A sample of all active agricultural 
operations with Christmas Trees in Oregon and Washington. Sampling will 
include strata based on acreage.
    Number of Respondents: 600.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Once a year.
    Total Burden Hours: 147.

Levi S. Harrell,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-03281 Filed 2-15-24; 8:45 am]
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