Agricultural Marketing Service – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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 and revision to the approved forms and generic information collection for marketing orders covering fruit crops.

This document revises the United States Standards for Grades of Canned Baked Beans. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) revised the standards to replace process-specific language ``Product Description'' in the standard with language reflective of current canned baked bean manufacturing practices. Additionally, AMS separated the canned dried beans, canned pork and beans, and canned baked beans grade standards from one shared standard document into three separate documents. These revisions bring the grade standards for canned baked beans in line with the present quality levels being marketed today and provide guidance in the effective use of these products.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing the 2016 rates it will charge for voluntary grading, inspection, certification, auditing and laboratory services for a variety of agricultural commodities including meat and poultry, fruits and vegetables, eggs, dairy products, and cotton and tobacco. The 2016 regular, overtime, holiday, and laboratory services rates will be applied at the beginning of the crop year, fiscal year or as required by law (June 1 for cotton programs) depending on the commodity. This action established the rates for user-funded programs based on costs incurred by AMS.

This document contains a correction to the proposed rule which was published on December 16, 2015 (80 FR 78150). In the proposed rule, the Regulatory Information Number (RIN) appears as RIN 0581-AD39. This number is incorrect. The correct number is 0581-AD43. This document corrects the proposed rule.

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 approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for an extension and revision to the currently approved information collection of 0581-0125 Regulations Governing Inspection Certification of Fresh & Processed Fruits, Vegetables, & Other Products 7 CFR part 51 and 52, and request approval to merge the previously approved, 0581-0292 Specialty Crops Inspection Division Order Forms into 0581-0125 Regulations Governing Inspection Certification of Fresh & Processed Fruits, Vegetables, & Other Products 7 CFR part 51 and 52. By this action, all services and related forms used to collect information will be in one collection with no duplicative burden.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-20), this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request Office of Management and Budget approval of a revised information collection that combined four previously approved collections into a single information collection. AMS recently consolidated its grant programs into one Grants Division. Due to this consolidation, AMS intends to combine the following collections, 0581-0235 ``Farmers Market Promotion Program,'' 0581-0240 ``Federal-State Market Improvement Program,'' 0581-0248 ``Specialty Crop Block Grant Program-Farm Bill,'' ``Specialty Crop Multi-State Program,'' and 0581-0287 ``Local Food Promotion Program.'' This revised collection will be retitled 0581-0240 ``AMS Grant Programs,'' and increase efficiency among programs and reduce the burden on the public.

Notice is hereby given of a public hearing to receive evidence on proposed amendments to Marketing Order No. 989 (order) that regulates the handling of raisins grown in California. Five amendments are proposed by the Raisin Administrative Committee (Committee), which is responsible for local administration of the order. These proposed amendments would: Authorize production research; establish new nomination procedures for independent grower member and alternate member seats; add authority to regulate quality; add authority to establish different regulations for different markets; and add a continuance referenda requirement. In addition, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) proposes two amendments. These amendments would remove order language pertaining to volume regulation and reserve pool authority and would establish term limits for Committee members. In addition, AMS proposes to make any such changes as may be necessary to the order to conform to any amendment that may result from the hearing. These proposed amendments are intended to update the order to reflect past changes in the industry and potential future changes, and to improve the operation and administration of the order.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is rescinding and removing from the Code of Federal Regulations 7 CFR part 1290 entitled ``Specialty Crop Block Grant Program'' (SCBGP) in its entirety. This regulation implemented the SCBGP for the fiscal years 2006 to 2008 and is now obsolete.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing a call for nominations to the Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee. The Committee was re-chartered in July 2015 for the 2015-2017 two-year term.

This document invites comments on a proposed amendment to the Dairy Promotion and Research Order (Dairy Order). The proposal would modify the number of National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (Dairy Board) importer members. The total number of domestic Dairy Board members would remain the same at 36 and the total number of importer members would be reduced from 2 to 1. The Dairy Order requires that at least once every three years, after the initial appointment of importer members on the Dairy Board, the Secretary shall review the average volume of domestic production of dairy products compared to the average volume of imports of dairy products into the United States during the previous three years and, on the basis of that review, if warranted, reapportion the importer representation on the Dairy Board to reflect the proportional shares of the United States market served by domestic production and imported dairy products. This reapportionment review is the first conducted since importer members were appointed to the Dairy Board on November 2, 2011. The review could not be conducted prior to 2015 since the required data was not available.

This proposed rule would implement a recommendation from the Far West Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee (Committee) to establish the quantity of spearmint oil produced in the Far West, by class, that handlers may purchase from, or handle on behalf of, producers during the 2016-2017 marketing year, which begins on June 1, 2016. The Far West production area includes the states of Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, and designated parts of Nevada and Utah. This rulemaking would establish salable quantities and allotment percentages for Class 1 (Scotch) spearmint oil of 958,711 pounds and 45 percent, respectively, and for Class 3 (Native) spearmint oil of 1,209,546 pounds and 50 percent, respectively. The Committee locally administers the marketing order for spearmint oil produced in the Far West and recommended these salable quantities and allotment percentages to help maintain stability in the spearmint oil market.

