0002-fieldcrops-08-SSA-emerg

Supporting Statement - Part A

FIELD CROPS PRODUCTION

OMB No. 0535-0002

TERMS OF CLEARANCE

The Terms of Clearance will be addressed when we submit this docket for its regular approval later this year. We will be able to include response rates from 2008 at that time.

A. JUSTIFICATION

This is a request for an emergency approval of a revision to the NASS field crop production docket. The Public Law version 6124 of the 2008 Farm Bill requires NASS to add an additional data collection effort to our existing program(s).

Section 2110 – Cash Rental Rates: “(A) Annual Estimates – The Secretary (acting through the National Agricultural Statistics Service) shall conduct an annual survey of per acre estimates of county average market dry land and irrigated cash rental rates for cropland and pastureland in all counties or equivalent subdivisions within each State that have 20,000 acres of cropland or pastureland.”

In order to collect this information in the most timely and cost effective manner we will be utilizing some existing data collection efforts to obtain much of this information. We will be drawing our survey population from operations who reported cash rental payments and either rented cropland or pastureland on the 2007 Census of Agriculture. We will use the approved rental questions from the June Area Survey (OMB 0535-0213) to collect the needed information. These questions will be added to the Fall Acreage and Production Survey (County Estimate Survey) that will be conducted this year. Some States will begin data collection in September, therefore we are asking for an immediate approval.

For this approval request we are asking for two significant changes. The first change is the addition of the six rental questions to be added to the current County Estimates Survey in each State (U.S. sample size of 400,000). The second change is the addition of a new survey that contains only the six cash rental questions. This new questionnaire will be mailed out to operators who reported on the Census of Agriculture that they did rent cropland or pastureland for cash in 2007 and who are not sampled for any of the following surveys: County Estimates, December Crops/Stocks, January Cattle, or the January Sheep and Goat Survey (OMB 0535-0213). The projected sample size for this new questionnaire is approximately 180,000.

NASS has secured additional funding through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), administered by the Farm Services Agency (FSA), to be used in the follow-up contacts of operations that did not respond to the integrated County Estimates mail version of the questionnaire. NASS has also been developing a cleaner, easier to follow questionnaire, in an attempt to improve both mail and telephone interview response rates. The new questionnaire will be tested in several States this fall.

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. Attach a copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the collection of information.

The primary function of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is to prepare and issue current State and national estimates of crop and livestock production, value, and disposition. Survey data are collected for selected field crops to set these estimates. NASS conducts probability surveys where possible, as documented in OMB docket No. 0535-0213, the Agricultural Surveys Program. Because of unique field crop characteristics such as concentration of a crop in localized geographical areas or the relative importance of the crop, the use of supplemental follow-on surveys is needed. The surveys in this docket use a combination of mail questionnaires, telephoning, and personal interviews. They are conducted to ensure that there are sufficient samples to provide accurate indications for NASS published estimates.

Commodity-specific surveys for alfalfa/clover seed, dry beans, mint, special oilseeds, potatoes, sugar beets, sugarcane, sunflowers (non-oil), sweet potatoes and tobacco are used in those States where better coverage of localized growing areas is needed. Results are published in the next monthly Crop Production release. Commodity price information is also collected during some of these surveys in order to send the respondent fewer questionnaires and reduce respondent burden.

Variety surveys are conducted in several States to estimate acreage planted by wheat and barley variety. The wheat variety survey is conducted as part of State cooperative agreements. The barley variety survey is conducted in nine States as part of a cooperative agreement with the American Malting Barley Association.

The large Acreage and Production Survey for small grains is conducted each year at the end of the growing season to help estimate field crops acreage harvested and final production at State and county levels.

The weekly Crop Progress and Condition Survey published in Crop Progress provides timely information about the development and condition of crops between issues of the monthly Crop Production release.

General authority for these data collection activities is granted under U.S. Code Title 7, Section 2204. This statute specifies that "The Secretary of Agriculture shall procure and preserve all information concerning agriculture which he can obtain ... by the collection of statistics ... and shall distribute them among agriculturists."

2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection.

