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Notices

Federal Register
Vol. 77, No. 210
Tuesday, October 30, 2012

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains documents other than rules or
proposed rules that are applicable to the
public. Notices of hearings and investigations,
committee meetings, agency decisions and
rulings, delegations of authority, filing of
petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are
examples of documents appearing in this
section.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Research Service
Notice of Intent To Seek Reinstatement
of an Information Collection
Agricultural Research Service,
USDA.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:

In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. Chapter 3) and the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB)
regulations at 5 CFR part 1320, this
notice announces the Agricultural
Research Service’s (ARS) intent to seek
reinstatement of the ARS Animal Health
National Program Assessment Survey,
which seeks input on the impact of the
Animal Health National Research
Program through the completion of an
electronic evaluation form. This
voluntary information collection will
give the beneficiaries of ARS research
the opportunity to provide input on the
impact of the research conducted by
ARS in the last national program cycle.
This input will be used for planning the
research agenda for the next 5-year
program cycle.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be
received by December 31, 2012 to be
assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments
concerning this notice to Dr. Cyril G.
Gay, National Program Leader,
Agricultural Research Service, National
Program Staff, Animal Production and
Protection, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue,
GWCC, Building 4, Beltsville, Maryland
20705–5148. Comments may be sent by
phone to (301) 504–4786 or fax to (301)
504–4873. Submit electronic comments
to [email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Cyril G. Gay at (301) 504–4786.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: ARS Animal Health National
Program Assessment Evaluation Form.

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SUMMARY:

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OMB Number: 0518–0042.
Expiration Date: February 28, 2013.
Type of Request: Approval to seek
reinstatement of the ARS Animal Health
National Program Assessment Survey,
which seeks input from the beneficiaries
of research conducted by ARS for
program planning and ensures
alignment of the Animal Health
National Program with the needs of our
customers, partners, and stakeholders.
Abstract: This voluntary electronic
evaluation form will give the
beneficiaries of ARS research the
opportunity to provide input on the
impact of the national program on
animal agriculture. For the purpose of
this National Program Assessment,
impact is defined as research that has
influenced or will significantly
influence the animal sciences and
animal health, has created or will create
economic opportunities for producers
and farmers, or has enabled or will
enable action and regulatory agencies to
formulate policies and regulations to
support American agriculture. The
report and evaluation form will be
available on-line through a dedicated
URL. The input provided through the
completion of the evaluation form will
be shared with customers, partners, and
stakeholders through webinars,
conference calls and/or meetings, which
will be held during the input stage of
the program planning cycle.
ARS National Program Assessments
are conducted every 5 years, through the
organization of webinars, conference
calls and/or meetings. These input
sessions allow ARS to periodically
update the vision and rationale of each
National Program and assess the
relevancy, effectiveness, and
responsiveness of ARS research. In
addition, these input sessions facilitate
the review and simultaneously provide
an opportunity for customers,
stakeholders, and partners to assess the
progress made through the National
Program and provide input for future
modifications to the National Program
or the National Program’s research
agenda.
In the case of the ARS Animal Health
National Program, the beneficiaries of
the research are numerous, including
the majority of the livestock and poultry
industries, trade associations, Federal
and State government agencies, and
research partners in universities and the
private sector. The electronic evaluation

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form will allow ARS to outreach to its
many customers, partners, and
stakeholders that are unable to attend
the webinars, conference calls and/or
meetings and also ensure an efficient
means of obtaining the greatest amount
of input on the impact and direction of
the ARS Animal Health National
Research Program.
Estimate of Burden: Completing the
electronic evaluation form is estimated
to average 15 minutes per response.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
400.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: 1.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 100 hours.
Comments are invited on (a) whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the Agency,
including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of
the Agency’s estimate of the burden of
the proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and the assumptions used;
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the input provided by a
wide array of customers, and; (d) ways
to minimize the burden of the collection
of information on those who respond,
including the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or
other technology. Comments should be
sent to the address in the preamble. All
responses to this notice will be
summarized and included in the request
for OMB approval. All comments will
become a matter of public record.
Dated: October 22, 2012.
Caird E. Rexroad, Jr.,
Associate Administrator, ARS.
[FR Doc. 2012–26616 Filed 10–29–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–03–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Grain Inspection, Packers and
Stockyards Administration
Request for Extension and Revision of
a Currently Approved Information
Collection
Grain Inspection, Packers and
Stockyards Administration, USDA.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:

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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 210 / Tuesday, October 30, 2012 / Notices
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice announces Grain Inspection,
Packers and Stockyards
Administration’s intention to request
that the Office of Management and
Budget approve a 3-year extension and
revision of a currently approved
information collection in support of the
reporting and recordkeeping
requirements for the Swine Contract
Library program.
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted on or before December 31,
2012.
SUMMARY:

We invite you to submit
comments on this notice. You may
submit comments by any of the
following methods:
• Internet: Go to http://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail, hand deliver, or courier to
Dexter Thomas, GIPSA, USDA, 1400
Independence Avenue SW., Room
2530–S, Washington, DC 20250–3604.
• Fax to (202) 690–2173.
Instructions: All comments should
refer to the date and page number of this
issue of the Federal Register. The
information collection package, public
comments, and other documents
relating to this action will be available
for public inspection in the above office
during regular business hours. Please
call GIPSA’s Management and Budget
Services at (202) 720–7486 to arrange a
viewing of these documents.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Catherine M. Grasso, Program Analyst,
Policy and Litigation Division at (202)
720–7363 or
[email protected].
ADDRESSES:

