Agricultural Marketing Service January 16, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that changed handler reporting and grower diversion requirements prescribed under the marketing order for tart cherries grown in the States of Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin (order). The Cherry Industry Administrative Board (Board) locally administers the order. The interim rule changed the deadline for submitting the handler reserve plan from November 1 to October 1 and extended the deadline for redeeming or transferring grower diversion certificates from November 1 to June 30 of a given crop year. These changes provide the industry with a more complete and timely picture of the available supply of tart cherries earlier in the season and give handlers more time and flexibility in meeting their obligations under volume regulation.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) held meetings of the Universal Cotton Standards Advisory Committee in Raleigh, North Carolina on June 19, 20 and 21, 2013. This notice announces the Advisory Committee's recommendation to adopt USDA's HVI (High Volume Instrument) Cotton Trash Standards as Universal Standards and to change the frequency of Universal Cotton Standards Conferences from once every three years to once every four years. The meeting agenda, minutes, and recommendations from the Advisory Committee are posted at the following Web address: https://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ AdvisoryCommitteeonUniversalStandards.

Notice is hereby given that the comment period on the proposed rule establishing an industry-funded promotion, research and information program for hardwood lumber and hardwood plywood is reopened and extended. The comment period is also extended for the new hardwood lumber and hardwood plywood information collection requirements by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the operation of the proposed program. The proposed Hardwood Lumber and Hardwood Plywood Promotion, Research and Information Order, was submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) by the Blue Ribbon Committee, a committee of 14 hardwood lumber and hardwood plywood industry leaders representing small and large manufacturers and geographically distributed throughout the United States.