[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 49 (Thursday, March 12, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14457-14458]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-05057]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
National Agricultural Statistics Service
Notice of Intent To Request Revision and Extension of a Currently
Approved Information Collection
AGENCY: National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: 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 Current Agricultural Industrial
Reports (CAIR) program. Revision to burden hours will be needed due to
changes in the size of the target population, sampling design, and/or
questionnaire length.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by May 11, 2020 to be
assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES:
Email: [email protected]. Include the docket number
above in the subject line of the message.
Efax: (855) 838-6382.
Mail: Mail any paper, disk, or CD-ROM submissions to:
David Hancock, NASS Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Room 5336 South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC
20250-2024.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Hand deliver to: David Hancock,
NASS Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 5336 South
Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-2024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin L. Barnes, Associate
Administrator, National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, (202) 720-2707. Copies of this information
collection and related instructions can be obtained without charge from
David Hancock, NASS--OMB Clearance Officer, at (202) 690-2388 or at
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Current Agricultural Industrial Reports (CAIR).
OMB Control Number: 0535--0254.
Expiration Date of Approval: August 31, 2020.
Type of Request: To revise and extend a currently approved
information collection for a period of three years.
Abstract: NASS began collecting data for the Current Agricultural
Industrial Reports (CAIR) in the latter half of 2014. This replaced a
portion of the Current Industrial Reports (CIR) program (0607-0476)
which was conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau previously. The CIR was
discontinued on April 30, 2012. The previous approval (0607-0476) was
for 47 different surveys.
Data from the agricultural instruments are used to generate four
separate publications.
The data from these surveys supply data users with important
information on the utilization of many of the crops, livestock, and
poultry produced in the United States. NASS collects crop data on acres
planted and harvested, production, price and stocks for these crops
(grains, oilseeds, cotton, nuts, etc.), along with livestock data on
the number of animals and poultry produced, slaughtered, prices, and
the amount of meat kept in cold storage. The CAIR data series provides
data users with vital information on how much of these commodities were
processed into fuels, cooking oils, flour, fabric, etc. These data are
needed to provide a more complete picture of the importance of
agriculture to the American population.
In order to maintain a complete and comprehensive list of
operations, NASS also conducts an Operation Profile periodically to add
new operations to the survey population. This profile is also used to
identify operations that do not meet the criteria to be included in
this group of surveys also to serve as a
[[Page 14458]]
training tool. The training that will be provided is designed to help
insure consistent, accurate, and complete data reported on a monthly/
annual basis. These surveys will be conducted as a part of the Census
of Agriculture and are mandatory as defined under Title 7, Sec.
2204(g).
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Publication No.* Form No.* Survey title Reporting status Frequency Methodology
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Operation profile........ Voluntary........... Annual.............. Universe.
M311N............................. M311N................. Animal & Vegetable Fats Mandatory........... Monthly............. Universe.
and Oil.
M311J............................. M311C................. Corn (Wet and Dry Mandatory........... Monthly............. Universe.
Producers of Ethanol).
M311J................. Oilseeds, Beans, and Nuts Mandatory........... Monthly............. Universe
(Primary Producers).
M313P............................. M311H................. Cotton in Private Storage Mandatory........... Annual.............. Universe.
**.
M313P................. Consumption on the Cotton Mandatory........... Monthly............. Universe.
System and Stocks.
MQ311A............................ MQ311A................ Flour Milling Products... Mandatory........... Quarterly........... Universe.
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* The Form numbers and publication numbers appear on the surveys previously conducted by the Census Bureau.
** Cotton in Private Storage is published in the September publication only.
Primary users of these data include government and regulatory
agencies, business firms, trade associations, and private research and
consulting organizations. The USDA World Agricultural Outlook Board
(WAOB) uses the data in many of their indexes. The Bureau of Economic
Analysis (BEA) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) uses the data
in the estimation of components of gross domestic product (GDP) and the
estimate of output for productivity analysis, respectively. Many
government agencies, such as the Department of Agriculture, Food and
Drug Administration, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and International
Trade Administration use the data for industrial analysis, projections,
and monitoring import penetration.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service will use the
information collected only for statistical purposes and will publish
the data only as tabulated totals.
Authority: The census of agriculture and subsequent follow-on
censuses are required by law under the ``Census of Agriculture Act of
1997,'' 7 U.S.C. 2204(g). Individually identifiable data collected
under this authority are governed by Section 1770 of the Food Security
Act of 1985 as amended, 7 U.S.C. 2276, which requires USDA to afford
strict confidentiality to non-aggregated data provided by respondents.
This Notice is submitted in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995, Public Law 104-13 and Office of Management and Budget
regulations at 5 CFR part 1320.
NASS also complies with OMB Implementation Guidance,
``Implementation Guidance for Title V of the E-Government Act,
Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of
2002 (CIPSEA),'' Federal Register, Vol. 72, No. 115, June 15, 2007, p.
33362.
Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 8-40 minutes per response.
Publicity materials and instruction sheets will account for about 15
minutes of additional burden per respondent, annually. Respondents who
refuse to complete the survey will be allotted 2 minutes of burden per
attempt to collect the data.
Respondents: The target population will consist of managers of
processing facilities that produce oils and fats from animals, grains,
oilseeds, nuts, tree fruits or vegetables; or operations that are
involved in the storing, rendering, or marketing of these products.
Managers of ethanol plants, cotton gins, and flour mills will also be
included in the target population for this group of surveys.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 760.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 2,400 hours.
Comments: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of
the functions of the agency, including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of
the burden of the proposed collection of information including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;
and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, technological or other forms of
information technology collection methods.
All responses to this notice will become a matter of public record
and be summarized in the request for OMB approval.
Signed at Washington, DC, February 19, 2020.
Kevin L. Barnes,
Associate Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2020-05057 Filed 3-11-20; 8:45 am]
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