Department of Agriculture July 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) finalizes the Common Crop Insurance Regulations, Arizona-California Citrus Crop Insurance Provisions. The intended effect of this action is to provide policy changes and clarify existing policy provisions to better meet the needs of insured producers, and to reduce vulnerability to program fraud, waste, and abuse. The changes will be effective for the 2015 and succeeding crop years.

A large portion of the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) has experienced mortality from insects and diseases over the past decade. The purpose of the project is to proactively and adaptively respond to declining forest vegetation conditions. The approach is to actively manage vegetation consistent with the goals outlined in the Western Bark Beetle Strategy (July 2011) including: Promoting recovery from the insect outbreak, improving the resiliency of green stands to future disturbances and providing for human safety. Treatments would be carried out on National Forest System (NFS) Lands within the scope of direction provided in the GMUG Revised Land and Resource Management Plan.

This document directs that a referendum be conducted among eligible producers of Vidalia onions grown in Georgia to determine whether they favor continuance of the marketing order that regulates the handling of Vidalia onions produced in the production area.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) has revised eight United States Standards for Grades of Frozen Vegetables. This revision replaces dual grade nomenclature with single letter grade designations. ``U.S. Grade A'' (or ``U.S. Fancy''), ``U.S. Grade B'' (or ``U.S. Extra Standard''), and ``U.S. Grade C'' (or ``U.S. Standard'') become ``U.S. Grade A,'' ``U.S. Grade B,'' and ``U.S. Grade C,'' respectively. This change conforms to recent changes in other grade standards. AMS has also updated contact information for obtaining copies of the grade standards and color standards. These changes bring these grade standards in line with the present quality levels being marketed today and provide guidance in the effective use of these products. The grade standards covered by these revisions are: frozen asparagus, frozen lima beans, frozen speckled butter beans, frozen cooked squash, frozen summer squash, frozen sweetpotatoes, frozen turnip greens with turnips, and frozen mixed vegetables.

The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) announces the intent to purchase raw cane sugar to be offered in exchange for Refined Sugar Re- export Program credits as a follow-up to the notice of sugar purchase and exchange for Re-export Program credits published in the Federal Register on June 18, 2013 (78 FR 36508-36510). CCC will purchase the sugar from domestic sugarcane processors under the Cost Reduction Options of the Food Security Act of 1985, and concurrently exchange such sugar for credits under the Refined Sugar Re-export Program.

The Office of the Chief Scientist of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announces a Plant Breeding Listening Session stakeholder meeting for all interested plant breeding and cultivar development stakeholders.

The Conejos Peak Ranger District, Rio Grande National Forest, proposes to salvage timber stands killed or infested by spruce beetles; reduce fuel loading, particularly adjacent to private lands; cut potential hazard trees along private property, roads, and other infrastructure; and regenerate forested acres, as needed, to move toward the long-term desired conditions described in the Forest Plan.

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 is a new collection for Enhancing Completion Rates for SNAP Quality Control Reviews.

This notice announces the annual adjustments to the national average payment rates for meals and snacks served in child care centers, outside-school-hours care centers, at-risk afterschool care centers, and adult day care centers; the food service payment rates for meals and snacks served in day care homes; and the administrative reimbursement rates for sponsoring organizations of day care homes, to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index. Further adjustments are made to these rates to reflect the higher costs of providing meals in the States of Alaska and Hawaii. The adjustments contained in this notice are made on an annual basis each July, as required by the laws and regulations governing the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared a preliminary determination regarding a request from GENECTIVE SA, seeking a determination of nonregulated status of maize designated as VCO-01981-5, which has been genetically engineered for resistance to the herbicide glyphosate. We are also making available for public review our plant pest risk assessment, environmental assessment, and preliminary finding of no significant impact for the preliminary determination of nonregulated status.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared a preliminary determination regarding a request from the Monsanto Company seeking a determination of nonregulated status of maize designated as MON 87427, which has been genetically engineered with tissue-selective resistance to glyphosate in order to facilitate the production of hybrid maize seed. We are also making available for public review our plant pest risk assessment, environmental assessment, and preliminary finding of no significant impact for the preliminary determination of nonregulated status.

The Education Coordinating Committee, a body of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Science Council announces an Education Listening Session stakeholder meeting for all interested agricultural education stakeholders.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request an extension for and revision to a currently approved generic information collection for vegetables and specialty crop marketing order programs.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) to analyze the effects that may result from installing game fencing as a barrier to keep animals that carry cattle fever ticks and southern cattle ticks out of areas which are free of them and which are beyond the permanent tick quarantine zone in South Texas. We are seeking public comment on the DEIS and our evaluation of the alternatives we have identified as they relate to potential effects on the human environment.

