Agency Information Collection Activities: WIC and Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Programs-Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden

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 4, 2026

Issuing agencies

Agriculture DepartmentFood and Nutrition Administration

Abstract

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on proposed revisions to the currently approved reporting and recordkeeping information collection burdens associated with the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP). This notice also proposes merging the currently approved Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) information collection request (ICR) into the WIC FMNP ICR to more accurately reflect program operations and reduce administrative inefficiencies at FNA.

Full Text

<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 171 (Friday, September 4, 2026)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 171 (Friday, September 4, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56830-56833]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-18171]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Administration

Agency Information Collection Activities: WIC and Senior Farmers'
Market Nutrition Programs--Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA), USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment
on proposed revisions to the currently approved reporting and
recordkeeping information collection burdens associated with the
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children
(WIC) Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP). This notice also
proposes merging the currently approved Senior Farmers' Market
Nutrition Program (SFMNP) information collection request (ICR) into the
WIC FMNP ICR to more accurately reflect program operations and reduce
administrative inefficiencies at FNA.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before November 3, 2026.

ADDRESSES: The Food and Nutrition Administration, USDA, invites
interested persons to submit written comment.
[ssquf] Preferred Method: Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> and follow the online instructions for submitting
comments electronically.
[ssquf] Mail: Allison Post, Food and Nutrition Administration, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, 201 14th Street SW, Washington, DC 20227.
[ssquf] Email: Send email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#92f3fefefbe1fdfcbce2fde1e6d2e7e1f6f3bcf5fde4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a0c1ccccc9d3cfce8ed0cfd3d4e0d5d3c4c18ec7cfd6">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.
All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the
request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval. All
comments will be a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of this information collection should be directed to Allison
Post at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5d3c3131342e3233732d322e291d282e393c733a322b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d6b7bababfa5b9b8f8a6b9a5a296a3a5b2b7f8b1b9a0">[email&#160;protected]</span></a> or 703-457-7708.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 shall 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
that were 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
use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Title: WIC and Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Programs--Reporting
and Recordkeeping Burden.
Form Numbers: FNA 683A and FNA 683B (under OMB Control Number 0584-
0594, expiration date: 9/30/2026) are associated with this collection.
OMB Number: 0584-0447.
Expiration Date: August 31, 2027.
Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Abstract: With this revision to the Special Supplemental Nutrition
Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Farmers' Market
Nutrition Program (FMNP) information collection request (ICR), FNA
proposes to: (1) update the currently approved WIC FMNP burden
estimates to reflect current program operations and data, and (2) merge
the WIC FMNP burden estimates with the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition
Program (SFMNP) information collection activities currently approved
under OMB Control Number 0584-0541. Upon this request's approval, FNA
will maintain the WIC FMNP and SFMNP information collection activities
under a single ICR, retaining OMB Control Number 0584-0447 and
discontinuing OMB Control Number 0584-0541. The following sections
describe the updates to the WIC FMNP estimates, rationale for merging
the two ICRs, and the resulting combined burden estimates.

I. WIC FMNP Information Collection Activities

The WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) is associated with
the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and
Children (WIC). WIC provides supplemental foods, health care referrals,
and nutrition education at no cost to low-income pregnant,
breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum participants, infants,
and children up to five years of age at

[[Page 56831]]

