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Title 7 published on 2014-01-01
The following are only the Rules published in the Federal Register after the published date of Title 7.
For a complete list of all Rules, Proposed Rules, and Notices view the Rulemaking tab.
Rural Development (RD) is amending its regulations by updating references to the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) and clarifying and updating references to the census data. These actions will provide consistency in terminology between program regulations. In addition, clarifying and updating references to census data is needed to account for changes to the decennial Census, which, starting with the 2010 decennial Census is no longer reporting income and unemployment data. Additional revisions are being implemented to show the regulations that do not apply to the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and to remove outdated or unnecessary language.
This document contains technical corrections to the USDA organic regulations (7 CFR part 205) which were published in the Federal Register on December 21, 2000. The correcting amendments are minor, mostly typographical amendments which do not change, or alter the interpretation, of any provision within the USDA organic regulations.
This rule updates the list of institutions that are granted HSACU certification by the Secretary and are eligible for HSACU programs for the period starting October 1, 2014, and ending September 30, 2015.
We are amending the regulations concerning the importation of citrus fruit to allow the importation of commercial consignments of two Unshu orange hybrids from the Republic of Korea into the continental United States. These hybrids will be eligible for importation into the continental United States subject to the existing conditions for the importation of Unshu oranges from the Republic of Korea. We also are making one minor change to the existing regulations by adding an explicit statement that only commercial consignments of Unshu oranges will be eligible for importation into the continental United States. These changes will remove the prohibition on the importation of Unshu orange hybrids that can safely enter the United States, provided that certain conditions are met, and will codify an existing requirement.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that decreased the assessment rate established for the Texas Valley Citrus Committee (Committee) for the 2014-15 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.16 to $0.11 per 7/10-bushel carton or equivalent of oranges and grapefruit handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order, which regulates the handling of oranges and grapefruit grown in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas. The interim rule was necessary to decrease the assessment rate to reflect reductions to the marketing program and management fees while still providing adequate funding to meet program expenses.
This rule revises the minimum quantity exception for potatoes handled under the Colorado potato marketing order, Area No. 3 (order). The order regulates the handling of Irish potatoes grown in Colorado and is administered locally by the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee, Area No. 3 (Committee). This rule increases the quantity of potatoes that may be handled under the order without regard to the order's handling regulation requirements from 1,000 to 2,000 pounds. This action is expected to benefit producers and handlers.
This interim rule revises the quantity of Class 3 (Native) spearmint oil that handlers may purchase from, or handle on behalf of, producers during the 2014-2015 marketing year under the Far West spearmint oil marketing order. This rule increases the Native spearmint oil salable quantity from 1,090,821 pounds to 1,280,561 pounds and the allotment percentage from 46 percent to 54 percent. The marketing order regulates the handling of spearmint oil produced in the Far West and is administered locally by the Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee (Committee). The Committee recommended this rule for the purpose of maintaining orderly marketing conditions in the Far West spearmint oil market.
This final rule removes regulations for the Export Enhancement Program (EEP) and the Dairy Export Incentive Program (DEIP) from the Code of Federal Regulations, because the authorities for these programs were repealed by Section 3103 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, Public Law 110-246, and Section 1423 of the Agricultural Act of 2014, Public Law 113-79, respectively.
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is revising regulations on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) as required by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill) to update the Marketing Assistance Loan (MAL) and Loan Deficiency Payments (LDP) Programs for wheat, feed grains, soybeans, oilseeds, peanuts, pulse crops, cotton, honey, wool and mohair. In general, the 2014 Farm Bill extends the existing programs with the minor changes that are implemented in this rule, including a revised formula for upland cotton loan rates. This rule also amends the regulations for the Economic Adjustment Assistance for Users of Upland Cotton Program, the Extra Long Staple (ELS) Cotton Competitiveness Payment Program, and the Sugar Program to reflect that the programs were extended by the 2014 Farm Bill. Most of the provisions in this rule have already been implemented, beginning with the 2014 crop year.
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is amending Farm Loan Programs (FLP) loan making and servicing regulations to reflect several changes required by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill). The changes were implemented administratively upon the passage of the 2014 Farm Bill; this rule makes conforming amendments in the FSA regulations.
We are amending the khapra beetle regulations by adding additional regulated articles and regulated countries. We are also updating the regulations to reflect changes in industry practices that have affected the risk of khapra beetle being imported into the United States and country names that have changed since the regulations were originally published. Finally, we are removing the list of countries where khapra beetle is known to occur from the regulations and moving it to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Web site. These actions are necessary to prevent the introduction of khapra beetle from infested countries on commodities that have been determined to be hosts for the pest, reflect current industry practices, and make it easier to make timely changes to the list of regulated countries.
The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (Agency) is publishing this final rule for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). This final rule modifies REAP based on comments received on the interim rule, which was published on April 14, 2011, and the proposed rule, which was published on April 12, 2013. The final rule establishes provisions for the grants and loan guarantees available for renewable energy systems (RES) and energy efficiency improvements (EEI) and for the grants available for energy audits and for renewable energy development assistance.
NRCS and CCC published an interim final rule amending the existing regulation for the Conservation Stewardship Program with request for comment, with a comment period ending January 5, 2015. This document extends the comment period.
This joint interim final rule implements for all Federal award-making agencies the final guidance Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance) published by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on December 26, 2013. This rule is necessary in order to incorporate into regulation and thus bring into effect the Uniform Guidance as required by OMB. Implementation of this guidance will reduce administrative burden and risk of waste, fraud, and abuse for the approximately $600 billion per year awarded in Federal financial assistance. The result will be more Federal dollars reprogrammed to support the mission, new entities able to compete and win awards, and ultimately a stronger framework to provide key services to American citizens and support the basic research that underpins the United States economy.
We are amending the regulations on importing plants for planting to add Turkey to the list of countries from which the importation of restricted articles of Chrysanthemum spp., Leucanthemella serotina, and Nipponanthemum nipponicum into the United States is prohibited due to the presence of white rust of Chrysanthemum; to require permits for the importation of any seed that is coated, pelleted, or embedded in a substrate that obscures visibility; to provide for an alternate additional declaration on phytosanitary certificates that accompany articles imported from a country in which potato cyst nematodes are known to occur; to provide conditions for the importation of Prunus spp. articles from Canada that address the presence of plum pox potyvirus in that country; and to provide for the importation of Dianthus spp. (carnations) from the Netherlands. We are also making other changes to update and clarify the regulations and to improve their effectiveness. These changes are necessary to relieve restrictions that appear unnecessary, to update existing provisions, and to make the regulations easier to understand and implement.
The Rural Housing Service (RHS) is amending its regulation by changing the definition of “rural” or “rural area.” This change is a direct result of legislation passed under the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill) P.L. 113-79 in which the definition of “rural” and “rural area” was amended. No comments are being accepted for this final rule as this change has been mandated through a statutory requirement.
This rule implements changes to the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) as required by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (the 2014 Farm Bill), including changes to eligible crops, provisions governing eligibility of native sod acreage, additional coverage levels, and waivers of service fees and premium reductions for beginning, limited resource, and socially disadvantaged producers. This rule also clarifies requirements for eligible types and causes of loss and expands coverage for eligible mollusk and other aquaculture losses. This rule clarifies that the Farm Service Agency (FSA) may set separate market prices for organic crops and for direct to consumer sales. The changes are relatively minor and do not change the core purpose of NAP, which is to provide financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops when low yield, loss of inventory, or prevented planting occurs due to a natural disaster.
