Information Collection Requests; Disaster Assistance-General; Critical Customer Data

Issuing agencies

Abstract

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is requesting comments from all interested individuals and organizations on the revision of the following currently approved information collection requests: Disaster Assistance--General (0560-0170) and Critical Customer Data (0560-0265).

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 197 (Wednesday, October 14, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 197 (Wednesday, October 14, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65160-65161]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-21007]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Farm Service Agency

[Docket ID: FSA-2026-0496]


Information Collection Requests; Disaster Assistance--General; 
Critical Customer Data

AGENCY: Farm Service Agency, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Farm Service Agency (FSA) is requesting comments from all interested 
individuals and organizations on the revision of the following 
currently approved information collection requests: Disaster 
Assistance--General (0560-0170) and Critical Customer Data (0560-0265).

DATES: We will consider comments that we receive by December 14, 2026.

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments on this notice. You may 
submit comments by this method: Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to: 
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> and search for Docket ID FSA-2026-0496. Follow the 
online instructions for submitting comments.
    You may also send comments to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attention: Desk 
Officer for Agriculture, Washington, DC 20503. Copies of the 
information collection may be requested by contacting Rena Russell-
Spruell (Disaster Assistance--General) or Tyler Gilkey (Critical 
Customer Data).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For Disaster Assistance--General, Rena 
Russell-Spruell, (202) 720-3265; <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f684939897d884838585939a9ad885868483939a9ab683859297d8919980"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="57253239367925222424323b3b7924272522323b3b172224333679303821">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. For 
Critical Customer Data, Tyler Gilkey, 402-437-5895, 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#80f4f9ece5f2aee7e9ecebe5f9c0f5f3e4e1aee7eff6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="285c51444d5a064f4144434d51685d5b4c49064f475e">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. Individuals with disabilities who require 
alternative means for communication should contact the USDA Target 
Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and text telephone (TTY mode)) or dial 
711 for Telecommunications Relay Service (both voice and text telephone 
users can initiate this call from any telephone).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Description of Information Collection Requests

    Title: Disaster Assistance--General.
    OMB Control Number: 0560-0170.
    Expiration Date: January 31, 2027.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Abstract: The Disaster Assistance-General information collection is 
needed to establish county eligibility for Secretarial disaster 
designations, which make emergency loans available to eligible farmers 
and ranchers and may also be used to qualify counties for other 
disaster assistance programs if required by statute or a program's 
regulations. The regulations in 7 CFR part 759 define the 
responsibilities of the Secretary of Agriculture in making disaster 
designations, the types of incidents that can result in a disaster 
designation, and the factors used in making disaster designations. 
Secretarial disaster designations must be requested in writing from a 
State governor (or authorized representative), Indian Tribal Council, 
or the FSA State Executive Director (SED) unless a county qualifies 
through the Fast Track process for drought using data from the U.S. 
Drought Monitor. For each county included in a request, the FSA county 
office and the County Emergency Board (CEB) will complete a Loss 
Assessment Report (LAR) that includes information about crop losses due 
to the disaster. If the LAR does not indicate a 30 percent or greater 
loss of at least one crop in the

[[Page 65161]]

county, FSA employees will conduct a survey of farmers in the county to 
assess whether other criteria justify a Secretarial disaster 
designation for the county.
    FSA is requesting a revision of the approved information 
collection. The revisions are intended to accurately reflect the 
expected number of requests and need to conduct farmer surveys and will 
remove responses and burden hours for the collection of information 
from FSA employees rather than the public. For the following estimated 
total annual burden on respondents, the formula used to calculate the 
total burden hours is the estimated average time per response hours 
multiplied by the estimated total annual responses.
    Estimate of Average Time To Respond: Public reporting burden for 
the information collection is estimated to average 0.3724 hours per 
response.
    Type of Respondents: Farms, Tribal Governments, and State 
Governments.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 98.
    Estimated Number of Reponses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 98.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 37 hours.
    Title: Critical Customer Data.
    OMB Control Number: 0560-0265.
    Expiration Date: January 31, 2027.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Abstract: FSA collects critical customer data (such as customer 
name, contact information, and taxpayer identification number) from new 
customers and updates records of existing customers with AD-2047, 
Customer Data Worksheet. This data is used by FSA and other USDA 
agencies to administer USDA programs and perform functions such as 
administering conservation compliance for federal crop insurance 
participants. The title of this information collection was formerly 
``Customer Data Worksheet Request for Business Partner Record Change''.
    Critical customer data is typically provided directly to a service 
center employee while a customer is physically visiting the USDA 
Service Center. This approach minimizes the burden on customers by 
allowing them to provide this data as part of a routine office visit. 
AD-2047 is also available from the USDA e-Forms website for customers 
to download, complete, and submit to their local Service Center. 
Customers may submit the information by mail, fax, email, phone, or 
through Box or OneSpan (see <a href="https://www.farmers.gov/working-with-us/signing-and-sharing-documents">https://www.farmers.gov/working-with-us/signing-and-sharing-documents</a>).
    FSA is currently reviewing how customers interact with USDA as part 
of the ``One Farmer, One File'' modernization initiative (see <a href="https://www.fsa.usda.gov/news-events/news/03-02-2026/usda-launches-one-farmer-one-file-initiative-better-support-farmers">https://www.fsa.usda.gov/news-events/news/03-02-2026/usda-launches-one-farmer-one-file-initiative-better-support-farmers</a>). Through ``One Farmer, One 
File,'' USDA's mission is to create a single, streamlined record that 
follows the farmer throughout the USDA system while reducing the 
administrative burden for farmers and making program delivery more 
efficient. As part of that initiative, FSA is establishing an 
electronic method for customer submission of critical customer data. 
The responses and burden hours associated with use of this electronic 
method are included in this information collection request.
    The estimated number of respondents and responses increased by 
170,981, and the burden hours increased by 8,549 due to the change in 
estimated responses since the last OMB approval. These changes reflect 
adjustments based on recent use of AD-2047. This increase is primarily 
due to an increase in the number of new customers who are participating 
in new programs. For the following estimated total annual burden on 
respondents, the formula used to calculate the total burden hours is 
the estimated average time per response multiplied by the estimated 
total annual responses.
    Estimated Respondent Burden: Public reporting burden for this 
collection of information is estimated to average 0.05 hours per 
response.
    Type of Respondents: Farms and Businesses.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 332,231.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Number of Responses: 332,231.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 16,612 hours.

Request for Comments

    FSA is requesting comments on all aspects of this information 
collection to help us to:
    (1) Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of FSA, including whether the 
information will have practical utility;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of FSA's estimate of burden of the 
collection of information including the validity of the methodology and 
assumptions used;
    (3) Evaluate the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected;
    (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including using appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.
    All comments received in response to this notice, including names 
and addresses when provided, will be a matter of public record. 
Comments will be summarized and included in the submission for Office 
of Management and Budget approval.

William Beam,
Administrator, Farm Service Agency.
[FR Doc. 2026-21007 Filed 10-13-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-E2-P


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