[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 17, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2265-2266]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-707]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration
Request for Extension and Revision of a Currently Approved
Information Collection
AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration, USDA.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA),
this notice announces the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards
Administration's (GIPSA) intention to request that the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) approve a 3-year extension of and revision
to a currently approved information collection of a voluntary customer
survey concerning the delivery of official inspection, grading, and
weighing services authorized under the United States Grain Standards
Act and the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946. This voluntary survey
gives customers that are primarily in the grain, oilseed, rice, lentil,
dry pea, edible bean, and related agricultural commodity markets an
opportunity to provide feedback on the quality of services they receive
and provides GIPSA with information on new services that customers wish
to receive. Customer feedback assists GIPSA's Federal Grain Inspection
Service (FGIS) with enhancing the value of services and service
delivery provided by the official inspection, grading, and weighing
system.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before March 19, 2012.
ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments on this notice. You may
submit comments by any of the following methods:
Internet: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the
online instructions for submitting comments.
Mail, hand deliver, or courier: Tess Butler, GIPSA, USDA,
1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 2530-S, Washington, DC 20250-3604.
Fax: (202) 690-2173.
Instructions: All comments should be identified as ``FGIS customer
service survey'' and should reference the date and page number of this
issue of the Federal Register. Information collection package and other
documents relating to this action will be available for public
inspection in the above office during regular business hours. All
comments will be available for public inspection in the above office
during regular business hours (7 CFR 1.27(b)). Please call GIPSA's
Management and Budget Services Staff at (202) 720-7486 to arrange to
inspect documents.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Idelisse Rodriguez, Program Analyst,
Office of the Deputy Administrator, email address:
Idelisse.Rodriguez@usda.gov, telephone (202) 720-5688.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Congress enacted the United States Grain
Standards Act (USGSA) (7 U.S.C. 71-87k) and the Agricultural Marketing
Act (AMA) (7 U.S.C. 1621-1627) to facilitate the marketing of grain,
oilseeds, pulses, rice, and related commodities. These statutes provide
for the establishment of standards and terms which accurately and
consistently measure the quality of grain and related products, provide
for uniform official inspection and weighing, provide regulatory and
service responsibilities, and furnish the framework for commodity
quality improvement incentives to both domestic and foreign buyers. The
GIPSA's Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) establishes policies,
guidelines, and regulations to carry out the objectives of the USGSA
and the AMA. Regulations appear at 7 CFR 800, 801, and 802 for the
USGSA and 7 CFR 868 for the AMA.
The USGSA, with few exceptions, requires official inspection of
export grain sold by grade. Official services are provided, upon
request, for grain in domestic commerce. The AMA
[[Page 2266]]
authorizes similar inspection and weighing services, upon request, for
rice, pulses, flour, corn meal, and certain other agricultural
products. There are approximately 9,000 current users of the official
inspection, grading, and weighing programs. These customers are located
nationwide and represent a diverse mixture of small, medium, and large
producers, merchandisers, processors, exporters, and other financially
interested parties. These customers request official services from an
FGIS Field Office; delegated, designated, or cooperating State office;
or designated private agency office.
The goal of FGIS and the official inspection, grading, and weighing
system is to provide timely, high quality, accurate, consistent, and
professional service that facilitates the orderly marketing of grain
and related commodities. To accomplish this goal and in accordance with
Executive Order 12862, FGIS is seeking feedback from a representative
sample of customers to evaluate the services provided by the official
inspection, grading, and weighing programs.
Title: Survey of Customers of the Official Inspection, Grading, and
Weighing Programs (Grain and Related Commodities).
OMB Number: 0580-0018.
Expiration Date of Approval: November 30, 2012.
Type of Request: Extension and revision of a currently approved
information collection.
Abstract: The collection of information using a voluntary customer
service survey will provide a representative sample of paying customers
of FGIS and the official inspection, grading, and weighing services an
opportunity to evaluate, on a scale of one to five, the timeliness,
cost-effectiveness, accuracy, consistency, and usefulness of those
services and results, and the professionalism of employees. Customers
will also have an opportunity to provide additional comments or
indicate what new or existing services they would use if such services
were offered or available.
FGIS needs to maintain a formal means of determining customers'
expectations or the quality of official services that are delivered. To
collect this information, FGIS would continue to distribute, over a 3-
year period, an annual voluntary customer service survey to customers
requesting official inspection, grading, and weighing services. FGIS
would survey a statistically random sample of approximately 1100
customers per year representing the customers' population as a whole.
The survey instrument would continue to consist of nine questions only;
subsequent survey instruments would be tailored to earlier responses.
FGIS would make available to our customers an electronic version of the
survey. The information collected from the survey would permit FGIS to
gauge customers' satisfaction with existing services, compare results
from year to year, and determine what new services customers' desire.
The customer service survey consists of one document containing
questions about timeliness, cost effectiveness, accuracy, consistency,
usefulness of services and results, and the professionalism of
employees. Some examples of survey questions include the following: ``I
receive results in a timely manner,'' ``Official results are
accurate,'' and ``Inspection personnel are knowledgeable.'' These
survey questions would be assessed using a one to five rating scale
with responses ranging from ``strongly disagree'' to ``strongly agree''
or ``no opinion.'' Customers would also be asked about the products for
which they primarily request service, and what percentage of their
product is officially inspected. Customers can also provide additional
comments or request new or existing services on the survey. Space would
be added on the revised survey for the customer to provide its email
address should it wish to receive future surveys electronically.
By obtaining information from customers through a voluntary
customer service survey, FGIS believes that it will continue to improve
services and service delivery of its official inspection, grading, and
weighing programs that meets or exceeds customer expectations.
Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 10 minutes (i.e., 0.167 hours) per
response.
Respondents: The primary respondents will be a statistically random
sample of direct paying customers of FGIS and the official inspection,
grading, and weighing programs.
FY 2012: Estimated Number of Respondents: 605 (i.e., 1100 total
customers times 55% response rate = 605).
Frequency of Responses: 1.
Estimated Annual Burden: 101 hours. (605 responses times 0.167
hours/response = 101 hours).
FY 2013: Estimated Number of Respondents: 616. (i.e., 1100 total
customers times 56% response rate = 616).
Frequency of Responses: 1.
Estimated Annual Burden: 103 hours. (616 responses times 0.167
hours/response = 103 hours).
FY 2014: Estimated Number of Respondents: 627 (i.e., 1100 total
customers times 57% response rate = 627).
Frequency of Responses: 1.
Estimated Annual Burden: 105 hours. (627 responses times 0.167
hours/response = 105 hours).
As required by the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)) and its
implementing regulations (5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1)(i)), GIPSA specifically
requests comments on: (1) 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; (2) the accuracy of GIPSA's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who
are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms
of information technology.
All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the
request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public
record.
J. Dudley Butler,
Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration.
[FR Doc. 2012-707 Filed 1-13-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-EN-P