Department of Agriculture January 17, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is proposing to increase the fees for voluntary Federal dairy grading and inspection services. The fee increases proposed are 15 percent during fiscal year (FY) 2013 and 5 percent during FY 2014. These fees were last adjusted in 2006. Dairy grading and inspection services are voluntary and are financed in their entirety through user fees assessed to participants using the program. Despite the adoption of technologies that have improved services, additional changes in operations that enhanced efficiencies, and reduced employee numbers, increases in salaries, technology investments, and general inflation have more than offset savings resulting in the need to increase fees. AMS estimates the proposed fee increase will result in an overall cost increase to the industry of less than $0.0004 per pound of dairy product graded. This increase is needed to avoid a reduction in the services offered that aid the dairy industry in effectively marketing their products.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is modifying Operating Loan (OL) application, eligibility, and security requirements for Microloans (ML) to better serve the unique operating needs of small family farm operations. The intended effect of this rule is to make the OL Program more widely available and attractive to small operators through reduced application requirements, more timely application processing, and added flexibility in meeting the managerial ability eligibility requirement. FSA is also removing provisions for the low documentation (Lo-Doc) application process for OLs from the existing direct loan regulations.