Department of Agriculture 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, notice is hereby given that U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting nominations and applications to serve on the Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers (the ``Committee''). Applications and nomination packages can be downloaded at the link below: https:// www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-755.

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, intends to grant to Zoetis, LLC of Kalamazoo, Michigan, an exclusive license to U.S. Patent No. 9,528,094, ``ATTENUATED AFRICAN SWINE FEVER VIRUS VACCINE BASED IN THE DELETION OF MGF GENES'', issued on December 27, 2016 and U.S. Patent No. 9,808,520, ``RATIONALLY DEVELOPED AFRICAN SWINE FEVER ATTENUATED VIRUS STRAIN PROTECTS AGAINST CHALLENGE WITH PARENTAL VIRUS GEORGIA 2007 ISOLATE'', issued on November 7, 2017.

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) finalizes the General Administrative Regulations; Subpart LReinsurance Agreement Standards for Approval; Regulations for the 2019 and Subsequent Reinsurance Years. The intended effect of this action is to clarify and improve Subpart L to better align with the existing Standard Reinsurance Agreement (SRA) and Livestock Price Reinsurance Agreement (LPRA) and to eliminate language that is no longer relevant.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared a supplement to an environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact relative to an oral rabies vaccination field trial in New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and West Virginia. Based on its finding of no significant impact, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has determined that an environmental impact statement need not be prepared.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting nominations for membership for the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI). The full Committee consists of 20 members, and each person selected is expected to serve a 2-year term. There are 15 available positions.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing its intention to renew the approved information collection regarding records to be kept by official establishments and retail stores that grind raw beef products. The approval for this information collection will expire on February 28, 2019. FSIS is making no changes to the approved collection.

This proposed rule would implement a recommendation from the Far West Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee (Committee) to increase the quantity of Class 3 (Native) spearmint oil that handlers may purchase from, or handle on behalf of, producers during the 2018-2019 marketing year. The Committee recommended this action to avoid extreme fluctuations in supplies and prices and to help maintain stability in the Far West spearmint oil market.

This proposed rule invites comments on a proposal to revise the reporting requirements under the Federal marketing order for pecans. The revised reporting requirements would enable the American Pecan Council (Council) to collect information from handlers on the average handler price paid and the average shelled pecan yield. The Council would use this information to provide important statistical reports to the industry and meet requirements under the marketing order.

This final rule establishes regulations for seasons, harvest limits, and methods and means related to the taking of wildlife for subsistence uses in Alaska for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 regulatory years. The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) completes the biennial process of revising subsistence hunting and trapping regulations in even-numbered years and subsistence fishing and shellfish regulations in odd-numbered years; public proposal and review processes take place during the preceding year. The Board also addresses customary and traditional use determinations during the applicable biennial cycle. This rule also revises the general regulations on subsistence taking of fish and wildlife and customary and traditional use determinations for wildlife.

We are correcting a portion of the summary of the economic analysis presented in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION portion of our September 14, 2018, final rule amending our regulations governing the importation and interstate movement of fruits and vegetables. The summary reported an incorrect cost savings figure in its discussion of Executive Order 13771. This document corrects that error.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) announces a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics.

USDA proposes a deregulatory action to simplify the requirement for for-profit child care centers, for-profit adult care centers, and sponsoring organizations of for-profit centers in the Child and Adult Care Food Program to verify that they are eligible to submit claims for reimbursement each month. This rule would exempt for- profit centers from monthly verification if they annually demonstrate that at least 50 percent of children served are eligible for free and reduced-price meals or benefits under title XX of the Social Security Act, or at least 50 percent of adult participants are eligible for benefits under title XIX or title XX of the Social Security Act. Monthly verification represents a small but duplicative paperwork burden. Allowing a less frequent verification cycle would reduce the administrative burden for those centers that consistently serve a high percentage of eligible children or adult participants from low-income households.

This notice announces the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement intention to request an extension for a currently approved information collection for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/1890 National Scholars Program.

The Kootenai National Forest is proposing to implement new fees at four recreation rental facilities and two campgrounds listed in SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION of this notice. All sites have had recent upgrades and new or improved amenities added to improve services and recreation experiences. The two lookouts are being converted over to recreation rentals from being active fire lookouts. Fees are assessed based on the level of amenities and services provided, cost of operation and maintenance, market assessment, and public comment. Funds from fees will be used for continued operation, maintenance and capital improvements to these recreation sites.

The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is reopening the comment period for its request for comments from the public regarding the United States (U.S.) Standards for Canola under the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA).

This proposed rule would implement a recommendation from the Citrus Administrative Committee (Committee) to decrease the assessment rate established for the 2018-19 and subsequent fiscal periods. The assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

This rule implements changes to the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP); Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP); and Tree Assistance Program (TAP) as required by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA), including changes to the payment limitations, the funding limitation for ELAP, and losses for injured livestock sold at a reduced price under LIP. An application period for ELAP, LIP, TAP and the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) is included in this rule to allow additional time for producers to apply. Additionally, FSA implements changes to TAP for 2017 losses to pecan trees as specified in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018. This rule also includes several clarifying amendments and corrections to the regulations for the programs.

This proposal invites comments on changing the National Honey Board (Board) importer-handler member and alternate to an importer member and alternate. The Honey Packers and Importers Research, Promotion, Consumer Education and Industry Information Order (Order) is administered by the Board with oversight by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This proposal would also update the definition for the term Board to reflect current practices, and make clarifying and conforming changes to other provisions of the program.

This proposed rule would implement a recommendation from the Kiwifruit Administrative Committee (Committee) to decrease the assessment rate established for the 2018-2019 and subsequent fiscal periods. The assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

This proposed rule would revise the regulations for seasons, harvest limits, and methods and means for the subsistence taking of fish in the Cook Inlet Area of Alaska. This action would also reorganize specific regulations addressing the Kenai River, which would provide clarity for the public, and allow the Federal Subsistence Board to correct regulatory conflicts that have arisen based on recent rulemaking.

In accordance with Section 3(b) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the USDA Forest Service, Washington Office, is transmitting the final boundary of the Black Butte National Wild and Scenic River, including portions of Cold Creek, to Congress.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is responding to public comments on a petition submitted by the National Chicken Council (NCC) on September 1, 2017, and is also providing information on the criteria applicable to line speed waivers for young chicken establishments. The NCC submitted a petition to FSIS requesting that the Agency establish a waiver program to permit young chicken slaughter establishments to operate without line speed limits if they participate in the New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS) and the FSIS Salmonella Initiative Program (SIP) and develop a system for monitoring and responding to loss of process control. FSIS issued a response denying the petition on January 29, 2018. The response explained that instead of establishing a separate line speed waiver program under the conditions requested in the petition, FSIS would make available criteria that it will use under its existing waiver procedures to consider individual waiver requests from young chicken establishments to operate at line speeds of up to 175 bpm. FSIS published these criteria in the February 23, 2018, Constituent Update. This notice provides additional information on the criteria that FSIS will use to evaluate new line speed waiver request submissions. Additionally, FSIS is announcing that the 20 young chicken establishments already operating under line speed waivers must meet the new criteria to remain eligible for the waiver. FSIS will issue these establishments new waiver letters that reflect the eligibility criteria described in this document. Failure by establishments already operating under line speed waivers to meet the new criteria within 120 days of receipt of these letters may result in the revocation of the waivers.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on the renewal of the currently approved information collection, Post-Hurricane Research and Assessment of Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Communities in the U.S. Caribbean.