Notice2024-20408
Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 10, 2024
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentNational Agricultural Statistics Service
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking to re- establish the Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics for two- years as a discretionary committee and call for member nominations to fill vacancies. Effective October 1, 1996, responsibility for the census of agriculture program was transferred to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) at USDA from the Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce. Effective February 2, 1997, NASS also received the transferred program positions and staff from the Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce. Responsibility for the Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics was established by agency authority, was transferred, along with its allocated slot, to USDA with the census of agriculture program. The Committee is also established in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 175 (Tuesday, September 10, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 175 (Tuesday, September 10, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73354-73355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-20408]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
National Agricultural Statistics Service
Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics
AGENCY: National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to reestablish the Advisory Committee on
Agriculture Statistics and call for member nominations.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking to re-
establish the Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics for two-
years as a discretionary committee and call for member nominations to
fill vacancies. Effective October 1, 1996, responsibility for the
census of agriculture program was transferred to the National
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) at USDA from the Bureau of the
Census, U.S. Department of Commerce. Effective February 2, 1997, NASS
also received the transferred program positions and staff from the
Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce. Responsibility for
the Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics was established by
agency authority, was transferred, along with its allocated slot, to
USDA with the census of agriculture program. The Committee is also
established in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (FACA).
DATES: The nomination period for interested candidates will remain open
and continuous during the two-year charter period. Nomination received
during this period will be considered for any open positions on the
committee. Applications will remain valid for a one-year period. A
resubmission may be required annually if not appointed to the
committee.
ADDRESSES: Contact Joseph J. Prusacki, Acting Associate Administrator,
National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, (314) 595-9501, or email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#085b452646495b5b264749487d7b6c69266f677e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4d1e0063030c1e1e63020c0d383e292c632a223b">[email protected]</span></a>.
You may submit nominations by any of the following methods:
<bullet> Email: submit the completed form to: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9ccfd1b2d2ddcfcfb2d3dddce9eff8fdb2fbf3ea"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5a091774141b090974151b1a2f293e3b743d352c">[email protected]</span></a>.
<bullet> Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Nominations should be mailed
to Joseph J. Prusacki, Acting Associate Administrator, National
Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400
Independence Avenue SW, Room 5041, South Building, Washington, DC
20250-2010.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph J. Prusacki, Acting Associate
Administrator, National Agricultural Statistics Service, (314) 595-
9501.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority: The Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics was
originally established by the Secretary of Commerce on July 16, 1962.
The Committee is also established in accordance with the provisions of
the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as amended, 5 U.S.C. 10.
Purpose: The purpose of the Committee is to advise the Secretary on
the conduct of the periodic censuses and surveys of agriculture, other
related surveys, and the types of agricultural information to obtain
from respondents. The Committee also prepares recommendations regarding
the content of agriculture reports and presents the views and needs for
data of major suppliers and users of agriculture statistics. The
Committee draws on the experience and expertise of its members to form
a collective judgment concerning agriculture data collected and the
statistics issued by the National Agricultural Statistics Service
(NASS).
Each person nominated to serve on the committee is required to
submit the following form: AD-755 (Advisory Committee Membership
Background Information, OMB Number 0505-0001), available on the
internet at <a href="https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-755.pdf">https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-755.pdf</a>. This form may also be requested by telephone or email using
the information above. Completed forms may be mailed or emailed
directly to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b5e6f89bfbf4e6e69bfaf4f5c0c6d1d49bd2dac3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="53001e7d1d1200007d1c1213262037327d343c25">[email protected]</span></a>. Members serve staggered two-year
terms, with terms for half of the Committee members expiring in any
given year. Nominations are being sought for 22 open Committee seats.
Members serve a two-year term and may apply to be reappointed for up to
three terms for a total of six consecutive years at the Secretary of
Agriculture's discretion. The Chairperson of the Committee shall be
elected by members to serve a one-year term.
Equal opportunity practices, in line with USDA policies, will be
followed in all membership appointments to the Committee. To ensure
that the recommendations of the Committee have taken into account the
needs of the diverse groups served by the Department, membership shall
include, to the extent practicable, individuals with demonstrated
ability to represent the many communities, identities, races,
ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, cultures, and beliefs of the
American people, including underserved communities. USDA is an equal
opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
The duties of the Committee are solely advisory. The Committee will
make recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture with regards to
the agricultural statistics programs of NASS, and such other matters as
it may deem advisable, or which the Secretary of Agriculture; the Under
Secretary for
[[Page 73355]]
Research, Education, and Economics; or the Administrator of NASS may
request. The Committee will meet at least annually. All meetings are
open to the public. Committee members are reimbursed for official
travel expenses only.
