Notice2024-11906
Agency Information Collection Activities; Outreach and Assistance to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (2501 Program) Application and Performance Reporting
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Published
May 30, 2024
Issuing agencies
Agriculture Department
Abstract
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, this notice announces the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement's intention to request a new information collection titled "Outreach and Assistance to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (2501 Program) Application and Performance Reporting."
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 105 (Thursday, May 30, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 105 (Thursday, May 30, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46853-46854]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-11906]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 105 / Thursday, May 30, 2024 /
Notices
[[Page 46853]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Office of the Secretary
Agency Information Collection Activities; Outreach and Assistance
to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and
Ranchers Program (2501 Program) Application and Performance Reporting
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, this notice
announces the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement's intention
to request a new information collection titled ``Outreach and
Assistance to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran
Farmers and Ranchers Program (2501 Program) Application and Performance
Reporting.''
DATES: We will consider comments we receive by July 29, 2024.
ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments on this notice.
Electronic Submission of Comments. You may submit comments
electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the instructions provided on that site to
submit comments electronically.
Submission of Comments by Mail, Hand delivery, or Courier. You may
submit comments to the USDA, Office of Partnerships and Public
Engagement, Jamie L. Whitten Building, Room 524A, Mail Stop 0601, 1400
Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20250. USDA strongly encourages
commenters to submit comments electronically. Electronic submission of
comments allows you maximum time to prepare and submit a comment and
ensures timely receipt by USDA.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim Okahara, Performance Improvement
Officer, 202-720-6350, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#583331357637333930392a39182d2b3c39763f372e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b5dedcd89bdaded4ddd4c7d4f5c0c6d1d49bd2dac3">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title of Collection: Outreach and Assistance to Socially
Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers
Program (2501 Program) Application and Performance Reporting.
OMB Control Number: 0503-New.
Type of Request: Notice of intent to request a new information
collection entitled ``Outreach and Assistance to Socially Disadvantaged
Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (2501
Program) Application and Performance Reporting.''
Abstract: The 2501 program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) makes competitively awarded grants to community-based and non-
profit organizations, institutions of higher education, and Tribal
entities to provide education and training in agriculture,
agribusiness, forestry, agricultural-related services, and USDA
programs, develop underserved youths' interest in agriculture, and
conduct outreach initiatives.
The objectives of the 2501 Program are to support socially
disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, military veteran farmers and
ranchers, and beginning farmers and ranchers with owning and operating
successful farms and ranches and participating equitably in the full
range of agricultural, forestry, and related programs offered by USDA.
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) authorizes
grants to enhance coordination of the outreach, technical assistance,
and education efforts authorized under agriculture programs; and to
assist the Secretary in reaching current and prospective socially
disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and veteran farmers and ranchers in
a linguistically appropriate manner; and improving the participation of
those farmers and ranchers in Department programs (7 U.S.C. 2279).
Applications: The application package required for eligible
entities includes the following: Standard Form (SF) 424; Application
for Federal Assistance; Project/Performance Site Location(s); Project
Abstract Summary; Project Narrative; Standard Form (SF) 424A; Budget
Information--Non-Construction Programs; Budget Narrative; Key Contacts
(list names of all key personnel expected to work on the project);
<a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> Lobbying Form; Resumes of all key personnel working on the
project; and related documentation (e.g., Articles of Incorporation for
all nonprofit organizations, 501(c)3 status documentation).
Performance Reports: Grant recipients are required to submit semi-
annual progress reports on their activities and a final performance
report at the end of the award period. Under 7 U.S.C. 2279(c)(4)(D),
USDA must submit to Congress an annual report that includes the
following:
<bullet> The recipients of funds made available under the program;
<bullet> The activities undertaken and services provided;
<bullet> The number of current and prospective socially
disadvantaged farmers or ranchers served and outcomes of such service;
<bullet> The problems and barriers identified by entities in trying
to increase participation by current and prospective socially
disadvantaged farmers or ranchers;
<bullet> The number of farms or ranches started, maintained, or
improved as a result of funds made available under the program; and
<bullet> Actions taken by the Secretary in partnership with
eligible entities to enhance participation in agricultural programs by
veteran farmers or ranchers and socially disadvantaged farmers or
ranchers and the effectiveness of those actions.