This interim rule with request for comment amends the existing Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) regulation to incorporate programmatic changes as authorized by amendments in the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Act).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seeks to issue a Department-wide regulation to implement the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended (“Age Act”), and the Government-wide Age Discrimination regulation promulgated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Age Act and HHS regulations prohibit age discrimination in programs and activities receiving Federal financial assistance. The Direct final regulation intends to ensure compliance with the Age Act and HHS regulations and provide guidance to USDA agencies, employees, recipients, and beneficiaries on Age Act requirements.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that decreased the assessment rate established for the California Date Administrative Committee (committee) for the 2014-15 and subsequent crop years from $0.40 to $0.20 per hundredweight of dates handled. The committee locally administers the marketing order, which regulates the handling of dates grown or packed in Riverside County, California. The interim rule decreased the assessment rate due to a significant decrease in the committee's budgeted expenses. The interim rule was necessary to allow the committee to reduce the assessment rate for the 2014-15 crop year.
This rule amends the regulations that specify the requirements for the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC)-approved warehouses storing cotton, which are administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). FSA is changing the definition of Bales Made Available for Shipment (BMAS). CCC-approved cotton warehouses are currently required to report BMAS, among other data, to FSA every week. FSA is clarifying that bales made available, but not picked up by the shipper, can only be reported by the warehouse operator as BMAS for no longer than the first 2 weeks that such bales have been made available for delivery but have not yet been picked up. This rule change includes whether bales not picked up are reported by the warehouse operator to FSA in the weekly report; it does not change any warehouse tariffs, late fees, or restocking fees. The quality of reported information about bales made available for shipment will improve, which will benefit both FSA and the cotton industry.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is publishing the final guidance on the Title VI prohibition against national origin discrimination as it affects limited English proficient persons. Consistent with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Title VI regulations, and Executive Order 13166, “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency (LEP),” the guidance clarifies the obligations of entities that receive Federal financial assistance from USDA. The guidance does not create new obligations, but, rather, provides guidance for USDA recipients in meeting their existing obligations to provide meaningful access for LEP persons.
This final rule amends the regulations that administer the Export Credit Guarantee (GSM-102) Program and eliminates provisions for the Intermediate Export Credit Guarantee (GSM-103) Program, consistent with the repeal of authority to operate this program in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Act). This final rule incorporates program operational changes and information from press releases and notices to participants that have been implemented since the publication of the current rule, and include other administrative revisions to enhance clarity and program integrity. It also incorporates certain comments received in response to proposed rules issued on July 27, 2011, and December 27, 2013. These changes should increase program availability to all program participants and enhance access and encourage sales for smaller U.S. exporters. Changes are also intended to improve CCC's financial management of the program.
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is amending its regulations to provide for a set of standardized formulas by which fees are calculated. The fees are calculated using formulas to account for all costs incurred by AMS in providing these services. Each year, fees will be announced in a notice in the Federal Register by June 1 and take effect at the start of the fiscal year, crop year, or as required by specific laws. This action provides greater transparency to the customers we serve as to how the fees are derived. The standardized formulas will be used to calculate fees that AMS charges for providing voluntary grading, inspection, certification, auditing and laboratory services for a variety of agricultural commodities including meat and poultry, fruits and vegetables, eggs, dairy products, and cotton and tobacco. The fees will also apply to those persons requesting such services including producers, handlers, processors, importers and exporters. Fees charged for inspection of fruits, vegetables, and specialty crops subject to the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937 are also affected by this rule. Provisions of this rule do not supersede rates established by Memoranda of Understanding, Marketing Orders, or by cooperative agreements already in place. Furthermore, the cotton program will continue to consult with its industry before rates are established.
This rule changes the minimum grade requirements currently prescribed under the Florida avocado marketing order (order) and makes a technical correction to the avocado import regulation. The order regulates the handling of avocados grown in South Florida, and is administered locally by the Avocado Administrative Committee (Committee). For South Florida-grown avocados, this rule aligns the regulations with current industry practices. It removes language permitting the commingling of avocados with dissimilar characteristics in containers for shipment within the production area. All avocado shipments within the production area need to meet the provisions of a U.S. No. 2 grade, as provided in the United States Standards for Grades of Florida Avocados. For imported avocados, this rule also makes a technical correction to the avocado import regulation to clarify that the minimum grade requirements for imported avocados remains unchanged at a U.S. No. 2.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that modified the container requirements prescribed under the Idaho-Eastern Oregon potato marketing order. The interim rule removed the requirement that fiberboard cartons used to pack 50-pound quantities of U.S. No. 2 grade potatoes be of one-piece construction. This change is in response to market demands and provides handlers flexibility in shipping U.S. No. 2 grade potatoes. In addition, this rule corrected a citation reference in the handling regulations.
This document summarizes the results of an Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) review of the Mango Promotion, Research, and Information Order (Order) under criteria contained in section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA). Based upon its review, AMS concluded that there is a continued need for the Order.
This interim rule with request for comment amends the existing Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) regulation for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to incorporate programmatic changes as authorized by amendments in the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Act).
This interim rule revises the quantity of Class 1 (Scotch) spearmint oil that handlers may purchase from, or handle on behalf of, producers during the 2014-2015 marketing year under the Far West spearmint oil marketing order. This rule increases the Scotch spearmint oil salable quantity from 1,149,030 pounds to 1,984,423 pounds and the allotment percentage from 55 percent to 95 percent. The marketing order regulates the handling of spearmint oil produced in the Far West and is administered locally by the Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee (Committee). The Committee recommended this rule for the purpose of maintaining orderly marketing conditions in the Far West spearmint oil market.
The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) published a final rule on August 29, 2014, implementing regulations for the Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) and the Dairy Product Donation Program (DPDP) as authorized in subtitle D of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (the 2014 Farm Bill). We are extending the comment period for the final rule to give the public more time to provide input and recommendations on the final rule. The original 60-day comment period, which will close on October 28, 2014, is being extended by 45 days from the date of publication of this document.
This rule prescribes late payment and interest charges on past due assessments under the Softwood Lumber Research, Promotion, Consumer Education and Industry Information Order (Order). The Order is administered by the Softwood Lumber Board (Board) with oversight by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Under the Order, assessments are collected from U.S. manufacturers (domestic) and importers and used for projects to promote softwood lumber within the United States. Softwood lumber is used in products like flooring, siding and framing. This rule implements authority contained in the Order that allows the Board to collect late payment and interest charges on past due assessments. This action will contribute to effective administration of the program.
We are amending the regulations concerning the importation of citrus fruit to remove certain restrictions on the importation of Unshu oranges from Japan. Specifically, we are removing requirements for the fruit to be grown in specified canker-free export areas with buffer zones and for joint inspection in the groves and packinghouses by the Government of Japan and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. We are also clarifying that surface sterilization of the fruit must be conducted in accordance with our regulations. Finally, we are requiring that each shipment be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate containing an additional declaration stating that the fruit was given the required surface sterilization. These changes will make the regulations concerning the importation of Unshu oranges from Japan consistent with our domestic regulations concerning the interstate movement of citrus fruit from areas quarantined because of citrus canker.
This rule revises the U.S. Standards for Grades of Onions (Other Than Bermuda-Granex-Grano (BGG) and Creole Type) and the U.S. Standards for Grades of BGG Type Onions which were issued under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946. The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is amending the “similar varietal characteristic” and “one type” requirements to allow mixed colors of onions when designated as a mixed or specialty pack. This revision will update the standards to more accurately represent today's marketing practices and to provide the industry with greater flexibility.
We are adopting as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that amended the pine shoot beetle regulations by adding areas in the States of Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New York, and Virginia and the States of Indiana and New Jersey in their entirety to the list of quarantined areas. The interim rule also updated the list of regulated articles. The interim rule was necessary to prevent the spread of pine shoot beetle, a pest of pine trees, into noninfested areas of the United States.
