Department of Agriculture March 27, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), operating through the Risk Management Agency (RMA), announces the availability of approximately $900,000 (subject to availability of funds) for Commodity Partnerships for Small Agricultural Risk Management Education Sessions (the Commodity Partnerships Small Sessions Program). The purpose of this cooperative partnership agreement program is to deliver training and information in the management of production, marketing, and financial risk to U.S. agricultural producers. The program gives priority to educating producers of crops currently not insured under Federal crop insurance, specialty crops, and underserved commodities, including livestock and forage. A maximum of 90 cooperative partnership agreements will be funded, with no more than nine in each of the ten designated RMA Regions. The maximum award for any cooperative partnership agreement will be $10,000. Awardees must demonstrate non- financial benefits from a cooperative partnership agreement and must agree to the substantial involvement of RMA in the project. Funding availability for this program may be announced at approximately the same time as funding availability for similar but separate programs CFDA No. 10.455 (Community Outreach and Assistance Partnerships), and CFDA No. 10.458 (Crop Insurance Education in Targeted States). Prospective applicants should carefully examine and compare the notices for each program.

This rule finalizes regulations to administer the Specialty Crop Block Grant ProgramFarm Bill (SCBGP-FB) to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. This action finalizes eligibility and application requirements and grant administration procedures for the SCBGP-FB consistent with the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill) amendments to the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004. This program is separate from the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP).

Pursuant to section 102(2) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) subparts 1500- 1508, and 43 CFR subpart 1610.5-5 (Planning Regulations), notice is hereby given that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Grand Staircase- Escalante National Monument intends to prepare an amendment to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan (MMP) with an associated environmental impact statement (EIS) in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service as lead agency. The Dixie National Forest published a Notice of Intent in the Federal Register to initiate this proposal on February 21, 2008, but did not include the BLM's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) Notice of Intent into its heading. The publication of this Federal Register notice is to make the public aware that this action also applies to a possible land use plan amendment to the MMP. Discussion of the GSENM amendment was in the body of the original Federal Register notice, but was not evident in the title. The public is now provided a second opportunity to review and provide comments on this possible amendment to the BLM's MMP based on the planning criteria identified in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below.