7 CFR Chapter XVIII - RURAL HOUSING SERVICE, RURAL BUSINESS-COOPERATIVE SERVICE, RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, AND FARM SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

We are amending the black stem rust quarantine and regulations by adding two varieties to the list of rust-resistant Berberis species and varieties and one variety to the list of rust-resistant Mahonia species and varieties. This action will allow for the interstate movement of these newly developed varieties without unnecessary restrictions.

We are adopting as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that amended the golden nematode regulations by removing areas in Livingston and Steuben Counties in New York from the list of generally infested areas. Surveys have shown that certain areas in these two counties are free of golden nematode, and we determined that regulation of these areas was no longer necessary. As a result of that action, areas in Livingston and Steuben Counties in New York that had been listed as generally infested were removed from the list of areas regulated for golden nematode.

The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is revising the United States Standards for Wheat under the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA) to change the definition of Contrasting classes (CCL) in the class Hard White wheat. This change will help facilitate the marketing of wheat.

We are proposing to amend the regulations governing the importation of fruits and vegetables to allow the importation of female squash flowers from Israel into the continental United States. As a condition of entry, female squash flowers from Israel would be subject to a systems approach that would include requirements for pest exclusion at the production site and fruit fly trapping and monitoring. The female squash flowers would also be required to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the national plant protection organization of Israel with an additional declaration that the female squash flowers had been inspected and found free of quarantine pests. This action would allow for the importation of female squash flowers from Israel into the continental United States while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests.

This rule decreases the assessment rate established for the State of Washington Potato Committee (Committee) for the 2013-2014 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.003 to $0.0025 per hundredweight of potatoes handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of Irish potatoes grown in Washington. Assessments upon Washington potato handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal period begins July 1 and ends June 30. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

We are amending the regulations governing the importation of plants for planting to remove the entries for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant inspection stations in New Orleans, LA, and Baltimore, MD, and to add an entry for the USDA plant inspection station in Beltsville, MD. We are also updating the addresses provided for the USDA plant inspection stations in Florida, Guam, and Hawaii. This final rule is necessary for the regulations to reflect the most current information regarding USDA plant inspection stations.

This action terminates a proceeding that amended manufacturing allowances of the Class III and Class IV price formulas applicable to all Federal milk marketing orders on an interim basis. However, subsequent formal rulemaking proceedings have superseded these amendments and therefore, action on this proceeding is terminated.

This action terminates a proceeding that amended manufacturing allowances of the Class III and Class IV price formulas applicable to all Federal milk marketing orders on an interim basis. However, subsequent formal rulemaking proceedings have superseded these amendments and therefore, action on this proceeding is terminated.

This action terminates a proceeding that amended manufacturing allowances of the Class III and Class IV price formulas applicable to all Federal milk marketing orders on an interim basis. However, subsequent formal rulemaking proceedings have superseded these amendments and therefore, action on this proceeding is terminated.

This action terminates a proceeding that amended manufacturing allowances of the Class III and Class IV price formulas applicable to all Federal milk marketing orders on an interim basis. However, subsequent formal rulemaking proceedings have superseded these amendments and therefore, action on this proceeding is terminated.

This action terminates a proceeding that amended manufacturing allowances of the Class III and Class IV price formulas applicable to all Federal milk marketing orders on an interim basis. However, subsequent formal rulemaking proceedings have superseded these amendments and therefore, action on this proceeding is terminated.

This action terminates a proceeding that amended manufacturing allowances of the Class III and Class IV price formulas applicable to all Federal milk marketing orders on an interim basis. However, subsequent formal rulemaking proceedings have superseded these amendments and therefore, action on this proceeding is terminated.

This action terminates a proceeding that amended manufacturing allowances of the Class III and Class IV price formulas applicable to all Federal milk marketing orders on an interim basis. However, subsequent formal rulemaking proceedings have superseded these amendments and therefore, action on this proceeding is terminated.

