Farm Service Agency – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on the extension of a currently approved information collection associated with the Power of Attorney. This information collection is used to support the FSA, Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and Risk Management Agency (RMA) in conducting business and accepting signatures on documents from individuals acting on behalf of other individuals or entities.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is proposing to amend the Farm Loan Programs (FLP) direct loan servicing regulations primarily to implement provisions of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill). FSA proposes four amendments to the rules. The first amendment would further emphasize transitioning borrowers to private sources of credit in the shortest timeframe practicable. The second amendment would amend the Homestead Protection lease regulations by extending the right to purchase the leased property to the lessee's immediate family when the lessee is a member of a socially disadvantaged group. The third amendment would amend the account liquidation regulations to suspend certain loan acceleration and foreclosure actions, including suspending interest accrual and offsets, if a borrower has filed a claim of program discrimination that has been accepted as valid by USDA and is at the point of acceleration or foreclosure. The fourth amendment would amend the supervised bank account regulations to be consistent with the recently amended Federal Deposit Insurance Act.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FSA is requesting comments from all interested individuals and organizations on a currently approved information collection to support the FSA Farm Loan Programs (FLP).

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Recovery Act) authorizes up to $50 million to carry out a 2008 Aquaculture Grant Program (the 2008 AGP). The 2008 AGP is a Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funded program administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Through the 2008 AGP, FSA will provide grants to State governments to assist eligible aquaculture producers that suffered losses associated with high feed input costs during the 2008 calendar year. State grant amounts will be based on the amount of aquaculture feed used in each State during the 2007 calendar year. Also, for the information to be collected for the 2008 AGP, FSA is requesting comments from all interested individuals and organizations as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA), on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), is holding public meetings to solicit comments on the Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) Program. The comments received at the public meetings will be considered in the development and preparation of a Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for FSFL. The purpose of the PEA is to assist in providing USDA decision- makers and the public with an analysis of the environmental benefits and potential impacts associated with implementing various changes to FSFL consistent with the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill). CCC administers the FSFL program and is now conducting a comprehensive review of the current policies, achievements, and potential future program changes. The meetings provide an opportunity for the public to voice any concerns they may have about the program and any ideas for improving it in the future consistent with the 2008 Farm Bill.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on an extension of a currently approved information collection that supports the End-Use Certificate Program.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is proposing to amend its guaranteed farm loan program regulations governing interest rates to increase clarity and to be more consistent with other government loan guarantee programs. FSA is proposing to tie the maximum interest rate that may be charged on FSA guaranteed farm loans to nationally published indices such as the Wall Street Journal Prime (also known as New York Prime), or the 10-year Treasury note rate unless the lender uses a formal written risk-based pricing model for loans, in which case the rate will be the rate charged to moderate risk borrowers. This proposed rule specifically asks for comments on the index to be used and the maximum allowable spread between the base rate and the rate to be charged to FSA guaranteed borrowers.

We are issuing this notice to advise the public that meetings of the Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers (Committee) will be held to discuss various beginning farmer and rancher issues.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency (FSA) announces the availability of a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for potential changes to the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP). ECP provides emergency funding to farmers and ranchers who have suffered damage to their agricultural lands as a result of a natural disaster. The goals of ECP are to restore farmland (currently, cropland, hayland, and pastureland) to a normal productive state after a natural disaster and provide assistance to producers to carry out emergency water conservation or enhancing measures in times of severe drought. The potential changes (proposed action) under consideration include expanding ECP eligibility to other types of farmland, namely timberland, farmsteads, roads, and feedlots. If FSA implements the changes, FSA would publish a proposed rule to reflect changes to the policy. The draft SEIS is available for public comment. The draft SEIS analyzes the impacts of the proposed action on the nation's environmental resources and economy. FSA analyzed the no action alternative (continuation of current program) to provide an environmental baseline.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is seeking comments from interested individuals and organizations on an extension of a currently approved information collection associated with transferring of farm records from one administrative county office to another.

This final rule establishes a new program, the Dairy Disaster Assistance Payment Program III, as authorized by the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007. The program will provide $16 million in assistance for producers in counties designated as a major disaster or emergency area by the President, or those declared a natural disaster area by the Secretary of Agriculture. Counties declared disasters by the President may be eligible, even though agricultural loss was not covered by the declaration, if there has been a Farm Service Agency Administrator's Physical Loss Notice covering such losses. The natural disaster declarations by the Secretary or the President must have been issued between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2007, that is, after January 1, 2005, and before December 31, 2007. Counties contiguous to such counties will also be eligible. This program is designed to provide financial assistance to producers who suffered dairy production losses due to natural disasters in the eligible counties.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on an extension of a currently approved information collection process associated with the regulations, licensing and electronic provider agreements issued under the United States Warehouse Act (USWA).

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is seeking from all interested individuals and organizations on an extension with revision of a currently approved information collection associated with form CCC-10 used to support the CCC and FSA Farm Loan Programs (FLPs).

This document contains corrections to the final rule titled ``Regulatory Streamlining of the Farm Service Agency's Direct Farm Loan Programs'' that was published November 8, 2007. The Agency is correcting the order of two forms in the appendices and inserting the date of ``12-31-07'' on form FSA-2512 in the upper left corner.