The Forest Service is correcting a notice of interim directive that appeared in the Federal Register of June 6, 2013, (78 FR 34031). This correction adds the Web site that was inadvertently omitted from the interim directive which is necessary to allow the public more detailed information and time to review the Burned Area Emergency Response revisions. This correction lists the Web site for the interim directive and the current Forest Service Manual in the Supplementary Information section of this notice and extends the comment period by 30 days.

The notice announced the USDA's request for membership on the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board. The notice was published in the Federal Register on May 2, 2013.

The Regulatory Flexibility Act requires that agencies publish semiannual regulatory agendas in the Federal Register describing regulatory actions they are developing that may have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities (5 U.S.C. 602). Executive Order 12866 ``Regulatory Planning and Review,'' signed September 30, 1993 (58 FR 51735), and Office of Management and Budget memoranda implementing section 4 of that Order establish minimum standards for agencies' agendas, including specific types of information for each entry. The Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (Unified Agenda) helps agencies fulfill these requirements. All Federal regulatory agencies have chosen to publish their regulatory agendas as part of the Unified Agenda. Editions of the Unified Agenda prior to fall 2007 were printed in their entirety in the Federal Register. Beginning with the fall 2007 edition, the Internet is the basic means for conveying regulatory agenda information to the maximum extent legally permissible. The complete Unified Agenda for spring 2013, which contains the regulatory agendas for 58 Federal agencies, is available to the public at https:// reginfo.gov. The spring 2013 Unified Agenda publication appearing in the Federal Register consists of agency regulatory flexibility agendas, in accordance with the publication requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. Agency regulatory flexibility agendas contain only those Agenda entries for rules that are likely to have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities and entries that have been selected for periodic review under section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

This rule relaxes the minimum grade requirement under the marketing order for kiwifruit grown in California (order), and for kiwifruit imported into the United States that are shipped to the fresh market, by increasing the tolerance of kiwifruit which is ``badly misshapen'' from 7 percent to 16 percent. The order is administered locally by the Kiwifruit Administrative Committee (Committee). This change is intended to facilitate the packing of fruit to meet the minimum grade requirement of ``KAC No. 1'', and reduce costs associated with re-sorting and repacking this grade of fruit. The change in the import regulation is required under section 8e of the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937.

The designations of the official agencies listed below will end on March 31, 2014. We are asking persons or governmental agencies interested in providing official services in the areas presently served by these agencies to submit an application for designation. In addition, we are asking for comments on the quality of services provided by the following designated agencies: J.W. Barton Grain Inspection Service, Inc. (Barton); Central Illinois Grain Inspection, Inc. (Central Illinois); Central Iowa Grain Inspection Corporation (Central Iowa); Farwell Commodity and Grain Services, Inc. (Farwell SW); North Dakota Grain Inspection Service, Inc. (North Dakota); Northern Plains Grain Inspection Service, Inc. (Northern Plains); and Plainview Grain Inspection and Weighing Service, Inc. (Plainview).

GIPSA is announcing the designation of Champaign-Danville Grain Inspection Department, Inc.'s (Champaign) to provide official services under the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA), as amended. In addition, this Notice corrects the Federal Register Notices published on September 13, 2012 and December 28, 2012 concerning the opportunity for designation in the Champaign area, which incorrectly omitted grain elevators located outside of Champaign's geographical area assigned to Champaign and grain elevators inside of Champaign's geographical area assigned to another official agency.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA), published Notices in the Federal Register on February 9, 2012; May 30, 2012; and September 13, 2012 announcing the opportunity for designation for the Omaha, NE; Marshall, MI; Frankfort, IN; Topeka, KS; and Minot, ND Areas. The Notices incorrectly omitted grain elevators assigned inside and/or outside of the geographical areas. GIPSA also published a Notice in the Federal Register on February 26, 2013, which contained an incorrect telephone number for Keokuk Grain Inspection Service (Keokuk).

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has prepared a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed transfer of approximately 10 acres of land and facilities at the Cotton Quality Research Station (CQRS) from the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Clemson, South Carolina, to Clemson University Research Farm Services. This notice is announcing the opening of a 30-day public comment period.

The Virginia Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Roanoke, Virginia on the dates listed below. The Committee is authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self- Determination Act of 2000 (the Act) (Pub. L. 112-141) and operates in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (Pub. L. 92- 463). The RAC's purposes are to improve collaborative relationships and to provide advice and recommendations to the Forest Service concerning projects and funding consistent with Title II of the Act. The meeting is open to the public. The purpose of the meeting is to prioritize and recommend projects for funding.