nutritional risk. The purpose of WIC FMNP is to provide fresh,
nutritious, unprepared, locally grown fruits and vegetables through
farmers' markets and roadside stands to WIC participants, and to expand
awareness and use of, and sales at, farmers' markets and roadside
stands. FNA provides State agencies (including geographic States,
Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) and U.S. territories) Federal grants
to administer the program.
WIC FMNP statute (42 U.S.C. 1786(m)(8)) and regulations (7 CFR part
248) require the collection of certain program-related information from
State and local agencies, participants, and farmers, farmers' markets,
and roadside stands, and require that State agencies maintain full and
complete records concerning program operations. These reporting and
recordkeeping requirements are necessary to ensure appropriate and
efficient management of the program. The burden activities that are
covered by this ICR include requirements that involve the authorization
and monitoring of local agencies; the certification of participants;
the nutrition education that is provided to participants; farmer,
farmers' market, and roadside stand authorization, training,
monitoring, and management; and financial and participation data.
State Plans are the principal source of information about how each
State agency operates WIC FMNP. State agencies enter and submit State
Plan information to FNA through the Waivers and State Plans (WiSP)
application. With the recent adoption of the WiSP application, the
reporting and recordkeeping burdens associated with State agencies
inputting and storing State Plan information that were previously
covered in this ICR are now included in the WiSP ICR (OMB Control
Number 0584-0704, expiration date: 12/31/2028). FNA expects that,
beyond the burdens covered in the WiSP ICR, State agencies will spend
additional time collecting information from local agencies and
authorized outlets in preparation for their State Plan submissions, and
therefore this ICR retains some State Plan-related reporting burden.
Information from participants and local agencies is collected
through State agency-developed forms or Management Information Systems.
FNA uses the collected information to manage, plan, evaluate, make
decisions and report on WIC FMNP operations. Additionally, State
agencies provide financial and participation data to FNA using the WIC
FMNP Annual Financial and Program Data Report (FNA 683B). This form and
its associated reporting burdens are approved under OMB Control Number
0584-0594, Food Programs Reporting System (FPRS) (expiration date: 9/
30/2026). The recordkeeping burden associated with form FNA 683B is not
approved under OMB Control Number 0584-0594. State agencies must
maintain records in order to support data reported in FPRS, and the
burden for such record maintenance is captured in this ICR, OMB Control
Number 0584-0447.

II. Updated WIC FMNP Burden Estimates

With this ICR submission, FNA is requesting to update the currently
approved WIC FMNP burden estimates to reflect program changes and
adjustments since the last submission. Program changes include moving
State Plans into the WiSP application and corrections to better capture
existing program requirements. Program adjustments account for
decreases in the number of participants, the number of authorized
outlets (farmers, farmers' markets, and roadside stands), the number of
State agencies, and the number of local agencies.
The currently approved burden for the WIC FMNP collection is
1,175,964 hours. FNA estimates that incorporating the program changes
and adjustments described above will decrease the total burden hours by
457,589 hours, to 718,375 total burden hours. The currently approved
number of responses for the WIC FMNP collection is 4,149,393 total
annual responses. With this revision, FNA estimates the annual
responses will decrease by 1,041,504 responses, to 3,107,889 total
annual responses. Table 1 shows the updated estimated burdens for WIC
FMNP only.
Affected Public: Individuals/Households, Business or Other for
Profit; Not for Profit; State, Local, and Tribal Government. Respondent
groups identified include: (1) WIC FMNP participants who are women,
infants, and children participating in WIC; (2) WIC FMNP authorized
outlets which are farmers, farmers' markets, and roadside stands; (3)
non-profit businesses operating as local agencies; and (4) local and
State agencies (including geographic States, U.S. Territories, and
Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs)) administering WIC FMNP.
Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of
respondents is 1,022,092. This includes 49 WIC FMNP State agencies,
1,028 WIC FMNP local agencies (70 percent of which are operated by
government entities and 30 percent of which are operated by non-profit
businesses), 1,004,904 WIC FMNP individuals/households (i.e.,
participants), and 16,111 authorized WIC FMNP outlets (farmers,
farmers' markets, and roadside stands).
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: The total estimated
number of responses per respondent is 3.04.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: 3,107,889. The estimated total
for reporting is 2,100,468 while the estimated total for recordkeeping
is 1,007,421.
Estimated Time per Response: The estimated time per response
averages approximately 14 minutes (0.23 hours) for all respondents. For
the reporting burden, the estimated time per response varies from 5
minutes to 40 hours, while the estimated time per response for the
recordkeeping burden varies from 1 minute to 40 hours, depending on the
requirement.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 718,375 hours. The
estimated total reporting burden is 698,113 hours while the estimated
total recordkeeping burden is 20,262 hours.

Table 1--Updated WIC FMNP Burden Estimates
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Change from
Number of Responses per Total annual Hours per Total annual previous
Information collection activities Type of respondents respondents respondent responses response burden hours submission
(hours)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporting......................... State & Local 796 1,321.00 1,015,323 0.26 263,279 -84,315
Agencies.
Reporting......................... Individuals/ 1,004,904 1.00 1,004,904 0.25 251,226 184,556
Households.
Reporting......................... Authorized Outlets & 16,265 4.93 80,240 2.29 183,608 -241,634
Non-Profit
Businesses.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporting Subtotal............ .................... 1,022,092 2.06 2,100,468 0.33 698,113 -141,394
Recordkeeping..................... State Agencies...... 49 20,559.61 1,007,421 0.02 20,262 -316,195
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 56832]]

Grand Total: Reporting & .................... 1,022,092 3.04 3,107,889 0.23 718,375 -457,589
Recordkeeping.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Figures may not sum due to rounding.