Crop forecasts published in the monthly Crop Production report and other releases are used by farmers, agribusinesses, and many government agencies in analyzing the nation's production and marketing of field crops and grains. The Secretary of Agriculture uses estimates of crop production to administer farm program legislation and import-export programs.

The weekly crop progress and condition inquiry, published in the Crop Progress report every Monday, provides an efficient way for the Department of Agriculture to closely monitor agricultural developments across the country which may affect the nation's food supply. Numerous briefing reports are prepared for the Secretary of Agriculture on crop condition, phenological development, and harvest progress. The reporting of insect and disease damage can put farmers in other areas on alert to take preventive measures, thus minimizing possible damage. Information on shortages of soil moisture and extremes in temperatures can presage possible affects on yield.

County estimates for field crops are needed by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Risk Management Agency to carry out their respective legislative mandates. Their primary use of the data is to determine average yields by county, used in determining participating farmers’ compensation payments. The county-level cash rent survey data will enable FSA program payment rates to better reflect market conditions. The information may be similarly useful to NRCS. The information will also benefit the agricultural sector more generally by enabling the rental market for cropland to operate more competitively.

Variety surveys are used by the Agricultural Research Service, plant breeders, researchers, and growers to determine the acreage by variety and measure acceptance of new varieties. The impact of insect or disease outbreaks can be measured from variety surveys after the tolerance of a particular variety is determined. Varietal data on wheat are used for determining production and available supplies by class. Class data are of great importance to government analysts and exporters in planning the disposition of U.S. wheat crops since exports comprise approximately one-half of total use.

3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g. permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden.

Nearly all of NASS information collections have been converted to Web-based data collection, what NASS calls electronic data reporting or EDR. Some or all of the survey instruments for the following commodities have been converted: dry beans, mint, special oilseeds, potatoes, sugarcane, non-oil sunflower, sweet potatoes, tobacco, and the weekly crop progress and condition report. The conversion of several more of the smaller surveys will be completed this year. The remaining instruments that will not be converted are too infrequent or too impractical to use that mode of data collection. The current proportion of survey responses that employ the Web is about 50.1% for crop progress and about 0.7 % for the overall information collection.

The main portal for our on-line surveys is http://www.agcounts.usda.gov. Once there, the respondents have to enter the valid survey code and the user ID printed on the label of the questionnaire mailed to them. We do not want anyone other than a selected respondent to access the survey web pages. The address for the crop progress is different, however, because it was the first survey NASS converted to the Web: http://cpcsweb.nass.usda.gov.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication.

NASS cooperates with State Departments of Agriculture and land grant universities to conduct agricultural surveys. These surveys meet both State and Federal needs, thus eliminating duplication and minimizing reporting burden on the agricultural industry. There is no duplication of questions asked of producers in this docket except for the probability surveys conducted by NASS, which they supplement. In addition, respondent lists are carefully compared to ensure there is no overlap.

5. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities (Item 5 of OMB Form 83-I), describe any methods used to minimize burden.

Information requested on surveys included in this docket can be provided with a minimum of difficulty by respondents, generally without having to consult their record books.

6. Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

Collecting data less frequently would eliminate information needed to keep the U.S. Department of Agriculture abreast of changes at the State and national level. Timing and frequency of the various reports have evolved to meet the needs of Department clients, including producers, agribusinesses, and government agencies, yet minimize burden on the reporting public.

7. Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly; requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;...

Survey data is collected weekly and monthly depending on the need for information to keep the U.S. Department of Agriculture abreast of changes at the State and national level.

8. Provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency's notice, required by 5 CFR 1320.8 (d), soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public comments received in response to that notice and describe actions taken by the agency in response to these comments.

NASS is requesting a waiver of the 60-day Federal Register Notice for this emergency

submission. A full Notice for re-submission will be published within 60 days.

Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.

Consultations with plant breeders, researchers, growers, industry associations, and other government agencies such as FSA are carried out to ensure that data collected reflect all varieties and the proper timing to obtain accurate information.

9. Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents.

There are no payments or gifts to respondents.

