[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 135 (Tuesday, July 15, 2014)] [Notices] [Pages 41255-41256] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2014-16448] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration Proposed Posting, Posting, and Deposting of Stockyards AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration, USDA. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is taking several actions to post and depost stockyards under the Packers and Stockyards Act (P&S Act). Specifically, we are proposing that eight stockyards now operating subject to the P&S Act be posted. We are also posting 10 stockyards that were identified previously as operating subject to the P&S Act and deposting one stockyard that no longer meets the definition of a stockyard. Additionally, we are notifying the public of six stockyards previously proposed to be posted will not be posted because they no longer meet the definition of a stockyard. DATES: For the proposed posting of stockyards, we will consider comments that we receive by July 30, 2014. 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. Follow the on- line instructions for submitting comments. Fax: (202) 690-2173. Mail, hand delivery or courier: R. Dexter Thomas, GIPSA, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 2530-S, Washington, DC 20250- 3604. Instructions: All comments should refer to the date and page number of this issue of the Federal Register. The comments and other documents relating to this action will be available for public inspection during regular business hours. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Catherine M. Grasso, Program Analyst, Policy and Litigation Division at (202) 720-7363 or [email protected]. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) administers and enforces the P&S Act of 1921, (7 U.S.C. 181 et seq.). The P&S Act prohibits unfair, deceptive, and fraudulent practices by livestock market agencies, dealers, stockyard owners, meat packers, swine contractors, and live poultry dealers in the livestock, poultry, and meatpacking industries. Section 302 of the P&S Act (7 U.S.C. 202) defines the term ``stockyard'' as follows: ``. . . any place, establishment, or facility commonly known as stockyards, conducted, operated, or managed for profit or nonprofit as a public market for livestock producers, feeders, market agencies, and buyers, consisting of pens, or other enclosures, and their appurtenances, in which live cattle, sheep, swine, horses, mules, or goats are received, held, or kept for sale or shipment in commerce.'' Section 302 (b) of the P&S Act requires the Secretary of Agriculture to determine which stockyards meet this definition, and to notify the owner of the stockyard and the public of that determination by posting a notice in each designated stockyard. Once the Secretary provides notice to the [[Page 41256]] stockyard owner and the public, the stockyard is subject to the provisions of Title III of the P&S Act (7 U.S.C. 201-203 and 205-217a) until the Secretary deposts the stockyard by public notice. To post a stockyard, we assign the stockyard a facility number, notify the stockyard owner, and send an official posting notice to the stockyard owner to display in a public area of the stockyard. This process is referred to as ``posting.'' The date of posting is the date that the posting notices are physically displayed at the stockyard. A facility that does not meet the definition of a stockyard is not subject to the P&S Act, and therefore cannot be posted. A posted stockyard can be deposted, which occurs when the facility is no longer used as a stockyard. We are hereby notifying stockyard owners and the public that the following eight stockyards meet the (P&S Act) definition of a stockyard, and that we propose to designate these stockyards as posted stockyards. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Proposed facility No. Stockyard name and location ------------------------------------------------------------------------ AL-198.................................... Central Auction Barn, Electic, Alabama AR-183.................................... Mollie Wright--Wright's Small Animal Auction, Benton, Arkansas AZ-118.................................... Sonoran Livestock Marketing, LLC, Douglas, Arizona KY-186.................................... Ricky M. Kepley, dba Franklin Livestock Market, Franklin, Kentucky TN-208.................................... Treadway Livestock Exchange, Thorn Hill, Tennessee TN-209.................................... Darrells Auction and Livestock, Powder Springs, Tennessee TN-210.................................... Rising Star Ranch, LLC, Shelbyville, Tennessee TN-211.................................... Circle R Auction, Ethridge, Tennessee ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We are also notifying the public that the stockyards listed in the following table meet the P&S Act's definition of a stockyard and that we have posted the stockyards. On January 15, 2013, we published a notice in the Federal Register (78 FR 2950-2952) of our proposal to post these 10 stockyards. Since we received no comments to our proposal, we assigned the stockyards a facility number and notified the owner of the stockyard facilities. Posting notices were sent to the owner of the stockyard to display in public areas of the stockyard. The table below reflects the date of posting for each stockyard. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stockyard name and Date of Facility No. location posting ------------------------------------------------------------------------ GA-233......................... Middle Georgia Goat & 04/29/2013 Chicken Auction, Cochran, Georgia. GA-235......................... Dooly County Livestock, 05/30/2013 LLC., Unadilla, Georgia. MS-177......................... Clark's Livestock, 04/29/2013 Forest, Mississippi. MT-124......................... Headwaters Livestock 05/01/2013 Auction, Three Forks, Montana. NY-179......................... HillTop Auction 04/30/2013 Company, Penn Yan, New York. OK-217......................... Cross Livestock 05/30/2013 Auction, LLC, Checotah, Oklahoma. SC-164......................... H & S Stockyards, 04/30/2013 Ehrhardt, South Carolina. TN-205......................... Bill Roark dba Roan 05/02/2013 Valley Auction Company and Livestock Market, Mountain City, Tennessee. TN-207......................... Southern Saddlebred 05/02/2013 Sales, Inc., Murfreesboro, Tennessee. TX-357......................... Lockhart Land Holdings, 05/30/2013 d/b/a Hereford Livestock Auction, Hereford, Texas. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We are further notifying the public that the following facilities, which met the definition of a stockyard previously, were not posted. We published notices proposing to post these six stockyards in the Federal Register on January 15, 2013, (78 FR 2950-2952). The facilities were not posted because they no longer meet the definition of a stockyard. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Proposed facility No. Facility name and location ------------------------------------------------------------------------ GA-234.................................... Bent Staples Auctions, LLC, Ocilla, Georgia IN-170.................................... Tri-State Livestock Auction, LLC, Angola, Indiana NY-178.................................... Don Yahn Market, Cherry Creek, New York TN-204.................................... Heritage Horse Sales, LLC, Shelbyville, Tennessee TN-206.................................... The Sale of Champions, Shelbyville, Tennessee TX-355.................................... Sulphur Springs Horse Sales, Sulphur Springs, Texas ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Finally, we are notifying the public that the following stockyard no longer meets the definition of a stockyard and it is being deposted. We depost stockyards when the facility can no longer be used as a stockyard. The reasons a facility can no longer be used as a stockyard may include the following: (1) The market agency has moved and the posted facility is abandoned; (2) the facility has been torn down or otherwise destroyed, such as by fire; (3) the facility is dilapidated beyond repair; or (4) the facility has been converted and its function has changed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stockyard name and Facility No. location Date posted ------------------------------------------------------------------------ KY-137......................... Wayne County Livestock 12-10-1959 Auction, Monticello, Kentucky. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Authority: 7 U.S.C. 202. Larry Mitchell, Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration. [FR Doc. 2014-16448 Filed 7-14-14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410-KD-P