We are amending the regulations concerning the importation of fruits and vegetables to allow the importation of fresh bananas from the Philippines into Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands. As a condition of entry, the bananas will have to be produced in accordance with a systems approach that includes requirements for importation of commercial consignments, monitoring of fruit flies to establish low-prevalence places of production, harvesting only of hard green bananas, and inspection for quarantine pests by the national plant protection organization of the Philippines. The bananas will also have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that they were grown, packed, and inspected and found to be free of quarantine pests in accordance with the proposed requirements. This action will allow the importation of bananas from the Philippines into Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands while continuing to protect against the introduction of plant pests.
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is amending the Farm Loan Programs (FLP) regulations for loan making and servicing on eligibility conditions for certain legal entities, allowing additional flexibility for loan applicants to meet the required farming experience, and increasing the maximum total indebtedness on Microloans (ML) to $50,000. The changes implement provisions of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill). The changes will help increase the number of entities eligible to participate in certain FLP loans and adjust to better reflect the changes in the way farms are owned and operated by legal entities. The changes will allow FSA to extend credit and servicing to family farm operations that may have been ineligible under existing regulations.
We are amending the list of designated pest-free areas for mango seed weevil and mango pulp weevil within the Philippines. We are also amending the Plant Protection and Quarantine Treatment Manual to establish a specific approved dose of irradiation as an authorized treatment for mango pulp weevil. These actions are necessary because surveys have determined that additional areas within the Philippines are free of mango seed weevil and mango pulp weevil. Additionally, we have determined that the mango pulp weevil can be neutralized with a lower dose of irradiation than the current generic dose for most plant pests of the class Insecta.
In a final rule published in the Federal Register on May 2, 2014, and effective on June 2, 2014, we amended the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation of cape gooseberry from Colombia into the United States under a systems approach. The final rule stated that capture of a Mediterranean fruit fly in a registered place of production would result in immediate cancellation of exports from farms within 5 square kilometers of the detection site. Our intent, however, was to specify that a Medfly detection would result in immediate cancellation of exports from farms within a 5 kilometer radius, rather than an area of 5 square kilometers. This document amends the regulations to reflect our intent.
This final rule amends the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List) to reflect a recommendation submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) on October 18, 2012, and removes two previously expired substances. Consistent with the recommendation from the NOSB, this final rule adds biodegradable biobased mulch film to the National List with restrictive annotations. This action also adds a new definition for biodegradable biobased mulch film. This rule also removes two listings for nonorganic agricultural substances from the National List, hops ( Humulus lupulus ) and unmodified rice starch, as their use exemptions expired on January 1, 2013, and June 21, 2009, respectively. Two other substances that were recommended by the NOSB to the Secretary for addition to the National List, Citrus hystrix, leaves and fruit, and curry leaves ( Murraya koenigii ), have not been added to the National List based on comments received on the proposed rule.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that changed the minimum grade requirements prescribed under the marketing order for oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and tangelos grown in Florida (order). The interim rule reduced the minimum grade requirement for Valencia and other late type oranges shipped to interstate markets from a U.S. No. 1 to a U.S. No. 1 Golden from May 15 through June 14 each season and to a U.S. No.2 external/U.S. No. 1 internal from June 15 through August 31 each season. This rule provides additional Valencia and other late type oranges for late season markets, helping to maximize fresh shipments.
This rule implements the new Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) Programs authorized by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (the 2014 Farm Bill). It also includes conforming changes to certain Farm Service Agency (FSA) regulations that apply to multiple programs. ARC and PLC provide producers a choice between a program that provides counter-cyclical type of payment support—PLC, and a revenue support type of program—ARC. During a defined election period, current producers can elect different programs for different covered commodities on a farm, for example, choosing PLC for corn and ARC county option for soybeans on the same farm. ARC offers the additional choice of a revenue guarantee based on average revenue for a county or on actual historical revenue for an individual farm. If a producer elects ARC individual coverage based on historical revenue for that specific farm, however, all the farm's covered commodities are elected with that option, with no option for PLC on that farm. This rule specifies the eligibility requirements, enrollment procedures, and payment calculations for ARC and PLC.
The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) is publishing this final rule for allocating program funds to its State Offices. This final rule adds two programs—the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and the Intermediary Relending Program (IRP). In addition, this final rule revises State allocation formulae to account for changes in data reported by the U.S. Bureau of the Census' decennial Census. Finally, this final rule revises the weight percentages associated with each of the allocation criteria; provides flexibility in determining when not to make State allocations for a program; restricts the use of the transition formula and changes the limitations on how much program funds can change when the transition formula is used; adds provisions for making State allocation for other RBS programs, including new ones; and provides consistency, where necessary, in the allocation of RBS program funds to State Offices.
We are amending the regulations concerning the importation of fruits and vegetables to allow the importation of mangoes from Jamaica into the continental United States. As a condition of entry, the mangoes must be produced in accordance with a systems approach employing a combination of mitigation measures for certain fruit flies, soft scale insects, and diseases and must be inspected prior to exportation from Jamaica and found free of these pests and diseases. The mangoes must be imported in commercial consignments only and be treated to mitigate the risk of fruit flies. The mangoes must also be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate. This action will allow the importation of mangoes from Jamaica while continuing to protect against the introduction of plant pests into the United States.
Rural Development (RD) is amending the regulations so that an obligation date for all guaranteed loans, direct loans, and grants will no longer be 6 working days from the date of request for reservation of authority. This action is necessary as the 6-day reservation period will be permanently removed from the Commercial Loan Servicing System (CLSS), Guaranteed Loan System (GLS), and Program Loan Accounting System (PLAS). The effect of this action will reduce system or manual intervention when legislative mandates direct cutoff for obligations and/or funding; eliminate program waivers on obligation date; increase consistency with other RD programs; reduce risks with new system implementations, such as the Financial Modernization Management Initiative; and eliminate numerous reconciliation issues between processed obligations and actual obligations for internal RD reports and USDA reporting requirements.
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is affirming without changes, its interim rule to promulgate rules and regulations as provided under the Agriculture Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill). The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) amends the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center (NSIIC) regulations to redesignate the statutory authority from the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, amends the definition of Act consistent with the redesignated statutory authority, and amends the regulations by increasing the administrative cap for the use of the fund from 3 percent to 10 percent.
This rule changes the maturity requirements currently prescribed under the Florida avocado marketing order (order). The order regulates the handling of avocados grown in South Florida and is administered locally by the Avocado Administrative Committee (Committee). The corresponding change in the avocado import regulation is required under section 8e of the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937. This rule changes the maturity shipping schedule to allow certain sizes and weights of the Choquette avocado variety to be shipped to the fresh market earlier. With this change, the maturity schedule will better reflect the current maturity rate for the Choquette variety, facilitating the shipment of this variety as it matures.
We are amending the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation of litchi and longan fruit from Vietnam into the continental United States. As a condition of entry, litchi and longan fruit from Vietnam will be subject to a systems approach that includes requirements for treatment and inspection and restrictions on the distribution of the fruit. This action will allow for the importation of litchi and longan fruit from Vietnam into the United States while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests.
