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 for the Minority Farm Register. The Minority Farm Register is a voluntary register of minority farm and ranch operators, landowners, tenants and others with an interest in farming or agriculture. USDA Office of Outreach uses the collected information to better inform minority farmers about USDA programs and services.

As required by the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) announces a public meeting of the newly established Dairy Industry Advisory Committee (Dairy Committee) to review the current state of the dairy industry, discuss current dairy programs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Federal dairy policy, hear proposals from the dairy industry, and hear public comments. The Dairy Committee is responsible for advising the Secretary on these issues.

This rule implements specific requirements for the new Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program (SURE) authorized by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill). SURE provides disaster assistance to eligible participants who have experienced qualifying crop production losses, or crop quality losses, or both, occurring in crop year 2008 through September 30, 2011. All crops for which crop insurance or noninsured crop disaster assistance program (NAP) coverage is available are eligible crops for SURE. To be eligible for SURE payments, participants must meet a risk management purchase requirement, with some exceptions, and have suffered a qualifying loss due to disaster. A qualifying loss is a loss of at least 10 percent of a crop of economic significance on a participant's farm in a disaster county (a county for which a Secretarial disaster declaration has been issued or a county contiguous to such a county), or on a participant's farm with an overall loss greater than 50 percent of normal production (expected revenue for all crops on the farm) due to disaster. This rule specifies how a qualifying loss is determined, how SURE payments are calculated, and how and when participants may apply for payment.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) are seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on a revision of a currently approved information collection request. This information collection is necessary to support the procurement of agricultural commodities for domestic and export food donation programs. FSA and CCC issue invitations to purchase or process commodities for food assistance programs on monthly, multiple monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis. Special invitations, however, are issued throughout the month. The revision to the information collection request is to support the implementation of a new system named Web Based Supply Chain Management (WBSCM) that will allow respondents to submit information electronically. This new system will replace some of the existing paper forms in this information collection and reduce the burden on respondents. WBSCM will eventually replace all other existing forms in this information collection.

This rule implements specific requirements for the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) and the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) authorized by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill). LFP provides payments to eligible livestock producers that have suffered livestock grazing losses due to qualifying drought or fire. For drought, the losses must have occurred on land that is native or improved pastureland with permanent vegetative cover or is planted to a crop planted specifically for grazing for covered livestock due to a qualifying drought during the normal grazing period for the county. For fire, LFP provides payments to eligible livestock producers that have suffered grazing losses on rangeland managed by a Federal agency if the eligible livestock producer is prohibited by the Federal agency from grazing the normal permitted livestock on the managed rangeland due to a qualifying fire. ELAP provides emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish that have losses due to disease, adverse weather, or other conditions, including losses due to blizzards and wildfires, as determined by the Secretary. ELAP assistance is for losses not covered under other Supplemental Agricultural Disaster Assistance Payment programs established by the 2008 Farm Bill, specifically LFP, Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), and Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE). Eligible LFP and ELAP losses must have occurred on or after January 1, 2008, and before October 1, 2011. This rule specifies how LFP and ELAP payments are calculated, what losses are eligible, and when producers may apply for payments.

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 service on the Committee.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is requesting applications for competitive cooperative agreement funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 for the credit outreach initiative targeted to American Indian farmers, ranchers, and youth residing primarily on Indian reservations within the contiguous United States. Subject to the availability of appropriations, FSA anticipates the availability of up to $1,135,000 in funding and the award to one successful applicant through a Cooperative Agreement. This request for applications is being made prior to passage of an FY 2010 appropriations bill to allow applicants sufficient time to submit proposals, give the Agency maximum time to process applications, and permit continuity of this program. There is no certainty that there will be appropriated funds to fund these applications, so applicants submitting applications prior to the availability of appropriated funds do so at the risk that there may be no funding. 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, and one-on-one loan application preparation assistance to American Indian farmers, ranchers, and youth. Successful proposals may include other innovative services intended to enhance participation by American Indians in specific FSA Agricultural Credit Programs.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is making available the Food Aid Quality Project report prepared by Sharing Science and Technology to Aid in the Improvement of Nutrition (SUSTAIN). The report contains recommendations for improvements in the specifications, micronutrient composition, commodity sampling, and testing regimes for commodities procured by FSA for the U.S. international food assistance programs.

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 Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (AFIDA).

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 associated with Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation certification requirements. This information is collected in support of the conservation compliance provisions of Title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (the 1985 Farm Bill), as amended by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill).

