Department of Agriculture 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that NRCS will request an extension for a currently approved information collection for Long-Term Contracting forms.

This rule establishes procedures for conducting a referendum to determine whether issuance of the proposed Natural Grass Sod Promotion, Research, and Information Order (Order) is favored by natural grass sod producers. The procedures will also be used for any subsequent referenda under the Order. The proposed Order is published separately in this issue of the Federal Register.

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS or the Agency), an agency of the Rural Development (RD) mission area within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is issuing a final rule to adopt changes from the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) that apply to the Biobased Markets (BioPreferred) Program. These changes include the merger of the Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement and the Voluntary Labeling Program for Biobased Products into one streamlined regulation, Biobased Markets (BioPreferred) Program.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, this notice announces the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) intention to extend and revise a previously approved information collection, entitled Organizational Information.

The Rural Housing Service (RHS or the Agency), a Rural Development (RD) agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is announcing the extension of a pilot program with updates for simple transfers of USDA Section 514 Farm Labor Housing & 515 Rural Rental Housing properties through December 9, 2025. The Agency's intention is to evaluate the existing regulations and remove regulatory barriers to reduce application requirements for certain types of transfers, resulting in lower transaction-related costs for applicants and improved processing times.

FSIS and FDA (we, the agencies) are seeking public input on food date labeling. This Request for Information seeks information on industry practices and preferences for date labeling, research results on consumer perceptions of date labeling, and any impact date labeling may have on food waste.

The Rural Housing Service (RHS or the Agency), a Rural Development (RD) agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), proposes to update and streamline the Single-Family Housing (SFH) Self-Help Technical Assistance Grant Program. The Self-Help Program has evolved, and the current regulations as codified restrict the Agency's ability to be flexible with market changes. The intent of this proposed rule is to reduce the regulatory burdens in the current regulation, to assist the Agency to better achieve the program objectives, streamline administrative regulatory requirements and make the program more effective in serving rural Americans by increasing decent, safe, and sanitary housing stock across the Nation.

In 1986, the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology (Coordinated Framework) was published by the Office of Science and Technology Policy and explained the regulatory roles for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), (herein, the Agencies) and how Federal agencies use existing Federal statutes to ensure public health and environmental safety while maintaining regulatory flexibility to avoid impeding the growth of the biotechnology industry. The Coordinated Framework was subsequently updated in 1992 (57 FR 6753-6762; February 27, 1992) and 2017, taking into account advances that had occurred in the field of biotechnology. Within the USDA, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS') Biotechnology Regulatory Services unit is responsible for ensuring that organisms developed using genetic engineering, such as genetically modified plants, insects, and microbes do not pose a plant pest risk. APHIS derives its authority to promulgate its biotechnology regulations from provisions of the Plant Protection Act (PPA, 7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.) and the Virus-Serum-Toxin Act (VRTA, 21 U.S.C. 151-159). The EPA is charged with protecting human health and the environment through ensuring the safety of pesticides and other chemicals, including those developed using genetic engineering. The EPA derives its regulatory authority from provisions of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA, 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.) and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA, 15 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.). The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices; and by ensuring the safety of our nation's food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation, which includes oversight of food and feed. FDA derives its regulatory authority from provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA, 21 U.S.C. 301-392). Together with the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), FDA has oversight of certain chemicals modified using genetic engineering. FSIS derives its regulatory authority from the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA, 21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) and the Poultry Products Protection Act (PPIA, 21 U.S.C. ch.10, 451 et seq.). On September 12, 2022, Executive Order (E.O.) 14081, Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy, was published and directed the Agencies, among other things, to build on the Unified website for Biotechnology Regulation developed pursuant to E.O. 13874, Modernizing the Regulatory Framework for Agricultural Biotechnology Products, June 11, 2019, by including on the website the information developed under subsection (b) of section 8 of E.O. 14081, and by enabling developers of biotechnology products to submit inquiries about a particular product and promptly receive a single, coordinated response that provides, to the extent practicable, information and, when appropriate, informal guidance regarding the process that the developers must follow for Federal regulatory review. Need and Use of Information: The necessity for this information collection arises from E.O. 13874, Section 5, Unified Biotechnology Web-Based Platform, and E.O. 14081, Section 8(d). These provisions seek to ensure that innovators can easily navigate the Federal regulatory system for products of biotechnology by directing USDA, EPA, and FDA to jointly establish a web-based platform that contains and provides links to relevant United States Government regulatory information for biotechnology products. USDA-APHIS, EPA, and FDA will use a web-form on the contact page of the Unified website to enable site visitors to ask questions, make comments, or request a meeting with one or all of the sponsoring agencies. The web-form will collect basic contact information such as the name and email address of contact page respondents, as well as the respondents' questions or comments and their meeting requests. Respondent use of the contact page is voluntary. Description of Respondents: Business. Number of Respondents: 30. Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion; Annual. Total Burden Hours: 15.