This rule establishes the Farm Service Agency (FSA) regulations for the 2007 Emergency Agricultural Assistance. The rule implements legislation that provides funds for agricultural disaster aid for eligible producers, specifically a Crop Disaster Program (CDP) and a 2005-2007 Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). For CDP, the program applies only to 2005, 2006, and 2007 crop producers who chose to have a Federal Crop Insurance plan of insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program coverage for the year of loss and suffered damage due to a natural disaster. Eligible crops for 2007 must have been planted prior to February 28, 2007. For LIP, the program applies only to livestock producers in counties designated as a major disaster or emergency area by the President or those declared a natural disaster area by the Secretary of Agriculture. Counties designated disasters by the President may be eligible even though agricultural loss was not covered by the designation if there has been an FSA Administrator's Physical Loss Notice covering such losses. The natural disaster declarations by the Secretary or designations by President must have been issued between January 1, 2005, and February 28, 2007; that is after January 1, 2005 and before February 28, 2007. Counties contiguous to such counties will also be eligible.

The Rural Housing Service (Agency) is amending its regulations to be consistent with other Federal agencies. The current thermal standards for existing single family housing can impose an unnecessary financial burden on the borrower and are not always cost-effective. Removing the thermal standards for existing single family housing will provide consistency with HUD. This change will not affect the thermal standards for new construction; such requirements are generally prescribed by adopted building and model energy codes. Construction materials and building techniques have improved tremendously during the last thirty years, creating many alternatives to achieve thermally efficient homes. Removing the Agency's imposed thermal standards for existing single family housing will give a borrower the opportunity to allocate money towards other improvements which may result in higher cost savings. The rule will not result in any increase in costs or prices to consumers; non-profit organizations; businesses; Federal, State, or local government agencies; or geographic regions.

This rule removes the Farm Service Agency's direct Farm Loan Programs regulations from the Rural Development's mission area loan program regulations. In addition, it makes conforming changes to FSA's regulations for the boll weevil eradication loan program, the servicing of minor program loans, the special apple loan program, and the emergency loan for seed producers program.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is reopening and extending the comment period for 30 days to allow any interested individuals and organizations to provide their comments on the amended estimated total annual burden for the new information collection associated with the Measurement Service Requests. The amended estimate adds the respondent's travel time for the information collection associated with the Measurement Service Requests, which was inadvertently left out of the previous burden estimate. FSA published the original notice and request for comments in the Federal Register on Friday, May 11, 2007 (72 FR 26774). FSA will accept all public comments received from May 11 to the closing date identified in this notice.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is requesting applications for competitive cooperative agreement funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 for the credit outreach initiative targeted to American Indian farmers, ranchers, and youth residing primarily on Indian reservations within the contiguous United States. FSA anticipates the availability of $933,120 in funding. This request for applications is being made prior to passage of a final appropriations bill to allow applicants sufficient time to submit proposals, give the Agency maximum time to process applications, and permit continuity of this program. FSA requests proposals from eligible nonprofit organizations, land-grant institutions, and federally-recognized Indian tribal governments interested in a competitively-awarded cooperative agreement to create and implement a mechanism that will provide credit outreach and promotion, pre-loan education, one-on-one loan application preparation assistance and other related services as proposed by the successful applicant that are specific to FSA's Agricultural Credit Programs.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an Agency delivering the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Utilities Programs, hereinafter referred to as Rural Development, consolidates and amends the regulations utilized to service water and waste loan and grant programs. The rule will combine the water and waste loan and grant servicing regulations found in 7 CFR parts 1951, 1955, and 1956 into one regulation. Unnecessary and burdensome requirements for water and waste loan and grant servicing under the program will be eliminated. The streamlining of the water and waste loan and grant servicing regulation will allow the Agency to provide better service to entities needing assistance in resolving financial and economic problems in their communities and, in general, improve the quality of life in rural areas. Additionally, this rule implements Section 6018 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 1936a) for Rural Development's Business, Housing and Utilities programs.

This rule revises the Farm Service Agency (FSA) Indian Tribal Land Acquisition Program (ITLAP) regulations as required by the Native American Technical Corrections Act of 2006. The regulations pertaining to rental value write-down of ITLAP loans will not require a market value rent study where the land is actually rented. The actual rents received shall be used to determine the rental value of the property for write-down purposes.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intent of the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to request approval for the information collection to be used in support of documenting critical producer data changes (customer name, current mailing address and tax identification number) in SCIMS. The collection of critical producer data will be used to update existing producer record data and document when and who initiates and changes the record in SCIMS.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the subject agencies' intention to request an extension for a currently approved information collection in support of the programs for 7 CFR part 1806, subpart A, ``Real Property Insurance.'' This renewal does not involve any revisions to the program regulations.

The Secretary of Agriculture is renewing the charter of the Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers (Committee). The Committee provides advice to the Secretary on ways to encourage Federal and State beginning farmer programs to provide joint financing to beginning farmers and ranchers and other methods of creating new farming and ranching opportunities. This notice invites nominations for persons to serve on the Committee.

This action proposes to replace the Mutual and Self-Help Housing Program's (MSH) administration under 7 CFR part 1944, Subpart I with 7 CFR part 3551. This rule will apply to grants executed after the effective date of the final rule. The Rural Housing Service (an agency within the Rural Development mission area) proposes to streamline and clarify its regulations for MSH. This action is taken to reduce regulations, improve customer service and enhance efficiency, flexibility, and effectiveness in managing the program.