III. Incorporating Consolidated WIC FMNP and SFMNP Activities Into the
ICR

With this revision, FNA is also requesting to merge the Senior
Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) information collection
activities with the WIC FMNP information collection activities under a
single OMB Control Number: 0584-0447. The information collection
activities associated with SFMNP reporting and recordkeeping
requirements are currently approved under OMB Control Number 0584-0541
(expiration date: 7/31/2029). For an overview of the most recent
renewal of the SFMNP information collection activities, see the Federal
Register Notice: ``Agency Information Collection Activities: Senior
Farmers' Market Nutrition Programs--Reporting and Recordkeeping
Burden,'' published on March 30, 2026 (91 FR 15591).
WIC FMNP and SFMNP have near-identical program requirements, but
target different populations, and are often administered by the same
State agency as a ``consolidated'' program. State agencies
administering consolidated programs may accept a single application
from a farmer, farmers' market, or roadside stand, for participation in
both programs. Additionally, consolidated State agencies may combine
farmer, farmers' market, and roadside stand monitoring and evaluation
efforts, and may use the same coupon or electronic benefit management
system for both programs allowing for combined maintenance and
recordkeeping efforts. The two separate ICRs do not currently account
for the efficiencies that State agencies gain from administering
consolidated programs. Using a single ICR will allow FNA to better
capture these efficiencies and remove any duplication across ICRs.
Table 2 shows the number of State agencies that administer WIC FMNP
only, SFMNP only, and consolidated programs.

Table 2--Number of State Agencies by Program (Fiscal Year 2026)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of
Program(s) administered state agencies
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Only WIC FMNP........................................... 17
Only SFMNP.............................................. 24
Consolidated WIC FMNP & SFMNP........................... 32
Total WIC FMNP.......................................... 49
Total SFMNP............................................. 56
---------------
Total WIC FMNP & SFMNP.............................. 105
------------------------------------------------------------------------

FNA is not proposing to make changes to either program, nor to
combine WIC FMNP and SFMNP into a single program. This revision to OMB
Control Number 0584-0447 only combines FNA's accounting of the
administrative burdens that WIC FMNP and SFMNP place on the public into
a single ICR. Doing so will allow FNA to more accurately and clearly
capture the two programs' information collection burdens, avoid any
duplication of reporting and recordkeeping burdens across the two ICRs,
and place both programs on the same cycle of ICR renewal. FNA intends
to request to discontinue OMB Control Number 0584-0541 once OMB
approves this revision to OMB Control Number 0584-0447.
Table 3 presents the combined currently approved burden estimates
for both programs. The combined currently approved burden for the WIC
FMNP and SFMNP collections is 2,000,374 hours (1,175,964 hours for WIC
FMNP and 824,410 hours for SFMNP). The combined currently approved
number of responses for the WIC FMNP and SFMNP collections is 6,831,465
total annual responses (4,149,393 responses for WIC FMNP and 2,682,072
responses for SFMNP).

Table 3--Currently Approved WIC FMNP and SFMNP Burden Estimates
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WIC FMNP Combined WIC FMNP Combined
Information collection activities Type of respondents annual SFMNP annual annual annual burden SFMNP annual annual burden
responses responses responses hours burden hours hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporting......................... State & Local 1,346,179 866,996 2,213,175 347,594 223,246 570,840
Agencies.
Reporting......................... Individuals/ 1,330,746 839,323 2,170,069 66,670 210,562 277,233
Households.
Reporting......................... Authorized Outlets & 138,805 134,495 273,300 425,243 372,619 797,862
Non-Profit
Businesses.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporting Subtotal............ .................... 2,815,731 1,840,814 4,656,545 839,507 806,427 1,645,934
Recordkeeping..................... State Agencies...... 1,333,663 841,258 2,174,920 336,457 17,983 354,439
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grand Total: Reporting & .................... 4,149,393 2,682,072 6,831,465 1,175,964 824,410 2,000,374
Recordkeeping.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes: Figures may not sum due to rounding. WIC FMNP burden estimates are currently approved under OMB Control Number 0584-0447, expiration date: 8/31/
2027. SFMNP burden estimates are currently approved under OMB Control Number 0584-0541, expiration date: 7/31/2029.

