[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 47 (Monday, March 13, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13429-13430]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-04803]



[[Page 13429]]

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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 
questionnaire length.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by May 12, 2017 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: R. Renee Picanso, Associate 
Administrator, National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, (202) 720-4333. 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: July 31, 2017.
    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. 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 and remove operations that no 
longer meet the criteria to be included in this group of surveys. 
Completing the Operation Profile also serves as a training tool for 
operations, helping to ensure consistent, accurate, and complete data 
are reported monthly/annually. 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
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Operation Profile....  Voluntary...............  Annual..................  Universe.
M311N....................  M311N...................  Animal & Vegetable     Mandatory...............  Monthly.................  Universe.
                                                      Fats and Oils.
M311J....................  M311C...................  Dry Mill Producers...  Mandatory...............  Monthly.................  Universe.
                           M311C...................  Wet Mill Producers...  Mandatory...............  Monthly.................  Universe.
M313P....................  M311H...................  Cotton in Private      Mandatory...............  Annual..................  Universe.
                                                      Storage* *.
                           M313P...................  Cotton and Manmade     Mandatory...............  Monthly.................  Universe.
                                                      Fibre Staple.
MQ311A...................  MQ311A..................  Flour Milling          Mandatory...............  Quarterly...............  Universe.
                                                      Products.
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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) use 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. NASS proposes to make the following 
changes to the previously approved questionnaires:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
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M311N--Animal and Vegetable Fats and     --Flaxseed.
 Oils (Combined Questionnaire).
                                            [cir] Crush--delete.
                                            [cir] Cake and meal--delete.
                                            [cir] Oil refining--crude--
                                             delete.
                                            [cir] Oil refining--once
                                             refined--delete.
                                            [cir] Oil--offsite stocks--
                                             delete.
                                         --Olives
                                            [cir] Crush--delete.

[[Page 13430]]

 
                                            [cir] Oil--refined--delete.
                                            [cir] Oil--offsite stocks--
                                             delete.
                                         --All Other Primary Fats and
                                          Oils such as babassu,
                                          oiticica, etc.--delete.
                                         --Fatty Acids--delete.
                                         --Glycerin--crude--delete.
                                         --Glycerin--refined--delete.
                                         --All Other Products (blood
                                          meal, plasma, etc.)--delete.
M313P--Cotton, Manmade Fiber, Staple...  --Total upland cotton--delete.
                                         --Upland Cotton destroyed--
                                          delete.
                                         --Extra Long Staple cotton
                                          destroyed--delete.
M311H--Cotton In Private Storage.......  --Estimated burden minutes to
                                          complete, reduced to 10
                                          minutes.
MQ311A--Flour Milling Products.........  --No changes.
M311C--Dry Mill Producers..............  --No changes.
M311C--Wet Mill Producers..............  --No changes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The National Agricultural Statistics Service will use the 
information collected only for statistical purposes and will publish 
the data only as aggregated 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: 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: 1,500.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 2,600 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 21, 2017.
Hubert Hamer,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2017-04803 Filed 3-10-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-20-P