This action terminates a proceeding that amended manufacturing allowances of the Class III and Class IV price formulas applicable to all Federal milk marketing orders on an interim basis. However, subsequent formal rulemaking proceedings have superseded these amendments and therefore, action on this proceeding is terminated.

This action terminates a proceeding that amended manufacturing allowances of the Class III and Class IV price formulas applicable to all Federal milk marketing orders on an interim basis. However, subsequent formal rulemaking proceedings have superseded these amendments and therefore, action on this proceeding is terminated.

This action terminates a proceeding that amended manufacturing allowances of the Class III and Class IV price formulas applicable to all Federal milk marketing orders on an interim basis. However, subsequent formal rulemaking proceedings have superseded these amendments and therefore, action on this proceeding is terminated.

This rule increases the assessment rate established for the Texas Valley Citrus Committee (Committee) for the 2012-13 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.14 to $0.16 per 7/10-bushel carton or equivalent of oranges and grapefruit handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order that regulates the handling of oranges and grapefruit grown in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas (order). Assessments upon orange and grapefruit handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal period begins August 1 and ends July 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that temporarily suspended the handling regulations and inspection requirements prescribed under the marketing order for apricots grown in designated Counties in Washington. The interim rule suspended the minimum grade, size, quality, maturity, and inspection requirements for the 2012-2013 fiscal period. This change is expected to reduce overall industry expenses and increase net returns to producers and handlers.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that revised the reporting requirements prescribed under the marketing order for cranberries grown in the States of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and Long Island in the State of New York (order). The interim rule changed the dates covered by the third reporting period and the date by which the Handler Inventory Report (Form HIR) is due to the Committee. These changes help ensure the Committee has current and complete information available for its discussions during its annual August meeting, while providing handlers sufficient time to submit their reports.

This final rule permanently adopts changes to the manufacturing cost allowances and the butterfat yield factor used in Class III and Class IV product-price formulas applicable to all Federal milk marketing orders. These amendments were adopted by an interim final rule issued on July 25, 2008, that became effective on October 1, 2008. More than the required number of producers approved the issuance of the orders as amended.

We are proposing to restructure our regulations governing the importation of plants for planting. In the proposed structure, restrictions on the importation of specific types of plants for planting would no longer be found in the regulations, but instead would be found in the Plants for Planting Manual. We would change those restrictions after taking public comment through notices published in the Federal Register . As part of this restructuring, we would group together restrictions in the plants for planting regulations that apply to the importation of most or all plants for planting, and we would add general requirements for the development of integrated pest risk management measures that we would use to mitigate the risk associated with the importation of a specific type of plants for planting. We would also amend our foreign quarantine regulations to remove various provisions regarding the importation of specific types of plants for planting that are not currently subject to the general plants for planting regulations; these provisions would also be found in the Plants for Planting Manual. This action would not make any major changes to the restrictions that currently apply to the importation of plants for planting. These changes would make restrictions on the importation of specific types of plants for planting easier for readers to find and less cumbersome for us to change.

The Department of Agriculture is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that decreased the assessment rate established for the Washington Cherry Marketing Committee (Committee) for the 2012-2013 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.40 to $0.18 per ton of sweet cherries handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order for sweet cherries grown in designated counties in Washington. The interim rule was necessary to allow the Committee to reduce its monetary reserve.

The National Organic Program (NOP) is announcing the availability of three final guidance documents and one instruction document intended for use by certifying agents and certified operations. The final guidance and instruction documents are entitled as follows: “The Use of Kelp in Organic Livestock Feed (NOP 5027) ; Responding to Results from Pesticide Residue Testing (NOP 2613)”; “Seeds, Annual Seedlings, and Planting Stock in Organic Crop Production (NOP 5029)”; and “Evaluating Allowed Ingredients and Sources of Vitamins and Minerals for Organic Livestock Feed (NOP 5030)”. These final guidance and instruction documents are intended to inform the public of NOP's current thinking on these topics.

