Notice2024-07929
Notice of Intent To Request Revision and Extension of a Currently Approved Information Collection
Primary source
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Published
April 16, 2024
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentNational Agricultural Statistics Service
Abstract
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, Cost of Pollination Survey. This survey gathers data related to the costs incurred by farmers to improve the pollination of their crops through the use of honey bees and other pollinators. A revision to burden hours will be needed due to changes in the size of the target population, sampling design, and/or questionnaire length.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 74 (Tuesday, April 16, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 74 (Tuesday, April 16, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26859-26860]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-07929]
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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 (NASS), USDA.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
[[Page 26860]]
notice announces the intention of the National Agricultural Statistics
Service (NASS) to request revision and extension of a currently
approved information collection, Cost of Pollination Survey. This
survey gathers data related to the costs incurred by farmers to improve
the pollination of their crops through the use of honey bees and other
pollinators. A 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 June 17, 2024 to be
assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number 0535-
0258, by any of the following methods:
<bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1c73717e737a7a757f796e5c727d6f6f32696f787d327b736a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bfd0d2ddd0d9d9d6dcdacdffd1decccc91caccdbde91d8d0c9">[email protected]</span></a>. Include docket number
above in the subject line of the message.
<bullet> eFax: (855) 838-6382.
<bullet> Mail: Mail any paper, disk, or CD-ROM submissions to:
Richard Hopper, NASS Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Room 5336 South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC
20250-2024.
<bullet> Hand Delivery/Courier: Hand deliver to: Richard Hopper,
NASS Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 5336 South
Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-2024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph L. Parsons, Associate
Administrator, National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, (202) 720-4557. Copies of this information
collection and related instructions can be obtained without charge from
Richard Hopper, NASS--OMB Clearance Officer, at (202) 720-2206 or at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#107f7d727f767679737562507e7163633e656374713e777f66"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ee81838c818888878d8b9cae808f9d9dc09b9d8a8fc0898198">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Cost of Pollination Survey.
OMB Control Number: 0535-0258.
Expiration Date of Approval: January 31, 2025.
Type of Request: Intent to Seek Approval to Revise and Extend an
Information Collection for 3 years.
Abstract: The primary objective of the National Agricultural
Statistics Service (NASS) is to prepare and issue state and national
estimates of crop and livestock production, prices, and disposition; as
well as economic statistics, environmental statistics related to
agriculture, and to conduct the Census of Agriculture.
Pollinators (honey bees, bats, butterflies, hummingbirds, etc.) are
vital to the agricultural industry for pollinating numerous food crops
for the world's population. Concern for honey bee colony mortality has
risen since the introduction of Varroa mites in the United States in
the late 1980s and the appearance of Colony Collapse Disorder in the
mid-2000s.
The 2018 Farm Bill (extended until September 2024) directs the
implementation and coordination of USDA pollinator health research
efforts as recommended by the Federal Pollinator Health Task Force
(established in 2014 by Presidential Memorandum). The Task Force's plan
involved conducting research and collecting data for the following
categories: Status & Trends, Habitats, Nutrition, Pesticides, Native
Plants, Collections, Genetics, Pathogens, Decision Tools, and
Economics. The pollinators have been classified into Honey Bee, Native
Bee, Wasp, Moth/Butterfly, Fly, and Vertebrate. The departments that
conducted the bulk of the research were the Department of the Interior
(DOI), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Science
Foundation (NSF), the Smithsonian Institute (SI), and the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA).
NASS was given the tasks of collecting economic data related to
honey bees and quantifying the number of colonies that were lost or
reduced. NASS is approved to conduct the annual Bee and Honey Inquiry
(operations with five or more colonies) and the quarterly Colony Loss
Survey (operations with five or more colonies) under OMB # 0535-0153.
NASS will collect economic data from crop farmers who rely on
pollinators for their crops (fruits, nuts, vegetables, etc.). Data
relating to the targeted crops are collected for the total number of
acres that rely on honey bee pollination, the number of honey bee
colonies that were used on those acres, and any cash fees associated
with honey bee pollination. Crop Farmers are also asked if beekeepers
who were hired to bring their bees to their farm were notified of
pesticides used on the target acres, how many acres they were being
hired to pollinate, and how much they were being paid to pollinate the
targeted crops.
Authority: These data will be collected under the authority of 7
U.S.C. 2204(a). 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 104-113) and the Office of Management and Budget
regulations at 5 CFR part 1320.
All NASS employees and NASS contractors must also fully comply with
all provisions of the Confidential Information Protection and
Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) of 2018, title III of Public Law
115-435, codified in 44 U.S.C. ch. 35. CIPSEA supports NASS's pledge of
confidentiality to all respondents and facilitates the agency's efforts
to reduce burden by supporting statistical activities of collaborative
agencies through designation of NASS agents, subject to the limitations
and penalties described in CIPSEA. NASS uses the information only for
statistical purposes and publishes only tabulated total data.
Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 15 minutes per response. Publicity
materials and an instruction sheet for reporting via internet will
account for 5 minutes of additional burden per respondent. Respondents
who refuse to complete a survey will be allotted 2 minutes of burden
per attempt to collect the data.
Respondents: Farmers.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 16,100.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 5,300 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, 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, April 9, 2024.
Joseph L. Parsons,
Associate Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2024-07929 Filed 4-15-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-20-P
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