Agricultural Marketing Service May 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget, for an extension of the currently approved information collection National Organic Program (NOP) Record Keeping Requirements.

This rule would increase the assessment rate established for the Cherry Industry Administrative Board (Board) for the 2010-2011 fiscal period from $0.0066 to $0.0075 per pound of assessable tart cherries. The Board locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of tart cherries grown in Michigan, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin. Assessments upon tart cherry handlers are used by the Board to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The 2010-2011 fiscal period year begins October 1, 2010. The assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on a revision of a currently approved information collection request. This information collection is necessary to support the procurement of agricultural commodities for domestic nutrition assistance programs. AMS issues invitations to purchase fresh and processed commodities for domestic nutrition assistance programs on a year round basis. The revision to the information collection request is required for the implementation of a new system named Web Based Supply Chain Management (WBSCM) that will allow respondents to submit information electronically. It will replace the existing computer request for information collected with and a similar set of computer requested data in WBSCM. The information collection burden for respondents should not increase.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget, for an extension of the currently approved information collection used to compile and generate cattle, swine, lamb, and boxed beef market news reports under the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget, for an extension and revision to the currently approved information collection Cotton Classing, Testing, and Standards.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is amending the Cotton Research and Promotion Order (Cotton Order) following a referendum held October 13 through November 10, 2009, in which Upland cotton producers and importers favored the adoption of two amendments to the Cotton Order. The amendments were proposed by AMS to amend the Cotton Order and implement section 14202 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill) that amended the Cotton Research and Promotion Act (Cotton Act). The 2008 Farm Bill provided that Kansas, Virginia, and Florida be separate states in the definition of ``cotton-producing state'' effective beginning with the 2008 crop of cotton. In addition, AMS proposed to amend the definition of ``cotton- producing region'' for consistency with the changes to the definition of cotton-producing state.