This rule implements regulations for the Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) and the Dairy Product Donation Program (DPDP) as authorized in subtitle D of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (the 2014 Farm Bill). MPP-Dairy provides dairy producers with risk management coverage that will pay producers when the difference between the price of milk and the cost of feed (the margin) falls below a certain level. MPP-Dairy provides basic catastrophic level coverage for an administrative fee, and greater coverage for a premium in addition to the administrative fee. Amounts of coverage and premiums vary based on producer selections. This rule specifies the eligibility requirements and payment formulas for MPP-Dairy. Under the related DPDP, which is a complimentary program designed to support producer margins by increasing the price of milk, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will buy dairy products when the margin falls below a certain level, and will distribute those products to individuals in low-income groups through public and private non-profit organizations. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) will operate both programs using funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will assist in the distribution of the dairy products under DPDP.
This rule decreases the assessment rate established for the California Date Administrative Committee (Committee) for the 2014-15 and subsequent crop years from $0.40 to $0.20 per hundredweight of dates handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order, which regulates the handling of dates grown or packed in Riverside County, California. Assessments upon date handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The crop year begins October 1 and ends September 30. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.
The Department of Agriculture is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that extended the temporary exemption of yellow fleshed and white skin (white types) potatoes from minimum quality, maturity, pack, marking, and inspection requirements under the Washington potato marketing order through the 2014-2015 and subsequent fiscal periods. This rule is expected to reduce overall industry expenses and increase net returns to producers and handlers while continuing to give the industry the opportunity to explore alternative marketing strategies.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that revised the regulations issued under the Export Apple Act to exempt bulk shipments of apples to Canada from the minimum requirements and inspection provisions of the Export Apple Act and established a definition for bulk containers. The changes were necessary because section 10009 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 amended the Export Apple Act to exempt apples shipped to Canada in bulk containers weighing more than 100 pounds from inspection requirements.
On December 9, 2013, the Rural Housing Service (RHS) published an interim final rule concerning the streamlining and reengineering its Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program. The effective date was listed as September 1, 2014 and is being deferred to December 1, 2014.
This rule decreases the assessment rate established for the Texas Valley Citrus Committee (Committee) for the 2014-15 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.16 to $0.11 per 7/10-bushel carton or equivalent of oranges and grapefruit handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order, which regulates the handling of oranges and grapefruit grown in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas. 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.
This rule adjusts representation on the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board (Board), established under the Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1985 (Act), to reflect changes in cattle inventories as well as cattle and beef imports that have occurred since the most recent Board reapportionment rule became effective in July 2011. These adjustments are required by the Beef Promotion and Research Order (Order) and result in a decrease in Board membership from 103 to 100, effective with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) appointments for terms beginning early in the year 2015. The rule also makes technical amendments to update and correct information in the Order and regulations.
This rule implements the new Cotton Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) authorized by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (the 2014 Farm Bill). It also includes general provisions needed to implement CTAP, the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC), and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) Programs. ARC and PLC will be implemented through a separate rulemaking and will provide benefits for other commodities. CTAP is a temporary program that provides payments to producers on farms for which cotton base acres were in existence as of September 30, 2013, as adjusted. It will operate for only the 2014 crop year and in certain counties for the 2015 crop year, and is intended to be a transition for producers on farms with upland cotton base acres that were in existence as of September 30, 2013, between the previous Direct and Counter-cyclical Payments Program (DCP) and the new Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX), which is authorized to begin no later than the 2015 crop year.
This rule modifies the container requirements currently prescribed under the Idaho-Eastern Oregon potato marketing order (order). The order regulates the handling of potatoes grown in certain designated counties in Idaho, and Malheur County, Oregon and is administered locally by the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Potato Committee (Committee). This rule removes the requirement that fiberboard cartons used to pack 50-pound quantities of U.S. No. 2 grade potatoes be of one-piece construction. This change is needed to respond to market demands and to provide handlers flexibility in shipping U.S. No. 2 grade potatoes. In addition, this rule makes a change to the order's handling regulations to correct a citation reference.
The Agricultural Act of 2014 (the 2014 Act) made several, nondiscretionary changes to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) conservation programs. These conservation programs have existing regulations that require adjustments, including addressing the required review of operating procedures of the State Technical Committee, adding reference of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) to the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act program regulations, adding reference of the RCPP to, and expanding the definition of, “acreage owned by Indian Tribes” under the Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP), revising and simplifying the Regional Equity provision, and adjusting the Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) program to correspond with changes to payment provisions under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Additionally, the Secretary of Agriculture has delegated to NRCS administrative responsibility for implementation of the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP) and internal NRCS administrative changes warrant updating the appropriate delegated official in the technical service provider (TSP) provision. This interim rule, with request for comments, implements changes to these NRCS conservation program regulations that are either necessitated by enactment of the 2014 Act or are required to implement administrative streamlining improvements and clarifications.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is amending its regulations concerning Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement to incorporate statutory changes to section 9002 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act (FSRIA) that were effected when the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (FCEA) was signed into law on June 18, 2008. USDA is also announcing that an additional rulemaking activity will be initiated to further amend the Guidelines to address the provisions of the recently signed Agricultural Act of 2014.
This document revises the delegations of authority from the Secretary of Agriculture and general officers of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reflect changes and additions to the delegations required by the Agricultural Act of 2014, Public Law 113-79. Other additions, deletions, and changes are made as summarized below.
We are amending the regulations concerning the importation of fruits and vegetables to allow the importation of fresh blueberries from Morocco into the continental United States. As a condition of entry, the blueberries must be produced under a systems approach employing a combination of mitigation measures for two quarantine pests, Ceratitis capitata and Monilinia fructigena, and must be inspected prior to exportation from Morocco and found free of these pests. The blueberries may be imported in commercial consignments only and must be treated with one of two approved postharvest treatments to mitigate C. capitata. The blueberries will have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that the conditions for importation have been met. This action will allow the importation of blueberries from Morocco while continuing to protect against the introduction of plant pests into the United States.
The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) finalizes the Common Crop Insurance Regulations, Pear Crop Insurance Provisions. The intended effect of this action is to improve coverage available to pear producers, to clarify existing policy provisions to better meet the needs of insured producers, and to reduce vulnerability to program fraud, waste, and abuse. Changes are also proposed to the Optional Coverage for Pear Quality Adjustment Endorsement to broaden coverage available to producers to manage their risk more effectively. The proposed changes will be effective for the 2015 and succeeding crop years.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that decreased the assessment rate established for the Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee (Committee) for the 2014-2015 and subsequent marketing years from $0.10 to $0.09 per pound of spearmint oil handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of spearmint oil produced in the Far West. The interim rule was necessary to allow the Committee to reduce its financial reserve while still providing adequate funding to meet program expenses.
We are adopting as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that amended the Asian longhorned beetle regulations by removing portions of Middlesex and Union Counties, NJ, from the list of quarantined areas based on our determination that those areas meet our criteria for removal. The interim rule was necessary to relieve restrictions that are no longer necessary because there are no longer any areas in New Jersey that are quarantined because of Asian longhorned beetle.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA or Department) is amending its regulation on nondiscrimination in programs or activities conducted by the Department. The changes clarifies the roles and responsibilities of USDA's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (OASCR) and USDA agencies in enforcing nondiscrimination in programs or activities conducted by the Department and strengthens USDA's civil rights compliance and complaint processing activities to better protect the rights of USDA customers. OASCR's compliance activities are detailed, and a requirement is included that each agency shall, for civil rights compliance purposes, collect, maintain and annually compile data on the race, ethnicity, and gender (REG) of all conducted program applicants and participants by county and State. Applicants and program participants will provide the race, ethnicity, and gender data on a voluntary basis. The amendment also provides that OASCR shall offer Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services to complainants where appropriate. This amendment is intended to encourage the early resolution of customer complaints. Finally, USDA is amending its regulation to add protection from discrimination in programs or activities conducted by the Department with respect to two new protected bases, political beliefs, and gender identity. The Secretary has decided to establish gender identity as a separate protected basis for USDA's conducted programs and activities. This amendment is meant to make explicit protections against discrimination based on USDA program customers' political beliefs or gender identity. Gender identity includes USDA program customers' gender expression, including how USDA program customers act, dress, perceive themselves, or otherwise express their gender.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that relaxed the minimum size prescribed for oranges under the marketing order for oranges and grapefruit grown in Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas (order) and the orange import regulation. The interim rule relaxed the minimum size requirement for domestic and import shipments from 2 6/16 inches to 2 3/16 inches in diameter. This rule provides additional oranges to meet market demand, helping to maximize fresh shipments.
