Department of Agriculture – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 this notice announces the intention of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to request revision and extension of a currently approved information collection, the Hemp Production and Disposition Inquiry. Revision to burden hours will be needed due to changes in the size of the target population, sampling design, number of mailings, and/or questionnaire length.

This final rule suspends the Federal marketing order regulating dried prunes produced in California (Order) effective August 1, 2023, through July 31, 2030. After operating for 18 years without handling regulations, the Prune Administrative Committee (Committee) recommended the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) indefinitely suspend the Order. After reviewing the Committee's recommendation, AMS determined that regulatory suspension with a sunset provision of seven years is appropriate. This suspension period extends through the end of the 2029-2030 crop year and provides industry sufficient time to assess whether the Order's reinstatement is beneficial. If no recommendation is made by the Committee to reinstate the Order by the end of the 2029- 2030 crop year, AMS will proceed to terminate the Order.

This rulemaking proposes important modifications to make the application of serious deficiency procedures in the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program consistent, effective, and in line with current requirements under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. The serious deficiency process provides a systematic way for State agencies and sponsoring organizations to correct serious management problems, and when that effort fails, protect Child Nutrition Program integrity through due process. In response to public comments received on a prior rulemaking, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) proposes improvements to ensure that application of the serious deficiency process is fair and fully implemented. FNS proposes to add clarity to the serious deficiency process by defining key terms, establishing a timeline for full correction, and establishing criteria for determining when the serious deficiency process must be implemented. This rulemaking will also address termination for cause and disqualification, implementation of legal requirements for records maintained on individuals on the National Disqualified List, and participation of multi-State sponsoring organizations.

This final rule reauthorizes the Dairy Forward Pricing Program (DFPP) in accordance with the Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024 (Extension Act), and makes two administrative changes to the provisions to include the California Federal milk marketing order in the list of eligible orders where use of a forward contract is applicable. Establishing new contracts under the DFPP was prohibited between the expiration of the program on September 30, 2023, and passage of the Extension Act on November 16, 2023. The Extension Act reauthorizes the DFPP program to allow handlers to enter into new contracts until September 30, 2024. Any forward contract entered prior to the September 30, 2024, deadline must expire by September 30, 2027.

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS or the Agency), a Rural Development (RD) agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), announces that it is accepting applications under the Rural Energy for America (REAP) Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) Program for fiscal year (FY) 2024. These grant funds will be made to qualified types of Applicants (``Applicants'') to provide technical assistance to Agricultural Producers and Rural Small Businesses applying to REAP (``REAP Applicants''), with priority for applications that: assist Agricultural Producers and Tribal entities, provide assistance to projects located in a Disadvantaged Community or a Distressed Community, support projects using Underutilized Renewable Energy Technologies (``Underutilized Technologies''), and/or support grant applications of $20,000 or less. This Program has $16,000,000 available for FY 2024 utilizing funding provided under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. All Applicants are responsible for any expenses incurred in developing their applications.

This notice announces the Department's annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines to be used in determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals, free milk, and Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer benefits for the period from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. These guidelines are used by schools, institutions, and facilities participating in the National School Lunch Program (and Commodity School Program), School Breakfast Program, Special Milk Program for Children, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Summer Food Service Program. Beginning in 2024, they will also be used by States and Indian Tribal Organizations that administer the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children Program. The annual adjustments are required by section 9 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. The guidelines are intended to direct benefits to those children most in need and are revised annually to account for changes in the Consumer Price Index.

This document directs that a referendum be conducted among eligible producers of peanuts to determine whether they favor continuance of the Agriculture Marketing Service's (AMS) regulations regarding a national peanut research and promotion program.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Business-Cooperative Service announces its' intention to request a revision of a currently approved information collection and invites comments on this information collection.

This notice announces a public comment period on the information collection requests (ICRs) associated with the submission of policies, provisions of policies, rates of premium, and non- reinsured supplemental policies under section 508(h) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (``Department'') announces adjusted income eligibility guidelines to be used by State agencies in determining the income eligibility of persons applying to participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). These income eligibility guidelines are to be used in conjunction with the WIC Regulations.

The Trinity County 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 (FACA). 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 to make recommendations on recreation fee proposals for sites on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest within Trinity County, consistent with the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act.

The U.S. Codex Office is sponsoring a public meeting on March 19, 2024. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft U.S. positions to be discussed at the 54th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. CCFA54 will convene in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China from April 22-26, 2024. The U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius and the Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 54th Session of the CCFA and to address items on the agenda.

This agenda provides summary descriptions of significant and not significant regulations being developed in agencies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in conformance with Executive Orders (E.O.) 12866, ``Regulatory Planning and Review,'' 13563, ``Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review,'' and 14094, ``Modernizing Regulatory Review.'' The agenda also describes regulations affecting small entities as required by section 602 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, Public Law 96-354. This agenda also identifies regulatory actions that are being reviewed in compliance with section 610(c) of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. We invite public comment on those actions as well as any regulation consistent with Executive Orders 13563 and 14094. USDA has attempted to list all regulations and regulatory reviews pending at the time of publication except for minor and routine or repetitive actions, but some may have been inadvertently missed. There is no legal significance to the omission of an item from this listing. Also, the dates shown for the steps of each action are estimated and are not commitments to act on or by the date shown. USDA's complete regulatory agenda is available online at www.reginfo.gov. Because publication in the Federal Register is mandated for the regulatory flexibility agendas required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 602), USDA's printed agenda entries include only: (1) Rules that are likely to have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities; and (2) Rules identified for periodic review under section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. For this edition of the USDA regulatory agenda, the most important regulatory actions are summarized in a Statement of Regulatory Priorities that is included in the Regulatory Plan, which appears in both the online regulatory agenda and in part II of the Federal Register that includes the abbreviated regulatory agenda.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announces its' intention to request a revision of a currently approved information collection and invites comments on this information collection.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is announcing a meeting of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). The NOSB assists USDA in the development of standards for substances to be used in organic production and advises the Secretary of Agriculture on any other aspects of the implementation of the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA).

The Northeast Oregon Forests 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 (FACA). 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 to make recommendations on recreation fee proposals for sites on the Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests, consistent with the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act.

The Forest Service is withdrawing the notice, ``Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail Advisory Council, Notice of Meeting,'' published in the Federal Register on January 17, 2024.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed revision to the currently approved information collection for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) FNS-885, ``SNAP Education (SNAP-Ed) Intervention Scoring Tool'' and the FNS-886, ``SNAP Education (SNAP-Ed) Intervention Submission Form.'' This revision to forms FNS-885 and FNS-886 will provide an improved user experience by simplifying scoring criteria and clarifying the information requested for certain fields. These updates will also align with the new SNAP-Ed National Program Evaluation and Reporting System (N-PEARS), to ensure consistency with SNAP-Ed specific terms. More information on changes to these forms is in the Supplementary Information section of this notice.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of USDA's Office of Pest Management Policy to request renewal of an existing information collection for Multiple Crop and Pesticide Use Surveys.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is giving notice that it intends to issue a series of revised conservation practice standards in the National Handbook of Conservation Practices (NHCP). NRCS is also giving the public an opportunity to provide comments on the specified conservation practice standards in the NHCP.

This final rule amends the transportation credit balancing fund provisions for the Appalachian and Southeast Federal milk marketing orders and establishes distributing plant delivery credits in the Appalachian, Florida, and Southeast Federal milk marketing orders. More than the required number of producers in the three impacted marketing areas have approved the issuance of the final order.