Department of Agriculture March 4, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with regulations for the payment of indemnity due to infectious salmon anemia.

This final rule establishes a new program, the Dairy Disaster Assistance Payment Program III, as authorized by the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007. The program will provide $16 million in assistance for producers in counties designated as a major disaster or emergency area by the President, or those declared a natural disaster area by the Secretary of Agriculture. Counties declared disasters by the President may be eligible, even though agricultural loss was not covered by the declaration, if there has been a Farm Service Agency Administrator's Physical Loss Notice covering such losses. The natural disaster declarations by the Secretary or the President must have been issued between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2007, that is, after January 1, 2005, and before December 31, 2007. Counties contiguous to such counties will also be eligible. This program is designed to provide financial assistance to producers who suffered dairy production losses due to natural disasters in the eligible counties.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to seek approval to revise and extend a currently approved information collection, the Agricultural Resources Management Survey and Chemical Use Surveys. The following two scheduling changes will be requested. First, chemical use surveys are only requested for fall 2010 to include fruit and postharvest. Thus, no vegetable chemical use survey will be requested. Second, in 2008 only, in lieu of the fall ARMS Phase II Survey, additional questions will be requested for the ARMS Phase III Cost and Returns Report. These questions will focus on a) bio-energy crop adoption and production expenses, and b) impact of tobacco program changes on tobacco marketing. Thus, in 2009, NASS will not publish the 2008 Field Crops Chemical Use report which would have resulted from a 2008 ARMS Phase II Survey.