USDA will use the information collected to:
1. Assess program eligibility and compliance with program
requirements;
2. Complete the annual report to Congress as required by 7 U.S.C.
2279(c)(4)(D);
3. Comply with the newly revised guidance on the collection of
demographic information, per OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 15;
4. Comply with the reporting requirements under the Government
Performance and Results Modernization Act and Foundations of Evidence-
based Policymaking Act; and
5. Assess the progress of grant recipients regarding measurable
goals.
Data collected from the grantees will provide a nationwide
description of
[[Page 46854]]
activities funded under the 2501 Program to reach current and
prospective socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and veteran
farmers and ranchers in a linguistically appropriate manner and improve
the participation of those farmers and ranchers in Department programs.
Data collected from grantees will also provide information for usage by
Congress, the Department, and the public. In addition, USDA will use
this data to inform program management, monitoring, and technical
assistance efforts. Grantees will be able to use the data for internal
management and program improvement.
Estimated Program Burden: USDA estimates the burden of this
collection of information as follows. The information collection has
three parts:
(A) <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> collects data from applicants. Applicants submit
their application package to USDA using grants.gov. The estimated
average amount of time required to complete the application package is
160 hours annually. The estimated response burden includes time to
review instructions, gather existing data, and complete and review the
application. These estimates are based on the experience of former
grantees who have previously applied to the program.
(B) A web-based system that collects data from grantees. Grantees
report to USDA using a web-based data collection system. The estimated
average amount of time required to complete all responses to the data
collection instrument is 20 hours per report, or 40 hours annually. We
anticipate an additional 10 burden hours for those completing a final
report, which is approximately \1/3\ of grantee organizations each
year. All grantees will complete two semiannual reports, regardless of
whether or not they are completing a final report, as the semiannual
report serves to provide data on the preceding six-month period, while
the final report covers the entire grant period. Additionally, the
estimated number of respondents per year is higher than the total
number of grantees funded over three years, to account for no-cost
extensions to existing grant agreements. The estimated response burden
includes time to review the instructions, gather existing data, and
complete and review the data entries. These estimates are based on the
current time reported by grantees to respond to reports, as well as
efficiencies in the new web-based system anticipated by the staff who
implement these programs.
(C) A follow-up survey that grantees collect from program
participants. Many grantees currently ask program participants to
complete surveys after attending a program offering or at the
completion of a training program to assess the effectiveness and
relevance of the training content to the needs of the participant. In
this case, we are proposing that OPPE will survey program participants
directly in order fulfill reporting requirements to Congress on the
success of the program in meeting its performance measures. This
information will be used by USDA to measure the program's overall
performance from the perspective of program participants. Historical
data from grantees regarding burden hours is helpful, but not
especially relevant here, as currently grantees create their own
feedback surveys that are not consistent across different grantee
organizations. We have estimated the number of burden hours for this
item based on the number of questions and whether they are multiple
choice, short answer, or paragraph responses requested. In this
estimate, we also anticipate administering the survey longitudinally by
requesting responses from participants at 3 different time intervals.
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Estimated
Respondent/data collection activity number of Responses per Hours per Annual burden
respondents respondent response hours
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Application........................................... 120 1 160 19,200
Semiannual performance report......................... 150 2 20 6,000
Final performance report.............................. 50 1 30 1,500
Follow-up survey (or course evaluation) (ArcGIS Survey 5,000 3 .5 7,500
123).................................................
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Total............................................. ........... .............. ........... 34,200
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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; (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, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
USDA will consider the comments received and amend the Information
Collection Request (ICR) as appropriate. The final ICR package will
then be submitted to OMB for review and approval. At that time, USDA
will issue another Federal Register notice to announce the submission
of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to submit additional comments to
OMB.
Lisa Ramirez,
Director, Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement, U.S. Department
of Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2024-11906 Filed 5-29-24; 8:45 am]
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