The Department of Agriculture is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that exempted red types of potatoes from minimum quality, maturity, pack, marking, and inspection requirements of the Washington potato marketing order and the potato import regulation for the 2013-2014 and subsequent fiscal periods. This rule also continues in effect the action that required handlers of red types of potatoes to submit reports during the period that red types of potatoes are exempt from regulation. This rule is expected to reduce overall industry expenses and increase net returns to producers and handlers while giving the industry the opportunity to explore alternative marketing strategies.
This rule revises the rules and regulations of the California date marketing order (order) to impose interest and late payment charges on overdue handler assessments. The order regulates the handling of dates produced or packed in Riverside County, California, and is administered locally by the California Date Administrative Committee (committee). Assessments upon date handlers are used to fund the reasonable and necessary expenses of the committee. These changes are expected to assist in the financial administration of the order by encouraging handlers to pay their assessments in a timely manner.
This final rule amends the regulations for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) to phase out the eligibility of women, infants, and children, in accordance with the amendments made by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (the 2014 Farm Bill). Under amendments made to the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 by Section 4102 of the 2014 Farm Bill, women, infants, and children who apply to participate in CSFP on February 7, 2014, or later cannot be certified to participate in the program. Under these amendments the population served by CSFP will only be low-income elderly persons at least 60 years of age. However, Section 4102 also included amendments for a phase-out provision, which requires State and local agencies to continue providing assistance to all women, infants, and children who were certified and receiving CSFP benefits as of February 6, 2014. Those individuals can continue to receive assistance until they are no longer eligible under the program rules in effect on February 6, 2014.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that relaxed the minimum size and grade requirements prescribed for grapefruit under the marketing order for oranges and grapefruit grown the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas (order). The interim rule relaxed the minimum size requirement for grapefruit from 3-5/16 inches to 3 inches in diameter and reduced the minimum grade requirement for small-sized grapefruit. This rule provides additional grapefruit to meet market demand, helping to maximize fresh shipments.
This rule revises the aflatoxin sampling regulations currently prescribed under the California, Arizona, and New Mexico pistachio marketing order (order). The order regulates the handling of pistachios grown in California, Arizona, and New Mexico, and is administered locally by the Administrative Committee for Pistachios (Committee). This rule allows the use of mechanical samplers (auto-samplers) for in-line sampling as a method to obtain samples for aflatoxin analysis. The use of auto-samplers is expected to reduce handler costs by providing a more efficient and cost-effective process.
This final rule revises the procedure currently prescribed for issuing additional allotment base for Class 1 (Scotch) and Class 3 (Native) spearmint oil to new and existing producers under the Far West spearmint oil marketing order (order). The order regulates the handling of spearmint oil produced in the Far West and is administered locally by the Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee (Committee). This action reduces the number of new producers that are issued additional allotment bases each year from three to two for each class of oil; temporarily changes the method by which additional allotment base is allocated to existing producers to take into account small production operations; and amends the requirements for eligibility, retention, and transfer of additional allotment base issued to new and existing producers. Revising the procedure for issuing additional allotment base will help to ensure that new and existing spearmint oil producers have sufficient allotment base to be economically viable in the future.
The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) amends the General Administrative Regulations—Ineligibility for Programs under the Federal Crop Insurance Act, the Catastrophic Risk Protection Endorsement, the Area Risk Protection Insurance Regulations, and the Common Crop Insurance Regulations, Basic Provisions to revise those provisions affected by changes mandated by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (commonly referred to as the 2014 Farm Bill), enacted on February 7, 2014.
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is announcing the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of information collection requirements contained in a final rule published in the Federal Register .
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is amending the Cotton Board Rules and Regulations, decreasing the value assigned to imported cotton for the purposes of calculating supplemental assessments collected for use by the Cotton Research and Promotion Program. This amendment is required each year to assure that assessments collected on imported cotton and the cotton content of imported products will be the same as those paid on domestically produced cotton.
This document contains a correction to the final regulation that was published Thursday, May 29, 2014 (79 FR 30703-30708). The regulation pertains to the insurance of Forage Seed.
This document sets forth the revised appendices to the Dairy Tariff-Rate Import Quota Licensing Regulation for the 2014 quota year reflecting the cumulative annual transfers from Appendix 1 to Appendix 2 for certain dairy product import licenses permanently surrendered by licensees or revoked by the Licensing Authority.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that decreased the assessment rate established for the California Olive Committee (Committee) for the 2014 and subsequent fiscal years from $21.16 to $15.21 per ton of assessable olives handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order, which regulates the handling of olives grown in California. Assessments upon olive handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal year began January 1 and ends December 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.
We are amending 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 will be subject to a systems approach that includes requirements for pest exclusion at the production site and fruit fly trapping and monitoring. The female squash flowers must also be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the national plant protection organization of Israel with an additional declaration that the female squash flowers have been inspected and found free of quarantine pests. This action will 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.
The Agricultural Act of 2014 (the 2014 Farm Bill) extends the authorization of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) program administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), through September 30, 2018. This document announces to producers the continuation of CRP Continuous sign-up, with revised cropping history requirements as specified in the 2014 Farm Bill. This document also announces the opportunity for producers of certain CRP contracts to terminate the contract early (referred to as “early-outs”). The 2014 Farm Bill also continues, with modifications, the CRP Transition Incentives Program (TIP). In this document FSA also announces an opportunity for participants to extend eligible CRP contracts currently scheduled to expire on September 30, 2014, for one additional year. CRP, including TIP, will continue to be implemented under the existing regulations, except as specified in this document; this document will be followed by amendments to the applicable regulations to implement changes required by the 2014 Farm Bill after the completion of the appropriate National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis.
As provided under the Agriculture Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill), the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is amending the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center (NSIIC) regulations. This interim rule redesignates the statutory authority from section 375 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, amends the definition of the Act in the regulations consistent with the redesignated statutory authority, and amends the regulations by increasing the administrative cap for the use of the fund from 3 percent to 10 percent.
The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) amends its regulations for the Intermediary Relending Program (IRP). This action is critical to immediately address three major items. First, the Agricultural Act of 2014 incorporates the IRP into the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (Con Act). Therefore the IRP will now be subject to the Con Act, Section 343(a)(13) “rural and rural area” definition. Second, the Agency is making the following changes based on an Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit: Removing part of the definition of revolved funds to eliminate public confusion on its applicability; providing stronger guidance on items that should be taken into consideration when approving subsequent loans; defining what is meant by promptly relending collections from loans made from the revolving loan fund account; and providing clarification when prior Agency concurrence is needed to make loans. Finally, the Agency is removing provisions for Rural Development Loan Fund (RDLF) servicing as there are no longer any active RDLF accounts.
The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) finalizes the addition of a new regulation that provides forage seed insurance. The provisions will be used in conjunction with the Common Crop Insurance Policy Basic Provisions (Basic Provisions), which contain standard terms and conditions common to most crop insurance programs. The intended effect of this action is to convert the Forage Seed pilot crop insurance program to a permanent insurance program for the 2015 and succeeding crop years.
