Agricultural Marketing Service February 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Livestock Mandatory Reporting: Revision of Lamb Reporting Requirements
Document Number: 2016-04047
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-02-29
Agency: Agricultural Marketing Service, Department of Agriculture
On April 2, 2001, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) implemented the Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) program as required by the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999 (1999 Act). The LMR program was reauthorized in October 2006 and again in September 2010. On September 30, 2015, the Agriculture Reauthorizations Act of 2015 (2015 Reauthorization Act) reauthorized the LMR program for an additional 5 years and directed the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to amend the LMR lamb reporting requirements by redefining terms within the Code of Federal Regulations not later than 180 days after enactment. This direct final rule incorporates the lamb reporting changes contained within the 2015 Reauthorization Act under the USDA LMR regulations.
Notice of Request for Revision to and Extension of a Currently Approved Information Collection for Commodities Covered by the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999
Document Number: 2016-04045
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-02-29
Agency: Agricultural Marketing Service, Department of Agriculture
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 (OMB), for an extension of and revision to 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 (1999 Act) (OMB 0581-0186). One new form is introduced in this collection.
Pecans Grown in the States of Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas; Secretary's Decision and Referendum Order on Proposed Marketing Agreement and Order No. 986
Document Number: 2016-04043
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2016-02-29
Agency: Agricultural Marketing Service, Department of Agriculture
This Secretary's Decision proposes the issuance of a marketing agreement and order (order) under the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937 to cover pecans grown in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas, and provides growers with the opportunity to vote in a referendum to determine if they favor its establishment. The proposed order would provide authority to collect industry data and to conduct research and promotion activities. In addition, the order would provide authority for the industry to recommend grade, quality and size regulation, as well as pack and container regulation, subject to approval by the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The program would be financed by assessments on pecan handlers and would be locally administered, under USDA oversight, by a Council of seventeen growers and shellers (handlers) nominated by the industry and appointed by USDA.
Livestock Mandatory Reporting: Reauthorization of Livestock Mandatory Reporting and Revision of Swine and Lamb Reporting Requirements
Document Number: 2016-03956
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2016-02-29
Agency: Agricultural Marketing Service, Department of Agriculture
On April 2, 2001, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) implemented the Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) program as required by the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999 (1999 Act). The LMR program was reauthorized in October 2006 and September 2010. On September 30, 2015, the Agriculture Reauthorizations Act of 2015 (2015 Reauthorization Act) reauthorized the LMR program for an additional 5 years until September 30, 2020, and directed the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to amend the LMR swine reporting requirements. In addition, the lamb industry requested revisions to the lamb reporting requirements as authorized through the 1999 Act. This proposed rule would incorporate the requested lamb reporting revisions, and would incorporate the swine reporting revisions contained within the 2015 Reauthorization Act under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, USDA Livestock Mandatory Reporting regulations.
Pistachios Grown in California, Arizona, and New Mexico; Increased Assessment Rate
Document Number: 2016-04049
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-02-26
Agency: Agricultural Marketing Service, Department of Agriculture
This rule implements a recommendation from the Administrative Committee for Pistachios (Committee) for an increase of the assessment rate established for the 2015-16 and subsequent production years from $0.0005 to $0.0035 per pound of assessed weight pistachios handled under the marketing order for pistachios grown in California, Arizona, and New Mexico. The Committee locally administers the order and is comprised of producers and handlers of pistachios operating within the area of production. Assessments upon pistachio handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The production year begins on September 1 and ends August 31. The assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.
Domestic Dates Produced or Packed in Riverside County, California; Decreased Assessment Rate
Document Number: 2016-04044
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-02-26
Agency: Agricultural Marketing Service, Department of Agriculture
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that implemented a recommendation from the California Date Administrative Committee (committee) to decrease the assessment rate established for the 2015-16 and subsequent crop years from $0.20 to $0.10 per hundredweight of dates handled under the marketing order (order). The committee locally administers the marketing order and is comprised of producers and handlers of dates grown or packed in Riverside County, California. The interim rule to decrease the assessment rate was necessary to allow the Committee to reduce its financial reserve while still providing adequate funding to meet program expenses.
National Organic Program: USDA Organic Regulations
Document Number: 2016-03808
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-02-23
Agency: Agricultural Marketing Service, Department of Agriculture
This document addresses the 2016 Sunset Review submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) through the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) National Organic Program (NOP) by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) following the NOSB's October 2014 and April 2015 meetings. The 2016 Sunset Review pertains to the NOSB's review of the need for the continued allowance for seven substances on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List). Consistent with the NOSB's review, this publication provides notice on the renewal of five synthetic and two nonsynthetic substances on the National List, along with any restrictive annotations. For substances that have been renewed on the National List, this document completes the 2016 National List Sunset Process.
Blueberry Promotion, Research and Information Order; Continuance Referendum
Document Number: 2016-03806
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2016-02-23
Agency: Agricultural Marketing Service, Department of Agriculture
This document directs that a referendum be conducted among eligible producers and importers of highbush blueberries to determine whether they favor continuance of the Blueberry Promotion, Research and Information Order (Order).
Softwood Lumber Research, Promotion, Consumer Education and Industry Information Order; Continuance Referendum
Document Number: 2016-03805
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-02-23
Agency: Agricultural Marketing Service, Department of Agriculture
This document directs that a referendum be conducted among eligible domestic manufacturers and importers of softwood lumber to determine whether they favor continuance of the Softwood Lumber Research, Promotion, Consumer Education and Industry Information Order (Order).
Classification of Foreign-Growth Cotton
Document Number: 2016-02461
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-02-10
Agency: Agricultural Marketing Service, Department of Agriculture
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is amending regulations pertaining to administrative and operational procedures for the classification of foreign-growth cotton. In anticipation that cotton merchants may want to use AMS cotton quality determinations to establish foreign-growth cotton as tenderable against the World Cotton futures contract offered by the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), representatives of the U.S. cotton industry and ICE formally requested that AMS make any regulatory amendments necessary to better accommodate the classification of foreign-growth cotton. Consequently, AMS seeks to clarify the existing language, update the terms and practices described to comply with today's industry norms and current cotton classification technologies, and establish procedural safeguards to the classification process for foreign-growth cotton that promote accuracy.
Kiwifruit Grown in California; Increased Assessment Rate
Document Number: 2016-02067
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-02-03
Agency: Agricultural Marketing Service, Department of Agriculture
This rule implements a recommendation from the Kiwifruit Administrative Committee (Committee) for an increase of the assessment rate established for the 2015-16 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.025 to $0.040 per 9-kilo volume-fill container or equivalent of kiwifruit handled under the marketing order (order). The Committee locally administers the order, and is comprised of growers of kiwifruit operating within the area of production. Assessments upon kiwifruit handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal period begins on August 1 and ends July 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.
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