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 of a currently approved information collection for Almonds Grown in California, Marketing Order No. 981.

This proposed rule would amend the Beef Promotion and Research Order (Order) established under the Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1985 (Act) to increase assessment levels for imported veal and veal products based on revised determinations of live animal equivalencies and to update and expand the Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) numbers and categories, which identify imported veal and veal products to conform with recent updates in the numbers and categories used by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Customs).

This proposed rule would update the Patents, Copyrights, Trademarks, and Information Language (IP) of the Egg Research and Promotion Rules and Regulations (Regulations). The proposed amendment would model current commodity research and promotion program orders created under the Commodity Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1996.

This proposed rule would implement a recommendation from the Avocado Administrative Committee (Committee) to increase the assessment rate established for the 2016-17 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.30 to $0.35 per 55-pound bushel container of Florida avocados handled under the marketing order (order). The Committee locally administers the order and is comprised of growers and handlers of avocados operating within the area of production. Assessments upon Florida avocado handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal period begins April 1 and ends March 31. The assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

This proposed rule would implement a recommendation from the California Desert Grape Administrative Committee (Committee) to increase the assessment rate established for the 2016 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.0250 to $0.0300 per 18-pound lug of grapes handled under the marketing order (order). The Committee locally administers the order, and is comprised of producers and handlers of grapes grown in a designated area of southeastern California. Assessments upon grape handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal period began on January 1 and ends December 31. The assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

This rule proposes two amendments to Marketing Order No. 989 (order), which regulates the handling of raisins produced from grapes grown in California and provides producers with the opportunity to vote in a referendum to determine if they favor the changes. These amendments were proposed by the Raisin Administrative Committee (Committee), which is responsible for the local administration of the order and is comprised of producers and handlers of raisins operating within the production area. These proposed amendments are intended to improve administration of the order and reflect current industry practices.

This final rule amends the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) regulations to remove muscle cut beef and pork, and ground beef and pork from mandatory COOL requirements. The COOL regulations are issued pursuant to the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (Act). The Agency is issuing this rule to conform with amendments to the Act contained in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016.

This final rule amends Marketing Order No. 905 (order), which regulates the handling of oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and tangelos (citrus) grown in Florida. The amendments were proposed by the Citrus Administrative Committee (Committee), which locally administers the order, and is comprised of growers and handlers. These amendments: Authorize regulation of new varieties and hybrids of citrus fruit; authorize the regulation of intrastate shipments of fruit; revise the process for redistricting the production area; change the term of office and tenure requirements for Committee members; authorize mail balloting procedures for Committee membership nominations; increase the capacity of the financial reserve fund; authorize pack and container requirements for domestic shipments and authorize different regulations for different markets; eliminate the use of separate acceptance statements in the nomination process; and require handlers to register with the Committee. All of the proposals were favored by Florida citrus growers in a mail referendum, held September 14 through October 5, 2015. Of the 200 votes cast, 96 percent or more of the vote by number and 99 percent or more by volume approved all nine amendments. The amendments are intended to improve the operation and functioning of the marketing order program.

On April 2, 2001, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) implemented the Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) program as required by the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999 (1999 Act). The LMR program was reauthorized in October 2006 and again in September 2010. On September 30, 2015, the Agriculture Reauthorizations Act of 2015 (2015 Reauthorization Act) reauthorized the LMR program for an additional 5 years and directed the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to amend the LMR lamb reporting requirements by redefining terms within the Code of Federal Regulations not later than 180 days after enactment. This direct final rule incorporates the lamb reporting changes contained within the 2015 Reauthorization Act under the USDA LMR regulations.

This Secretary's Decision proposes the issuance of a marketing agreement and order (order) under the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937 to cover pecans grown in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas, and provides growers with the opportunity to vote in a referendum to determine if they favor its establishment. The proposed order would provide authority to collect industry data and to conduct research and promotion activities. In addition, the order would provide authority for the industry to recommend grade, quality and size regulation, as well as pack and container regulation, subject to approval by the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The program would be financed by assessments on pecan handlers and would be locally administered, under USDA oversight, by a Council of seventeen growers and shellers (handlers) nominated by the industry and appointed by USDA.

This rule implements a recommendation from the Administrative Committee for Pistachios (Committee) for an increase of the assessment rate established for the 2015-16 and subsequent production years from $0.0005 to $0.0035 per pound of assessed weight pistachios handled under the marketing order for pistachios grown in California, Arizona, and New Mexico. The Committee locally administers the order and is comprised of producers and handlers of pistachios operating within the area of production. Assessments upon pistachio handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The production year begins on September 1 and ends August 31. The assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.