This rule changes the minimum grade requirements currently prescribed under the marketing order for oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and tangelos grown in Florida (order). The order is administered locally by the Citrus Administrative Committee (Committee). This rule reduces the minimum grade requirement for Valencia and other late type oranges shipped to interstate markets from a U.S. No. 1 to a U.S. No. 1 Golden from May 15 through June 14 each season and to a U.S. No. 2 external/U.S. No. 1 internal from June 15 through August 31 each season. This rule will provide additional Valencia and other late type oranges for late season markets, helping to maximize fresh shipments.
This final rule amends Marketing Order No. 920 (order), which regulates the handling of kiwifruit grown in California. The amendments were proposed by the Kiwifruit Administrative Committee (Committee or KAC), which is responsible for the local administration of the order. The five amendments will provide authority to recommend and conduct production and postharvest research, to recommend and conduct market research and development projects, to receive and expend voluntary contributions, to specify that recommendations for production research and market development be approved by eight members of the Committee, and to update provisions regarding alternate members' service on the Committee. These amendments are intended to improve administration of and compliance with the order, as well as reflect current industry practices.
The Rural Housing Service is amending its regulations for the section 502 direct single family housing loans program by reinstating language pertaining to payment assistance method 1 that was inadvertently changed or omitted when the payment subsidy regulation was revised on December 27, 2007. This action will make clear to the public that under this method, the amount of subsidy granted is the difference between the installment due on the promissory note and the greater of the payment amortized at the equivalent interest rate or the payment calculated based on the required floor payment.
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will maintain user fees for 2014 crop cotton classification services at $2.20 per bale—the same level as in 2013. Revenues resulting from this cotton classing fee and existing reserves are sufficient to cover the costs of providing classification services for the 2014 crop, including costs for administration and supervision.
This rule increases the assessment rate established for the California Desert Grape Administrative Committee (Committee) for the 2014 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.0165 to $0.0200 per 18-pound lug of grapes handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order, which regulates the handling of grapes grown in a designated area of southeastern California. Assessments upon grape handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal period began on January 1 and ends on December 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.
In a final rule that was published in the Federal Register on October 5, 2012, we amended and republished the list of select agents and toxins that have the potential to pose a severe threat to animal or plant health, or to animal or plant products; reorganized the list of select agents and toxins based on the relative potential of each select agent or toxin to be misused to adversely affect human, plant, or animal health; and amended the regulations in order to add definitions and clarify language concerning security, training, biosafety, biocontainment, and incident response. In that final rule we neglected to precisely align all of our regulatory language with that used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in their regulations and, in some cases, did not align our language in the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regulations concerning plant health and plant products with that concerning animal health and animal products. As APHIS co-administers the select agent regulations with CDC, this document corrects inconsistencies in language between APHIS and CDC regulations. We are also correcting an improper term used in those sections of the regulations associated with identification of a viral strain or subspecies that is excluded from the requirements of the regulations, modifying the terms used when a select toxin is excluded from the regulations, clarifying those parts of the regulations that deal with temporary exemptions granted during periods of agricultural or public health emergencies, and adding language to specify that individuals not approved for access to registered space for activities not related to select agents or toxins (e.g., routine cleaning, maintenance, and repairs) would not have to be continuously escorted by an approved individual so long as those non-approved persons would not be able to gain access to select agents or toxins.
This final rule establishes the quantity of Far West Scotch and Native spearmint oil that handlers may purchase from, or handle on behalf of, producers during the 2014-2015 marketing year, which begins on June 1, 2014. The Far West includes Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and designated parts of Nevada and Utah. This rule establishes salable quantities and allotment percentages for Class 1 (Scotch) spearmint oil of 1,149,030 pounds and 55 percent, respectively, and for Class 3 (Native) spearmint oil of 1,090,821 pounds and 46 percent, respectively. The Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee (Committee), the entity responsible for local administration of the marketing order for spearmint oil produced in the Far West, recommended these quantities.
This rule extends the temporary exemption of yellow fleshed and white skin (white types) potatoes from minimum quality, maturity, pack, marking, and inspection requirements under the Washington potato marketing order through the 2014-2015 and subsequent fiscal periods. Without this action, the temporary exemption currently in effect would end on June 30, 2014. The marketing order regulates the handling of Irish potatoes grown in Washington and is administered locally by the State of Washington Potato Committee (Committee). This rule is expected to reduce overall industry expenses and increase net returns to producers and handlers while continuing to give the industry the opportunity to explore alternative marketing strategies.
This final rule amends an existing provision in the regulations for the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops Program (TASC). Section 3205 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 enacted on February 7, 2014, amended the existing TASC statute by striking “related barriers to trade” and inserting “technical barriers to trade”. This rule makes the corresponding change to the TASC regulations.
We are amending the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation of cape gooseberry from Colombia into the United States. As a condition of entry, cape gooseberry from Colombia must be subject to a systems approach that includes requirements for establishment of pest-free places of production and the labeling of boxes prior to shipping. The cape gooseberry also must be imported in commercial consignments and accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the national plant protection organization of Colombia certifying that the fruit has been produced in accordance with the systems approach. This action allows for the importation of cape gooseberry from Colombia into the United States while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of plant pests.
The rule titled Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC): Revisions in the WIC Food Packages was published on March 4, 2014. The Office of Management and Budget cleared the associated information collection requirements (ICR) on April 14, 2014. This document announces approval of the ICR.
The Department of Agriculture is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that temporarily exempted yellow fleshed and white types of potatoes from minimum quality, maturity, pack, marking, and inspection requirements under the Washington potato marketing order through June 30, 2014. The interim rule also modified an existing report to require handlers of yellow fleshed and white types of potatoes to report information necessary to administer the order during the period that such potatoes are exempt from handling requirements. This change is expected to reduce overall industry expenses and increase net returns to producers and handlers while giving the industry the opportunity to explore alternative marketing strategies.
This final rule amends the Class I pricing provisions and the maximum administrative assessment for the Appalachian, Florida and Southeast marketing orders. This final rule also amends certain features of the diversion limit, touch-base and transportation credit provisions of the Appalachian and Southeast milk marketing orders. More than the required number of producers approved the issuance of the orders as amended.
This final rule amends the transportation credit balancing fund provisions and pooling provisions of the Appalachian and Southeast orders. More than the required number of producers for the Appalachian and Southeast marketing areas approved the issuance of the orders as amended.
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing the availability of a final guidance document intended for use by accredited certifying agents and certified organic operations. The final guidance document is entitled: Products in the “Made with Organic ***” Labeling Category (NOP 5032). This guidance is intended to inform the public of the National Organic Program's (NOP) current thinking on this topic.
The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) Packers and Stockyards Program (PSP) is incorporating by reference “2013 edition of the NIST Handbook 44” and to require that the scales used by stockyard owner, market agencies, dealers, packers, and live poultry dealers to weigh livestock, livestock carcasses, live poultry, or feed for the purpose of purchase, sales acquisitions, payment, or settlement meet applicable requirements of the 2013 edition of the NIST Handbook 44.
This rule updates the list of institutions that are granted HSACU certification by the Secretary and are eligible for HSACU programs for the period starting October 1, 2013 and ending September 30, 2014.
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is issuing this affirmation of a final rule, without change, of an interim rule that amended Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) regulations, to require State agencies to monitor electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card replacement requests and send notices to those clients who have requested four cards within a 12-month period. The State agency shall be exempt from sending this notice if it chooses to exercise the card withholding option, in accordance with SNAP regulations, and sends the first warning notice upon the household's fourth card replacement request.
