Department of Agriculture October 4, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are amending the bovine tuberculosis regulations regarding State and zone classifications by reclassifying a zone in Minnesota consisting of portions of Lake of the Woods, Roseau, Marshall, and Beltrami Counties. We have determined that the zone meets the criteria for accredited-free status. Since the remainder of the State is already classified as accredited free, the entire State of Minnesota is now classified as accredited free. This action relieves certain restrictions on the interstate movement of cattle and bison from the area of Minnesota that was previously classified as modified accredited advanced for tuberculosis.

7 CFR 4279.119(a)(1) allows the Rural Development Administrator, at the Administrator's discretion, to grant an exception to the $10 million limit for Business and Industry (B&I) guaranteed loans of $25 million or less under certain circumstances. Due to the limited program funds that will be available for Fiscal Year 2012 for the B&I Guaranteed Loan Program, the Administrator has decided not to grant exceptions to the $10 million limit during FY 2012 in an effort to make guaranteed loan funds go farther and to provide financing assistance to as many projects as possible. Limiting guaranteed loans to $10 million or less will allow the Agency to guarantee more loans and target smaller loans/projects impacting more small businesses and will assist the Agency to conserve scarce funding dollars at a time when there is unprecedented interest in the program. Any applications that have been received as of the date of publication of this notice will be given full consideration.

We are advising the public of our decision to authorize the importation into the continental United States of fresh apricot, sweet cherry, and plumcot fruit from South Africa. Based on the findings of a pest risk analysis, which we made available to the public for review and comment through a previous notice, we believe that the application of one or more designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds via the importation of fresh apricot, sweet cherry, and plumcot fruit from South Africa. We are also revising a treatment schedule in the Plant Protection and Quarantine Treatment Manual.

The Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is reviewing the United States (U.S.) Standards for Barley under the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA). To ensure that standards and official grading practices remain relevant, GIPSA invites interested parties to comment on whether the current barley standards and grading practices need to be changed.