Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
| Published date | 29 November 2019 |
| Citation | 84 FR 65776 |
| Record Number | 2019-25863 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Agriculture Department |
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 230 (Friday, November 29, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 230 (Friday, November 29, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 65776]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-25863]
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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
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 230 / Friday, November 29, 2019 /
Notices
[[Page 65776]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
November 25, 2019.
The Department of Agriculture will submit the following information
collection requirement(s) to OMB for review and clearance under the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 on or after the date
of publication of this notice. Comments are requested regarding: (1)
Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the
agency's estimate of burden including the validity of the methodology
and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility and
clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) 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 should be addressed to: Desk
Officer for Agriculture, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), New Executive Office Building,
Washington, DC; New Executive Office Building, 725 17th Street NW,
Washington, DC, 20503. Commenters are encouraged to submit their
comments to OMB via email to: [email protected] or fax (202)
395-5806 and to Departmental Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail Stop
7602, Washington, DC 20250-7602.
Comments regarding these information collections are best assured
of having their full effect if received by December 30, 2019. Copies of
the submission(s) may be obtained by calling (202) 720-8681.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information
unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB
control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to
respond to the collection of information that such persons are not
required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays
a currently valid OMB control number.
National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)
Title: Minnesota Pesticide & Fertilizer Survey--Substantive Change
OMB Control Number: 0535-0218
Summary of Collection: General authority for these data collection
activities is granted under U.S. Code Title 7, Section 2204 which
specifies that ``The Secretary of Agriculture shall procure and
preserve all information concerning agriculture which he can obtain . .
. by the collection of statistics . . .''. The primary objective of the
National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is to provide data
users with timely and reliable agricultural production and economic
statistics, as well as environmental and specialty agricultural related
statistics. To accomplish this objective, NASS relies on the use of
diverse surveys that show changes within the farming industry over
time.
The Minnesota Pesticide and Fertilizer Survey is a data collection
entirely funded by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA). The
annual project is requested by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture
to fulfill its mission under MN Statute 103H.151 where the MDA is
required to monitor the effectiveness of Best Management Practices
(BMPs) developed by the Department. It states, ``The commissioner of
agriculture, in consultation with local water planning authorities,
shall develop best management practices for agricultural chemicals and
practices'' and ``shall, through field audits and other appropriate
means, monitor the use and effectiveness of best management practices
developed and promoted under this section.'' This survey series is the
monitoring method.
Target commodities rotate each year depending on the cooperator's
data needs and to avoid targeting the same commodities on the
Federally-funded Agricultural Resource Management Survey Phase II. The
target commodities for crop year 2019 will be corn and soybeans.
Additional questions will be added for insecticide, fertilizer, and
manure management practices for the crop year 2019 corn and soybean
crops. Management data will be collected for the largest corn and
largest soybean fields, without manure use. New soil sampling questions
are asked for all respondents.
The objective is to understand the decision making process when
farmers decide to spray insecticides, apply fertilizer and manure to
corn and soybean crops.
This substantive change resulted in an average of about five
additional minutes to each questionnaire with no change in sample size.
With the same sample size of approximately 8,400 respondents for the
survey, the net increase in respondent burden is 560 hours above the
currently approved total.
Need and Use of the Information: The additional information is
requested by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to fulfill its
mission under MN Statute 103H.151 where the MDA is required to monitor
the effectiveness of Best Management Practices (BMPs) developed by the
Department. It states, ``The commissioner of agriculture, in
consultation with local water planning authorities, shall develop best
management practices for agricultural chemicals and practices'' and
``shall, through field audits and other appropriate means, monitor the
use and effectiveness of best management practices developed and
promoted under this section.''
Description of Respondents: Farms.
Number of Respondents: 8,400.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Once.
Total Burden Hours: 3,416.
Ruth Brown,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2019-25863 Filed 11-27-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-20-P