This rule decreases the assessment rate established for the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Potato Committee (Committee) for the 2014-2015 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.0045 to $0.0025 per hundredweight of potatoes handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of potatoes grown in certain designated counties in Idaho, and Malheur County, Oregon. Assessments upon potato 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.
This rule decreases the assessment rate established for the Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee (Committee), for the 2014-15 and subsequent marketing years from $0.10 to $0.09 per pound of spearmint oil handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of spearmint oil produced in the Far West. Assessments upon spearmint oil handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The marketing year begins June 1 and ends May 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated. Effective April 23, 2014. Comments received by June 23, 2014, will be considered prior to issuance of a final rule.
We are amending the pine shoot beetle regulations by adding areas in the States of Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New York, and Virginia and the States of Indiana and New Jersey in their entirety to the list of quarantined areas. We are taking this action following the detection of pine shoot beetle in those areas. In addition, we are updating the list of regulated articles. These actions are necessary to prevent the spread of pine shoot beetle, a pest of pine trees, into noninfested areas of the United States.
We are adopting as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that amended the Asian longhorned beetle regulations by adding a portion of Clermont County, OH, to the list of quarantined areas and restricting the interstate movement of regulated articles from that area. The interim rule was necessary to prevent the artificial spread of the Asian longhorned beetle to noninfested areas of the United States.
This rule implements specific requirements for the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), Tree Assistance Program (TAP), and general provisions for Supplemental Agricultural Disaster Assistance Programs authorized by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill). Although there were similar disaster programs under the 2008 Farm Bill, the authority for those programs has expired. The 2014 Farm Bill reauthorizes these programs and they are similar to the 2008 programs, however, there are distinct changes in payment limits, eligible losses, and eligible causes of loss from prior programs. Eligible ELAP, LFP, LIP, and TAP losses must have occurred on or after October 1, 2011 to be eligible for payment. This rule specifies how ELAP, LFP, LIP, and TAP payments are calculated, what losses are eligible, and when producers may apply for payments. Additionally, this final rule implements changes required by the 2014 Farm Bill by amending the regulations that specify maximum income limits (payment eligibility) and maximum benefit amounts (payment limits) for participants in programs funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and some FSA programs. The intended effect of the eligibility requirements is to ensure that program payments and benefits are issued only to those persons and legal entities that meet the income eligibility requirements as specified in the 2014 Farm Bill, and that program participants do not receive any program payments above the maximum allowable payment amount. The payment limits and average Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) limits in this final rule apply to 2014 and subsequent crop, program, or fiscal year benefits, and to benefits for programs that were authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill for retroactive 2012 or 2013 crop, program, or fiscal year benefits.
We are consolidating the regulations concerning the issuance of permits for the importation and interstate movement of a wide variety of regulated plants, plant products, and other articles. We are also making corresponding changes to the regulations concerning permits for the importation and interstate movement of noxious weeds and the importation of honeybees and other beekeeping articles. The regulations will also include new provisions for the denial of a permit and the revocation of a permit once issued. These changes will make our permit procedures more transparent and easier to use, allow us to evaluate a permit application more quickly and thoroughly, and help us hold permittees accountable for complying with permit conditions.
The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is amending the regulations for the Tobacco Transition Program (TTP) to clarify the final administrative actions required for the orderly close-out of the program. Through the Tobacco Transition Payment Program (TTPP), which is part of the TTP, eligible former tobacco quota holders and producers of quota tobacco receive payments from funds that CCC collects through quarterly assessments on domestic manufacturers and importers of tobacco products as required by the Fair and Equitable Tobacco Reform Act of 2004 (FETRA). This rule clarifies final dates and deadlines for the assessments and related program actions, including when CCC will make any final revisions to the quarterly assessments, when documentation is required for administrative appeals filed after FY 2014, when final appeals may be filed, and when CCC decisions on final appeals will take place.
On November 8, 2011, a final rule was published in the Federal Register (76 FR 69094) establishing an industry-funded promotion, research, and information program for fresh cut Christmas trees. The effective date of the final rule was November 9, 2011. On November 17, 2011, the Christmas Tree Promotion Research and Information Order (Order) date was stayed to provide all interested persons, including the Christmas tree industry and the general public, an opportunity to become more familiar with the program. The stay is being lifted in accordance with the provisions of the Agricultural Act of 2014.
This interim rule revises the regulations issued under the Export Apple Act to exempt bulk shipments of apples to Canada from the minimum requirements and inspection provisions of the Export Apple Act, and to add a definition for bulk containers. The rule is necessary because section 10009 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 amended the Export Apple Act to exempt apples shipped to Canada in bulk containers weighing more than 100 pounds from inspection requirements.
This rule amends the Watermelon Research and Promotion Plan's (Plan) importer membership requirements to serve on the National Watermelon Promotion Board (Board). The Board recommended eliminating the requirement that an importer import more than 50 percent of the total volume handled and imported in order to qualify as an importer member. This change allows for additional parties to qualify as an importer member. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA or Department) conducted a referendum among eligible producers, handlers, and importers of watermelons from January 13 through 27, 2014. Seventy-four percent of those voting in the referendum favored amendment of the Plan. Additional revisions are made to remove unnecessary language in the Plan and regulations. Also, a section of the regulations is clarified and revised accordingly.
We are amending the Asian longhorned beetle regulations by removing portions of Middlesex and Union Counties, NJ, from the list of quarantined areas based on our determination that those areas meet our criteria for removal. This action is necessary to relieve restrictions that are no longer necessary. With this change, there are no longer any areas in New Jersey that are quarantined because of Asian longhorned beetle.
We are amending the regulations concerning the importation of fruits and vegetables to allow the importation of fresh potatoes ( Solanum tuberosum L.) from Mexico into the United States. As a condition of entry, the potatoes must be produced in accordance with a systems approach employing a combination of mitigation measures to prevent the introduction and dissemination of plant pests into the United States. The potatoes must be imported in commercial consignments, must be produced by a grower who is registered in a certification program, must be packed in registered packinghouses, must be washed, cleaned, and treated with a sprout inhibitor, and must be inspected after packing for quarantine pests. The potatoes must also be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate that declares that the conditions for importation have been met. Finally, the national plant protection organization (NPPO) of Mexico must provide a bilateral workplan to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) that details the activities that the NPPO of Mexico will carry out to meet these requirements, subject to APHIS' approval. This action allows the importation of potatoes from Mexico while continuing to protect against the introduction of plant pests into the United States.
This final rule extends the Dairy Forward Pricing Program in accordance with the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill). The Dairy Forward Pricing Program was first authorized in section 1502 of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008. The program allows handlers regulated under the Federal milk marketing order program to pay producers and cooperative associations in accordance with the terms of a forward contract and not have to pay the minimum Federal order uniform price for milk. Establishing new contracts under the Dairy Forward Pricing Program has been prohibited since the expiration of the program on September 30, 2013. The 2014 Farm Bill (H.R. 2642) was signed into law on February 7, 2014, and extends the program to allow new contracts to be entered into until September 30, 2018. Any forward contract entered into up and until the September 30, 2018, deadline is subject to a September 30, 2021, expiration date to meet the terms of the contract.
This rule adds the State of Arkansas as a primary peanut-producing State under the Peanut Promotion, Research, and Information Order (Order). The Order is administered by the National Peanut Board (Board) with oversight by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This rule also adds a seat on the Board for the State of Arkansas. Under the Order, primary peanut-producing States must maintain a 3-year average production of at least 10,000 tons of peanuts. Arkansas's peanut production meets this requirement. Primary peanut-producing States also have a seat on the Board. This action was recommended by the Board and ensures that the Board's representation reflects changes in the geographical distribution of the production of peanuts.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that suspended the handling regulations and inspection requirements prescribed under the marketing order for apricots grown in designated Counties in Washington (order). The interim rule suspended the minimum grade, size, quality, maturity, and inspection requirements of the order for the remainder of the 2013-2014 fiscal period and subsequent fiscal periods. This rule is expected to reduce overall industry expenses and increase net returns to growers and handlers.