This rule implements the general eligibility provisions for all the supplemental agricultural disaster assistance programs authorized by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill) and the specific requirements for the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). LIP provides disaster assistance for livestock losses. LIP applies only to livestock owners and contract growers that had losses due to livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather during the calendar year, including losses due to hurricanes, floods, blizzards, disease, wildfires, extreme heat, and extreme cold. Eligible LIP losses must have occurred on or after January 1, 2008, and before October 1, 2011. This rule specifies how the LIP payments are calculated and when producers may apply for benefits. This rule also removes some outdated rules from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is requesting comments from all interested individuals and organizations on a revision of a currently approved information collection, Request for Aerial Photography. The revision adds two new collections to the existing information collection. The new Aerial Photography Field Office (APFO) Service Quality Survey will be provided to the customers who purchased the aerial photography and the collected information will be used to improve the products and services. The new APFO Custom Digital Print Request will be available to the producers, ranchers and other customers to place a special order for aerial custom digital print.

This rule amends the Farm Service Agency (FSA) regulations for direct and guaranteed Farm Operating loans and Farm Ownership loans, and the lease and disposal of inventory property. This rule implements changes required by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill). The maximum loan amount authorized for direct Farm Ownership loans and direct Farm Operating loans is being increased. The existing Beginning Farmer Downpayment Loan Program is being amended to include socially disadvantaged farmers and to reduce the size of the required down payment. Regulations governing lease and disposal of FSA's real estate inventory, which currently give priority to beginning farmers, are being amended to also give socially disadvantaged farmers priority.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) are requesting comments from all interested individuals and organizations on an extension of a currently approved information collection that supports the FSA and CCC Debt Settlement Policies and Procedures regulations.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is requesting applications for competitive cooperative agreement funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 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 $746,496 in funding and the award to one successful applicant through a Cooperative Agreement. This request for applications is being made prior to passage of an FY 2009 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 non-profit 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, and one-on-one loan application preparation assistance to American Indian farmers, ranchers, and youth. Successful proposals may include other innovative services intended to enhance participation by American Indians in specific FSA's Agricultural Credit Programs.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is clarifying and simplifying its regulations governing the number of days interest will be paid on loss claims. The liquidation provisions currently provide a timeframe for the interest payment based upon ``the date of the decision to liquidate,'' which is often difficult to determine. This final rule will eliminate ``the date of the decision to liquidate'' as the beginning timeframe for the interest payment on loss claims. In addition, FSA is clarifying the guaranteed lender's responsibility for future recoveries.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Farm Service Agency and Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) at Kansas City Commodity Office (KCCO) are seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on an extension with revision of a currently approved information collection associated with the Long Term Contracting System. This collection is necessary for the procurement of agricultural commodities by KCCO for domestic feeding programs. Vendors bidding on long-term invitations complete and submit their offers on-line through the Long Term Contracting System (LTCS), which records the system date/time that the offer was submitted and ensures that the data remains secured within the system until bid opening time.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is seeking comments from all interested individuals and entities on an extension of a currently approved information collection associated with the FSA County Committee Elections. The collection of information from FSA Farmers and Ranchers is used to receive nominations from eligible voters for the County Committee.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) are seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on an extension with revision of a currently approved information collection associated with the report of acreage for the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). This information collection is needed to administer the program.

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 associated with the Standards for Approval of Volunteer Programs.

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 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 the continuation of the Livestock Compensation Program (LCP) and the Catfish Grant Program (CGP). The programs will provide financial assistance to eligible livestock and catfish producers in counties designated as a major disaster or emergency by the President or those declared a natural disaster 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 the 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. These programs are designed to provide financial assistance to producers who suffered feed losses due to natural disasters in the eligible counties.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Risk Management Agency (RMA) are reopening and extending the comment period for the advance notice of proposed rulemaking, Cash and Share Lease Provisions for Future Farm Programs. The original comment period closed November 27, 2007. FSA and RMA are reopening and extending it for 30 days from the date of this notice. We will also consider any comments received from November 27, 2007 to this date of this notice. This extension responds to requests from the public to provide more time to comment.

This document proposes 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 proposed program would 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 February 28, 2007, that is, after January 1, 2005, and before February 28, 2007. Counties contiguous to such counties will also be eligible. This proposed program is designed to provide financial assistance to producers who suffered dairy production losses due to natural disasters in the eligible counties.

This rule streamlines the Farm Service Agency's (FSA) regulations governing its direct Farm Loan Programs. The final rule simplifies and clarifies FSA's direct loan regulations; implements the recommendations of the USDA Civil Rights Action Team; meets the objectives of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; and separates FSA's direct Farm Loan Programs regulations from the Rural Development mission area's loan program regulations.