Department of Agriculture February 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Agricultural Air Quality Task Force (AAQTF) will meet to continue discussions on air quality issues relating to agriculture.

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), operating through the Risk Management Agency (RMA), announces the availability of approximately $1.1 million (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 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 110 cooperative partnership agreements will be funded, with a minimum of ten 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 is a request for proposals for loan guarantees under the section 538 Guaranteed Rural Rental Housing Program (GRRHP) pursuant to 7 CFR 3565.4 for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010. FY 2010 funding for the section 538 program is $129,130,434.78. Applicants will submit proposals in the form of ``responses.'' Responses to this NOFA will be accepted until December 31, 2010, 12 p.m. Eastern Time. The commitment of program dollars will be made to applicants of selected responses that have fulfilled the necessary requirements for obligation. Expenses incurred in developing applications will be at the applicant's risk. The following paragraphs outline the timeframes, eligibility requirements, lender responsibilities, and the overall response and application processes.

The Glenn/Colusa County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Willows, California. Agenda items covered include: (1) Introductions, (2) Approve Minutes, (3) RAC Admin Updates, (4) Public Comment, (5) FY08 and FY09 New Project Presentations and Voting if Time Allows, (6) FY10 New Project Presentations and Voting if Time Allows, (7) General Discussion, (8) Meeting Schedule, (9) Adjourn.

The South Central Idaho RAC will meet in Twin Falls, Idaho. The committee is meeting as authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (Pub. L. 110-343) and in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the meeting is to begin the processes of starting the RAC and develop protocols the RAC will use as an Advisory Council.

We are extending the comment period for our notice of availability of a draft environmental impact statement in connection with making a determination on the status of the Monsanto Company and Forage Genetics International alfalfa lines designated as events J101 and J163 as regulated articles. This notice also provides notice that a public meeting scheduled for February 9, 2010, has been rescheduled for February 24, 2010.

The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service is issuing this notice to advise the public that we are canceling the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare Kosciusko Island Timber Sale Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assess and disclose the environmental effects of timber harvest and road building to provide timber for the Tongass National Forest Timber Sale Program.

This action withdraws a proposed rule published in the Federal Register on July 27, 2009 (74 FR 36955), to amend the Blueberry Promotion, Research, and Information Order (Order) by increasing the assessment rate on producers and importers who produce or import more than 2,000 pounds of highbush blueberries annually from $12 to $24 per ton. The Order is administered by the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (Council). Assessments are used by the Council to fund a nationally coordinated program of research, development, advertising, and promotion of highbush blueberries in the marketplace. The Council recommended increasing the assessment rate to expand its promotional and research activities to bridge the potential gap between demand and future supply. Several comments were received in opposition to the proposed increase in assessment rate. Accordingly, based upon comments received, the proposed rule is being withdrawn.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This collection is a revision of a collection currently approved for State Agency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program, administrative matters.

This document announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) plans to review the Blueberry and Hass Avocado Promotion, Research, and Information Orders (Orders). Both reviews will be conducted under criteria contained in Section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA).

The Austin/Tonopah Ranger Districts, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on a proposal to authorize continued livestock grazing within the Monitor-Hot Creek Rangeland Project area. The analysis will determine if a change in management direction for livestock grazing is needed to move existing resource conditions within the Monitor-Hot Creek Rangeland Project area towards desired conditions. The project area comprises approximately 952,234 acres and is located on the Monitor and Hot Creek Mountain Ranges in Eureka, Nye and Lander Counties, Nevada.

The Eastern Washington Cascades Provincial Advisory Committee and the Yakima Provincial Advisory Committee will meet on March 9, 2010 at the Sunnyslope Fire Station, 206 Easy Street, Wenatchee, WA. During this meeting information will be shared about Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Restoration Strategy, Wilderness Society North Cascades Proposal, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service update on the justification to not list the Pika as a threatened and endangered species. All Eastern Washington Cascades and Yakima Province Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public.

Pursuant to the authorities in the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463) and under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (Public Law 110-343) the Idaho Panhandle National Forest's Idaho Panhandle Resource Advisory Committee will meet Friday, February 19, 2010, at 9 a.m. in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for a business meeting. The business meeting is open to the public.

This final rule amends livestock and related provisions of the NOP regulations. Under the NOP, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) oversees national standards for the production and handling of organically produced agricultural products. AMS has taken this action to ensure that NOP livestock production regulations have sufficient specificity and clarity to enable AMS and accredited certifying agents to efficiently administer the NOP and to facilitate and improve compliance and enforcement. This action is also intended to satisfy consumer expectations that ruminant livestock animals graze on pastures during the grazing season. This action provides clarification and specificity to the livestock feed and living conditions provisions and establishes a pasture practice standard for ruminant animals. In doing so, producers are required to: provide year-round access for all animals to the outdoors, recognize pasture as a crop, establish a functioning management plan for pasture, incorporate the pasture management plan into their organic system plan (OSP), provide ruminants with pasture throughout the grazing season for their geographical location, and ensure ruminants derive not less than an average of 30 percent of their dry matter intake (DMI) requirement from pasture grazed over the course of the grazing season. The proposed requirements for fencing of water bodies and providing water at all times, indoors and outdoors, and the requirement for a sacrificial pasture have been deleted in this final rule. In addition, the proposed amendment to the origin of livestock section has been deleted in this final rule as issues pertaining to that topic will be reviewed and evaluated separately from this action.

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 commercial transportation of equines to slaughtering facilities.

This final rule amends Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) regulations for the Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP). The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Act) amended provisions of HFRP that changed the duration, type, and funding allocation of program agreements, and NRCS published a proposed rule for these changes on January 14, 2009. This final rule responds to the comments received on the proposed rule and amends NRCS regulations for HFRP to incorporate changes associated with enactment of the 2008 Act.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing to amend the Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement (Guidelines) to add nine sections that will designate the following items within which biobased products would be afforded Federal procurement preference: Disposable tableware; expanded polystyrene foam recycling products; heat transfer fluids; ink removers and cleaners; mulch and compost materials; multipurpose lubricants; office paper; topical pain relief products; and turbine drip oils. USDA is also proposing minimum biobased contents for each of these items.

We are advising the public that we are recognizing 16 additional magisterial districts in 3 provinces in the Republic of South Africa as pest-free areas for citrus black spot. Based on our site visit to the area and our review of the documentation submitted by South Africa's national plant protection organization, which we made available to the public for review and comment through a previous notice, the Administrator has determined that those districts meet the criteria in our regulations for recognition as pest-free areas for citrus black spot.