We are amending the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation of fresh jackfruit, pineapple, and starfruit from Malaysia into the continental United States. As a condition of entry, all three commodities must be irradiated for insect pests, inspected, and imported in commercial consignments. There will also be additional, commodity-specific requirements for other pests associated with jackfruit, pineapple, and starfruit from Malaysia. This action provides for the importation of jackfruit, pineapple, and starfruit from Malaysia while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests.
This rule decreases the assessment rate established for the California Olive Committee (Committee) for the 2014 and subsequent fiscal years from $21.16 to $15.21 per ton of assessable olives handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order, which regulates the handling of olives grown in California. Assessments upon olive handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal year began January 1 and ends December 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.
The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is amending the Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) Program regulations to increase the loan amount, for which additional security or a severance agreement is required, from $50,000 to $100,000. We are making a related change for loans secured with collateral that does not have any resale value. The purpose of these amendments is to make the loan process easier for borrowers, especially producers who may not have additional security, but are unlikely to default on a relatively small loan. Raising the threshold for which additional security is required from $50,000 to $100,000 should help more small producers qualify for a loan between $50,000 and $100,000, and will likely reduce their cost to qualify for such a loan.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that relaxed the minimum grade requirement under the marketing order for kiwifruit grown in California (order), and for kiwifruit imported into the United States that are shipped to the fresh market, by increasing the tolerance of kiwifruit which is “badly misshapen” from 7 percent to 16 percent. This change is intended to facilitate the packing of fruit to meet the minimum grade requirement of “KAC No. 1,” and reduce costs associated with re-sorting and repacking this grade of fruit.
This rule increases the assessment rate established for the Prune Marketing Committee (Committee) for the 2013-14 and subsequent crop years from $0.22 to $0.28 per ton of salable dried prunes handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order, which regulates the handling of dried prunes grown in California. Assessments upon dried prune handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The crop year begins August 1 and ends July 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.
This interim final rule would amend the procedures to Request a Referendum by removing the specific number of soybean producers eligible to request a referendum under the Soybean Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information program, commonly known as the Soybean Checkoff Program. The number of soybean producers will be replaced with language that allows the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to update this number based on information provided by USDA. Additionally, this action would remove specific USDA and Farm Service Agency (FSA) Web site and office addresses and replace them with more flexible language. These changes will enable AMS to announce future Requests for Referendum without engaging in additional notice-and-comment rulemaking. This rule also serves as AMS' official notice that soybean producers may request a referendum to determine if producers want a referendum on the Soybean Promotion and Research Order (Order), as authorized under the Soybean Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act (Act). If at least 10 percent (not in excess of one-fifth of which may be producers in any one State) of eligible producers, as determined by USDA, participate in the Request for Referendum, a referendum will be held within 1 year from that determination. If results of the Request for Referendum indicate that a referendum is not supported, a referendum would not be conducted. The results of the Request for Referendum will be published in the Federal Register .
This final rule considers public comments submitted in response to the interim rule revising the WIC food packages published on December 6, 2007. The interim rule implemented the first comprehensive revisions to the WIC food packages since 1980. The interim rule revised regulations governing the WIC food packages to align them more closely with updated nutrition science and the infant feeding practice guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics, promote and support more effectively the establishment of successful long-term breastfeeding, provide WIC participants with a wider variety of food, and provide WIC State agencies with greater flexibility in prescribing food packages to accommodate participants with cultural food preferences. This rule makes adjustments that improve clarity of the provisions set forth in the interim rule.
This rule relaxes the minimum size and grade requirements currently prescribed for grapefruit under the marketing order for oranges and grapefruit grown in Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas (order). The order is administered locally by the Texas Valley Citrus Committee (Committee). This rule relaxes the minimum size requirement for grapefruit from 3 5/16 inches to 3 inches in diameter and reduces the minimum grade requirement for small-sized grapefruit. This rule will provide additional grapefruit to meet market demand, helping to maximize fresh shipments.
This rule relaxes the minimum size currently prescribed for oranges under the marketing order for oranges and grapefruit grown in Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas (order). The order is administered locally by the Texas Valley Citrus Committee (Committee). The corresponding change in the orange import regulation is required under section 8e of the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937. This rule relaxes the minimum size requirement for oranges from 2-6/16 inches to 2-3/16 inches in diameter. This rule will provide additional oranges to meet market demand, helping to maximize fresh shipments.
This final rule terminates Marketing Order No. 947 (order), which regulates the handling of Irish potatoes grown in Modoc and Siskiyou Counties, California, and in all counties in Oregon, except Malheur County, and the rules and regulations issued thereunder. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) has determined that the marketing order is no longer an effective marketing tool for the Oregon-California potato industry, and that termination serves the current needs of the industry while also eliminating the costs associated with the operation of the marketing order.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that decreased the assessment rate established for the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee, Area No. 2 (Committee) for the 2013-2014 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.0051 to $0.0033 per hundredweight of potatoes handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order for Irish potatoes grown in Colorado. The interim rule was necessary to allow the Committee to reduce its financial reserve while still providing adequate funding to meet program expenses.
This rule increases the assessment rate established for the Florida Tomato Committee (Committee) for the 2013-14 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.024 to $0.0375 per 25-pound carton of tomatoes handled. The Committee locally administers the Federal marketing order, which regulates the handling of tomatoes grown in Florida. Assessments upon Florida tomato 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.
This rule exempts red types of potatoes from minimum quality, maturity, pack, marking, and inspection requirements of the Washington potato marketing order for the remainder of the 2013-2014 fiscal period and subsequent fiscal periods. The marketing order regulates the handling of Irish potatoes grown in Washington and is administered locally by the State of Washington Potato Committee (Committee). During the exemption period, reports will be required from handlers of red types of potatoes to obtain information necessary to administer the marketing order. As required under section 8e of the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, this action also exempts imported red-skinned, round type potatoes from minimum grade, size, quality, and maturity requirements. This rule is expected to reduce overall industry expenses and increase net returns to producers and handlers while giving the industry the opportunity to explore alternative marketing strategies.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that decreased the assessment rate established for the Kiwifruit Administrative Committee (Committee) for the 2013-14 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.035 to $0.025 per 9-kilo volume-fill container or equivalent of kiwifruit. The Committee locally administers the marketing order, which regulates the handling of kiwifruit grown in California. The interim rule was necessary to allow the Committee to reduce its financial reserve while still providing adequate funding to meet program expenses.
This final rule requires certain local educational agencies participating in the National School Lunch Program to conduct an independent review of initial eligibility determinations for free and reduced price school meals. Additionally, this final rule requires each affected local educational agency to submit to the relevant State agency the results of the reviews including the number and percentage of reviewed applications for which the eligibility determinations changed and the type of change made. State agencies are required to submit to the Food and Nutrition Service, a report describing the results of the second reviews in their State. These changes respond to amendments made to the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act by section 304 of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 which requires that local educational agencies demonstrating high levels of, or a high risk for, administrative error associated with certification, verification, and other administrative processes, have an individual or entity independently review the initial eligibility determinations for free and reduced price school meals for accuracy prior to sending out household notifications of eligibility or ineligibility. This final rule is expected to reduce administrative errors in eligibility determinations for free and reduced price school meals.