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

All questionnaires include a statement that individual reports are kept confidential. U.S. Code Title 18, Section 1905 and U.S. Code Title 7, Section 2276 provide for the confidentiality of reported information. All employees of NASS and all enumerators hired and supervised under a cooperative agreement with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture must read these regulations and sign a statement of compliance.

11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature.

There are no questions of a sensitive nature.

12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. The statement should indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated.

Average completion time per questionnaire is based on time required for other surveys of similar length. Calculation of burden hours is shown in the table below. Estimated response counts are based on an 80% target response rate and minutes per response shown are the maximum average times for all questionnaires used for the commodity.

Projected Field Crop Production Annual Response Burden Hours for 2009

Cost to the public for completing the questionnaires is assumed to be comparable to the hourly rate of those requesting the data. The combined reporting for all surveys of 166,869 hours is multiplied by $24 per hour, for a total cost to the public of $4,004,856.

13. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers resulting from the collection of information.

There is no cost burden to respondents.

14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government; provide a description of the method used to estimate cost which should include quantification of hours, operational expenses (equipment, overhead, printing, and staff), and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information.

The total cost to the Federal government to conduct field crop surveys and prepare estimates is approximately $11.2 million, most of which is staff cost for data collection.

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 or 14 of the OMB Form 83-I (reasons for changes in burden).

The total burden of 166,869 hours is up 23,866 hours from current inventory of 143,003 hours. This increase is due to several factors; primarily the addition of a new survey for Cash Rents and the addition of the cash rent questions to the existing, County Estimates Survey.

16. For collections of information whose results will be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication. Address any complex analytical techniques that will be used. Provide the time schedule for the entire project, including beginning and ending dates of the collection of information, completion of report, publication dates, and other actions.

Questionnaires are returned by mail to the Field Office (FO) in each State and reviewed for reasonableness prior to keying into data processing media for summarization. They are summarized by crop reporting districts and the indications are weighted for the State based on the relative importance of the commodity in the district. State indications are plotted on time series charts which typically comprise 10 years of survey indications and final estimates. Three primary indicators are obtained for each crop: an identical comparison of current year acreage to the previous year acreage, acreage as a percent of total farmland, and average yield for respondents reporting.

Crop production estimates are issued from Headquarters in Washington, D.C. in the monthly Crop Production reports, the January annual summary, June acreage report, or specialty releases as shown in the table below. Crop progress and condition data are published in the weekly Crop Progress. State-funded cooperative survey reports may be released from the individual Field Offices as well as in Headquarters publications. The Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin is prepared in cooperation with the National Weather Service Meteorologists, USDA's Cooperative Extension Service, and World Agricultural Outlook Board.

2008 Field Crops Production Surveys

Survey	Data Collection Period	Publication
		Publication Name	Release Date
Alfalfa/Clover Seed	Jul	SSO monthly release	August
Dry Beans	Jun - Nov	Crop Production	12th of month
Mint	Nov	Annual Summary	January
Oilseeds, Special	Oct - Dec	Crop Production	12th of month
Potatoes	Apr - Dec	Crop Production	12th of month
		Potatoes	Sep 20
Sugar beets	Apr, Jun, Nov, Dec	Acreage	end of Jun
Sugarcane	Jun; varies Aug-Mar	Crop Production	12th of month
Sunflower, Non-oil	Mar, Jun, Dec
Sweet potatoes	Mar, Jun, Dec
Tobacco	Jun, Aug - Nov	Acreage	end of Jun
		Crop Production	12th of month
Variety Surveys: Barley	Jun	Variety Summaries	mid-Jul
Acreage and Production	varies Aug-Jan	Annual Summary	January
Crop Progress	weekly Apr-Nov	Crop Progress	Mondays

These publications are available on-line immediately after release at http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Reports_by_Title/index.asp. Once there,

select first letter of report title from alphabet list and then specific commodity or

publication.

17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.

There is no request for approval of non-display of the expiration date.

18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in Item 19, “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions” of OMB Form 83-I.

There are no exceptions to the certification statement.

August, 2008

8344401emerg.doc