Department of Agriculture April 1, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Research, Education, and Extension Office (REEO) of the Research, Education, and Economics (REE) Mission Area of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) is requesting written stakeholder input on the preparation of a roadmap for agricultural research, education, and extension at USDA. The preparation of the Roadmap is mandated by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act (FCEA) of 2008. By this notice, the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics has been designated to act on behalf of the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) in soliciting public comment from interested parties regarding the preparation of the Roadmap.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA), on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), is holding public meetings to solicit comments on the Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) Program. The comments received at the public meetings will be considered in the development and preparation of a Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for FSFL. The purpose of the PEA is to assist in providing USDA decision- makers and the public with an analysis of the environmental benefits and potential impacts associated with implementing various changes to FSFL consistent with the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill). CCC administers the FSFL program and is now conducting a comprehensive review of the current policies, achievements, and potential future program changes. The meetings provide an opportunity for the public to voice any concerns they may have about the program and any ideas for improving it in the future consistent with the 2008 Farm Bill.

We are amending the regulations regarding the interstate movement of animals to add sheep and goats to the approved livestock facility agreement. Livestock facilities that handle sheep and goats in interstate commerce must meet the requirements for approval including complying with this agreement to utilize certain provisions in our scrapie regulations that reduce the movement requirements for sheep and goats moving to or from these establishments. Such facilities may include stockyards, livestock markets, buying stations, concentration points, or any other premises where sheep and goats in interstate commerce are assembled. Our approval will be contingent on the facility operator meeting certain minimum standards and other conditions related to the receipt, handling, and release of sheep and goats at the facility, as well as complying with certain animal identification and recordkeeping requirements. These standards and other conditions will serve, in part, to support our regulations relating to the interstate movement of sheep and goats in order to control the spread of scrapie, a serious disease of sheep and goats.