This proposed rule is the Secretary's final decision in this proceeding and recommends amendments to the pricing provisions in the 11 Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMOs). AMS will determine if producers approve of the proposed amended orders, as required by regulation.

The Rural Housing Service (RHS or the Agency), a Rural Development agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is issuing this document to implement a demonstration program, the Section 504 Direct Single Family Housing Loans and Grants pilot program. The Agency's intention is to evaluate the existing regulations and remove regulatory barriers to assist eligible applicants with improved ease of use for very low-income homeowners seeking to repair or rehabilitate their homes. This document briefly discusses the new waiver and provides contact information for additional details about the pilot program.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an approval of a new information collection associated with a study to understand human behavior and attitudes linked to human-deer transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

The Fresno and Madera Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will hold a public meeting according to the details shown below. The committee is authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (the Act) and operates in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the committee is 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, as well as make recommendations on recreation fee proposals for sites on the Sierra National Forest within Fresno and Madera Counties, consistent with the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act.

This notice lists the newspapers that will be used by all Ranger Districts, Grasslands, Forests, and the Regional Office of the Southwestern Region to publish legal notices. The intended effect of this action is to inform interested members of the public which newspapers the Forest Service will use to publish notices of proposed actions, notices of decision, and notices of opportunity to file an objection. This will provide the public with constructive notice of Forest Service proposals and decisions, provide information on the procedures to comment or object, and establish the date that the Forest Service will use to determine if comments or objections were timely.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is extending the public comment period on its advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) by an additional 30 days. The ANPR requests advance comments on proposals to amend the regulations under the Packers and Stockyards Act to address concerns regarding price discovery and fairness in fed cattle markets.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is issuing a public notice of its intent to rescind an Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Privacy Act system of records notice, Animal Damage Control Non-Federal Personnel Records, USDA/APHIS-7. This system of records notice is rescinded because it has been superseded by another system of records notice published by the Department.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Idaho State Office announces its intent to prepare an EIS for the North Cache Valley Project Watershed Plan (Watershed Plan), located within the North Cache Valley Watershed in Lewiston, Utah. The proposed Watershed Plan will examine alternative solutions to provide improved agricultural water management and to enhance recreational facilities. The project is being planned for areas within the watershed located in Franklin County, Idaho and Cache County, Utah. The project area is comprised of the irrigation service area within the watershed which fits into the watershed plan's primary purpose of Agricultural Water Management. The Project Area includes developed and undeveloped agricultural land and small farm communities. The primary purpose for this Watershed Plan is to provide more reliable management of agricultural water in the Project Area and to enhance existing recreational opportunities in the watershed. This Watershed Plan is needed to improve impaired drainage infrastructure; provide an efficient and reliable irrigation water supply; improve water management and measurement; reduce seepage loss in existing conveyance systems; and to expand the limited recreational opportunities in the watershed. NRCS is requesting comments to identify significant issues, potential alternatives, information, and analyses relevant to the proposed action from all interested individuals, Federal and State agencies, and Tribes.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is correcting a notice that published in the Federal Register on November 8, 2024. The notice announced proposed adjusted user fee rates for the costs of providing certain goods and services, including veterinary diagnostic goods and services and veterinary services for imports and exports of live animals and animal products. The notice erroneously omitted a proposed adjusted fee in one of the tables provided. This document updates that table.

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS or Agency), a Rural Development (RD) agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), invited applications for loans and grants under the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Programs (REDLG or Programs) for fiscal year (FY) 2025, subject to the availability of funding on August 23, 2024. The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS or Agency) now announces that the maximum loan amount awarded for applications competing in the Second, Third, and Fourth Quarter funding cycles of fiscal year (FY) 2025 will be lowered to $1 million.

This rule implements the HAVANA Act of 2021 (the Act) for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Act provides the authority for the Secretary of Agriculture and other agency heads to provide payments to certain individuals who have incurred qualifying injuries to the brain. The rule covers current and former USDA employees and dependents of current or former employees.

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 information collection for the contract of the study titled Guidance for SNAP Certification and Quality Control Interviews. The purpose of this collection is to help FNS develop new guidance for SNAP eligibility and Quality Control interviews based on principles of human-centered design and cultural competency.