Department of Agriculture December 10, 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is withdrawing its notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Wallowa-Whitman Travel Management Project. The original notice of intent was published in the Federal Register on May 3, 2007, and the notice of availability for the draft EIS was published on June 19, 2009. The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest's decision to withdraw the notice of intent is based on prioritization of agency resources toward forest plan revision.

This document proposes to establish an industry-funded promotion, research, and information program for natural grass sod products. The proposed program, the Natural Grass Sod Promotion, Research, and Information Order (Order), was submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) by Turfgrass Producers International (TPI), a group of natural grass sod producers. The purpose of the program would be to maintain and expand markets for natural grass sod products and the program would be financed by an assessment on domestic sod producers. This proposed Order also announces that USDA is conducting a referendum among eligible producers to determine whether they favor establishing the program. The program would be established if it is favored by a majority of industry producers voting in the referendum. A separate final rule on referendum procedures is published in this issue of the Federal Register. This proposed Order also announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intent to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of new information collection requirements to implement the program.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is announcing the availability of Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC), which will provide eligible specialty crop producers with marketing assistance payments that will help them engage in activities that aid in expanding domestic specialty crop markets or in developing new markets for their specialty crops.