This final rule implements several nondiscretionary provisions of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, including those related to categorical eligibility for foster children, removal of limits on private nonprofit sponsors, outreach to eligible families, simplification of area eligibility for day care homes, application of school food safety requirements, and permanent agreements for institutions and sponsors. These provisions will make it easier for children to get nutritious meals when they are away from home, while requiring State and local agencies to make relatively minor changes in the procedures they use to operate the National School Lunch Program, Special Milk Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Summer Food Service Program.

This final rule implements several nondiscretionary provisions of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, including those related to categorical eligibility for foster children, removal of limits on private nonprofit sponsors, outreach to eligible families, simplification of area eligibility for day care homes, application of school food safety requirements, and permanent agreements for institutions and sponsors. These provisions will make it easier for children to get nutritious meals when they are away from home, while requiring State and local agencies to make relatively minor changes in the procedures they use to operate the National School Lunch Program, Special Milk Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Summer Food Service Program.

This final rule implements several nondiscretionary provisions of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, including those related to categorical eligibility for foster children, removal of limits on private nonprofit sponsors, outreach to eligible families, simplification of area eligibility for day care homes, application of school food safety requirements, and permanent agreements for institutions and sponsors. These provisions will make it easier for children to get nutritious meals when they are away from home, while requiring State and local agencies to make relatively minor changes in the procedures they use to operate the National School Lunch Program, Special Milk Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Summer Food Service Program.

This final rule implements several nondiscretionary provisions of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, including those related to categorical eligibility for foster children, removal of limits on private nonprofit sponsors, outreach to eligible families, simplification of area eligibility for day care homes, application of school food safety requirements, and permanent agreements for institutions and sponsors. These provisions will make it easier for children to get nutritious meals when they are away from home, while requiring State and local agencies to make relatively minor changes in the procedures they use to operate the National School Lunch Program, Special Milk Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Summer Food Service Program.

This final rule implements several nondiscretionary provisions of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, including those related to categorical eligibility for foster children, removal of limits on private nonprofit sponsors, outreach to eligible families, simplification of area eligibility for day care homes, application of school food safety requirements, and permanent agreements for institutions and sponsors. These provisions will make it easier for children to get nutritious meals when they are away from home, while requiring State and local agencies to make relatively minor changes in the procedures they use to operate the National School Lunch Program, Special Milk Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Summer Food Service Program.

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) finalizes the Common Crop Insurance Regulations, Pecan Revenue Crop Insurance Provisions. The intended effect of this action is to provide policy changes and clarify existing policy provisions to better meet the needs of insured producers, and to reduce vulnerability to program fraud, waste, and abuse. The proposed changes will apply for the 2014 and succeeding crop years. Policyholders are hereby given notice that 2013 will be the last year coverage will be available under the old Pecan Revenue Crop Provisions. The Pecan Revenue Special Provisions will modify the Pecan Revenue Crop Provisions for the 2013 crop year by changing the definition of two-year coverage module to one crop year. This change through the Special Provisions will be applicable to policyholders beginning the first year of a two-year coverage module in the 2013 crop year. All producers who choose to purchase coverage on pecan acreage for the 2014 crop year will begin a new two-year coverage module under the terms and conditions of the revised Pecan Revenue Crop Provisions. Requiring all producers to start a new two-year coverage module for the 2014 crop year under the terms of the revised Pecan Revenue Crop Provisions will provide equitable treatment of pecan producers by allowing all pecan producers to be eligible for the same benefits beginning in the 2014 crop year and will simplify the administration of the transition to the modified program.

This rule amends the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) regulations to incorporate provisions of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 designed to encourage States to improve direct certification efforts with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The provisions require State agencies to meet certain direct certification performance benchmarks and to develop and implement continuous improvement plans if they fail to do so. This rule also amends NSLP and SNAP regulations to provide for the collection of data elements needed to compute each State's direct certification performance rate to compare with the new benchmarks. Improved direct certification efforts would help increase program accuracy, reduce paperwork for States and households, and increase eligible children's access to school meals.