IV. Merged WIC FMNP and SFMNP Burden Estimates

As described above, respondents only need to complete some
information collection activities a single time for consolidated WIC
FMNP and SFMNP programs, rather than once per program. By merging the
WIC FMNP and SFMNP information collection activities into a single ICR,
these efficiencies can be captured more accurately. FNA estimates that
combining both programs' information collection activities into a
single ICR would eliminate 25,844 redundant burden hours from the
combined currently approved burden of 2,000,374 hours.
The decrease to burden estimates from more accurately reporting

[[Page 56833]]

consolidated program operations, combined with the updates to the WIC
FMNP burden estimates shown in Table 1 (a decrease of 457,589 hours)
would result in a total decrease of 483,433 hours across both programs,
from 2,000,374 hours to 1,516,941 total burden hours. The currently
approved WIC FMNP and SFMNP ICRs have a combined total of 6,831,465
responses. The WIC FMNP updates and more accurate reporting of
consolidated program operations would result in an estimated decrease
of 1,061,778 responses, to 5,769,687 total annual responses across both
programs. Table 4 shows the updated WIC FMNP burden estimates merged
with the currently approved SFMNP burden estimates, accounting for
consolidated program operations in 32 State agencies. Future renewals
of OMB Control Number 0584-0447 will include updates to both programs
in a single table, like Table 4.
Affected Public: Individuals/Households, Business or Other for
Profit; Not for Profit; State, Local, and Tribal Government. Respondent
groups identified include: (1) WIC FMNP and SFMNP participants; (2) WIC
FMNP and SFMNP authorized outlets which are farmers, farmers' markets,
roadside stands, and community supported agriculture (CSA) programs
(SFMNP only); (3) non-profit businesses operating as local agencies;
and (4) local and State agencies (including geographic States, U.S.
Territories, and ITOs) administering WIC FMNP and SFMNP.
Estimated Number of Respondents: The total estimated number of
respondents is 1,880,662. This includes 105 WIC FMNP and SFMNP State
agencies, 2,141 WIC FMNP and SFMNP local agencies (70 percent of which
are operated by government entities and 30 percent of which are
operated by non-profit businesses), 1,843,314 WIC FMNP and SFMNP
individuals/households (i.e., participants), and 35,102 authorized WIC
FMNP and SFMNP outlets (farmers, farmers' markets, roadside stands, CSA
programs).
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: The total estimated
number of responses per respondent is 3.07.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: 5,769,687. The estimated total
for reporting is 3,922,133 while the estimated total for recordkeeping
is 1,847,554.
Estimated Time per Response: The estimated time per response
averages approximately 16 minutes (0.26 hours) for all respondents. For
the reporting burden, the estimated time per response varies from 5
minutes to 40 hours, while the estimated time per response for the
recordkeeping burden varies from 1 minute to 40 hours, depending on the
requirement.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1,516,941 hours. The
estimated total reporting burden is 1,479,352 hours while the estimated
total recordkeeping burden is 37,589 hours.

Table 4--Merged WIC FMNP and SFMNP Information Collection Activities
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Change from
Information collection activities Type of respondents Number of Responses per Total annual Hours per Total annual combined
respondents respondent responses response burden hours approved hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporting......................... State & Local 1,604 1,170.55 1,877,212 0.26 482,692 -88,148
Agencies.
Reporting......................... Individuals/ 1,843,314 1.00 1,844,227 0.25 461,788 184,556
Households.
Reporting......................... Authorized Outlets & 35,744 5.61 200,694 2.67 534,872 -262,990
Non-Profit
Businesses.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporting Subtotal............ .................... 1,880,662 2.09 3,922,133 0.38 1,479,352 -166,582
Recordkeeping..................... State Agencies...... 105 17,595.75 1,847,554 0.02 37,589 -316,851
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grand Total: Reporting & .................... 1,880,662 3.07 5,769,687 0.26 1,516,941 -483,433
Recordkeeping.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Figures may not sum due to rounding.

Shiela Corley,
Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Administration.
[FR Doc. 2026-18171 Filed 9-3-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P

</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>

View on FederalRegister.gov →Plain-text source

Indexed from Federal Register on September 4, 2026.

This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.