Description of Duties: The duties of the Committee are solely
advisory in nature. The Committee makes recommendations to the
Secretary of Agriculture regarding the agricultural statistics program
of NASS, and such other matters as it may deem advisable, or which the
Secretary of Agriculture; the Under Secretary for Research, Education,
and Economics; or the Administrator of NASS may request. Agency or
Official to Whom the Committee Reports: The Committee reports to the
Secretary of Agriculture through the Under Secretary for Research,
Education, and Economics.
Committee Membership: The Secretary of Agriculture will appoint the
membership of the Committee. Furthermore, members will serve for two-
year terms, and may serve no more than three consecutive terms for a
total of six consecutive years. Membership will consist of 22
individuals with diverse capabilities distinguished by their broad
range of knowledge and interest in, though not limited to, agricultural
economics, rural sociology, farm policy analysis, and agricultural
education. Members will also be drawn from Educational and Research
Organizations; Farm Service and Marketing Organizations; State
Government Agricultural Agencies; and Farm, Ranch and Agriculture
Producers. A representative from the Bureau of the Census, U.S.
Department of Commerce, and a representative from the Economic Research
Service, USDA, shall serve as ex-officio members of the Committee.
This Committee will be fairly balanced in its membership in terms
of the points of view represented and the functions to be performed.
Steps will be taken to encourage fresh points of view, such as
establishing staggered membership terms and limiting the number of
renewed memberships.
Equal opportunity practices in accordance with USDA policies will
be followed in all appointments to the Committee. To ensure that the
recommendations of the Committee have taken into account the needs of
the diverse groups served by the Department, membership shall include,
to the extent practicable, individuals with demonstrated ability to
represent the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities,
backgrounds, abilities, cultures, and beliefs of the American people,
including underserved communities.
The USDA prohibits discrimination in all of its programs and
activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex,
(including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age,
marital status, familial or parental status, income derived from a
public assistance program, political beliefs, genetic information, or
reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program
or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all
programs).
Ethics Statement: To maintain the highest levels of honesty,
integrity and ethical conduct, no Committee or Subcommittee member
shall participate in any ``specific party matters'' (i.e., matters are
narrowly focused and typically involve specific transactions between
identified parties) such as a lease, license, permit, contract, claim,
grant, agreement, or related litigation with the Department in which
the member has a direct or indirect financial interest. This includes
the requirement for Committee or Subcommittee members to immediately
disclose to the Designated Federal Officer (DFO) any specific party
matter in which the member's immediate family, relatives, business
partners or employer would be directly seeking to financially benefit
from the Committee's recommendations.
All members will receive ethics training to identify and avoid any
actions that would cause the public to question the integrity of the
Committee's advice and recommendations. Members who are appointed as
``Representatives'' are not subject to Federal ethics laws because such
appointment allows them to represent the point(s) of view of a
particular group, business sector or segment of the public.
Members appointed as ``Special Government Employees'' (SGEs) are
considered intermittent Federal employees and are subject to Federal
ethics laws. SGEs are appointed due to their personal knowledge,
academic scholarship, background or expertise. No SGE may participate
in any activity in which the member has a prohibited financial
interest. Appointees who are SGEs are required to complete and submit a
Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE-450 form) and, upon
request, USDA will assist SGEs in preparing these financial reports. To
ensure the highest level of compliance with applicable ethical
standards USDA will provide ethics training to SGEs on an annual basis.
The provisions of these paragraphs are not meant to exhaustively cover
all Federal ethics laws and do not affect any other statutory or
regulatory obligations to which advisory committee members are subject.
Recordkeeping: The records of this Committee, formally and
informally established subcommittees, or other subgroups of the
committee, shall be handled in accordance with General Records Schedule
(GRS) 6.2 or other approved agency records disposition schedule. These
records shall be available for public inspection and copying, subject
to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552. Information about this
Committee is available online at: USDA--National Agricultural
Statistics Service--About NASS--Advisory Committee on Agriculture
Statistics
Dated: August 21, 2024.
Cikena Reid, Committee Management Officer, USDA.
[FR Doc. 2024-20408 Filed 9-9-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-20-P
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