The Grain
Inspection, Packers and Stockyards
Administration (GIPSA) is responsible
for maintaining the Swine Contract
Library, which is authorized by the
Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR)
Act of 1999, and requires that certain
packers submit hog procurement
contracts and delivery estimates to
GIPSA. The Swine Contract Library was
reauthorized by Congress on October 5,
2006 through 2010. On September 28,
2010, the Mandatory Price Reporting
Act of 2010 reauthorized LMR for an
additional 5 years.
Title: Swine Contract Library.
OMB Number: 0580–0021.
Expiration Date of Approval: March
31, 2013.
Type of Request: Extension and
revision of a currently approved
information collection.
Abstract: The information collection
and recordkeeping requirements for the

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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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Swine Contract Library are essential to
maintaining the mandatory library of
swine marketing contracts and reporting
the number of swine contracted for
delivery. There are currently 30 packers
that are required to file contracts and
report certain information on deliveries
for a total of 43 plants that they either
operate or at which they have swine
slaughtered. We expect the overall
number of plants and packers to remain
relatively constant, but the specific
packers required to report will vary with
consolidation and construction in the
industry.
Packers are required to report
information for individual plants even
in instances when a given packer owned
or used more than one plant. The
information collection burden estimate
provided below is based on time and
cost requirements at the plant level.
Consequently, packers that report for
more than one plant would bear a cost
that would be a multiple of the perplant estimates.
We understand from discussions with
packers complying with current
reporting requirements that reporting
packers have adapted pre-existing data
and information systems to provide the
required information.
There are two types of information
collections required for the Swine
Contract Library.
The first information collection
requirement consists of submitting
example contracts. Initially, a packer
submits example contracts currently in
effect or available for each swine
processing plant that is subject to the
regulations. Subsequently, a packer
submits example contracts for any
offered, new, or amended contracts that
vary from previously submitted
contracts in regard to the base price
determination, the application of a
ledger or accrual account, carcass merit
premium and discount schedules
(including the determination of the lean
percent or other merits of the carcass
that is used to determine the amount of
the premiums and discounts and how
those premiums and discounts are
applied), or the use and amount of
noncarcass merit premiums or
discounts. The initial submission of
example contracts requires more time
than subsequent filings of new contracts
or changes, as packers initially need to
review all their contracts to identify the
unique types that need to be represented
by an example submitted to GIPSA.
Thereafter, subsequent filings require
a minimal amount of effort on the part
of packers, as only example contracts
that represent a new or different type
need to be filed with GIPSA. P&SP–342
must accompany each contract

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65663

submission to identify the contract, the
plan for which the contract is valid, and
the contact person.
The required submission of contracts
includes both written and verbal
contracts. Packers have added
documentation of verbal contracts to
their existing recordkeeping systems in
order to comply with this requirement.
The optional form that is available, but
not required, for reporting verbal
contracts is used by 10 packers; 2
packers that rely heavily on verbal
contracts use this optional form
exclusively to document their verbal
contracts. Of 1,022 contracts files on
file, the optional verbal contract sheet
was used to document 245 verbal
contracts.
The second information collection
requirement is a monthly filing of
summary information on form P&SP
341, Monthly Report: Estimates of
Swine To Be Delivered Under Contract.
The form for the monthly filing is
simple and brief. For new packers
required to start reporting, this data
should be available in the packers’
existing record system. Electronic
submission is encouraged and we
provide the necessary information on
procedures to submit data to GIPSA
electronically. In 2011, 50 percent of
monthly reports were submitted through
the Web site, with the remaining 50
percent submitted by facsimile or mail.
The estimates of time requirements
used for the burden estimates below
were developed in consultation with
GIPSA personnel knowledgeable of the
industry’s recordkeeping practices. The
estimates also reflect our experience in
assembling large amount of data during
the course of numerous investigations
involving use of data collected from the
industry. Estimates of time requirements
and hourly wage costs for developing
electronic recordkeeping and reporting
systems are based on our experience in
developing similar systems in
consultation with our automated
information systems staff.
(1) Contract Submission Cover Sheet
(Form P&SP–342)
Estimate of Burden: Reporting burden
for submission of contracts is estimated
to include 4 hours per plant for an
initial review of all contracts to
categorize them into types and identify
unique examples, plus an additional
0.25 hours per unique contract
identified during the initial review to
submit an example of that contract.
After the initial filing, the reporting
burden is estimated to include 0.25
hours per plant to submit an example of
each new or amended contract.

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65664

Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 210 / Tuesday, October 30, 2012 / Notices

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Respondents: Packers required to
report information for the Swine
Contract Library.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 30
packers (total of 43 plants).
Estimated Number of Responses per
Plant: Number of responses per plant
varies. Some plants would have no
contracts, while other could have up to
80 contracts. We receive an average of
six example contracts per plant per year
for offered contracts and for amended
existing or available contracts.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: Initial filing: 5.5 total
hours for the initial filing of examples
of existing contracts by all plants newly
subject to the regulations combined.
Based on changes in the industry, we
anticipate one new plant to become
subject to the regulations each year.
Calculated as follows: 4 hours per plant
for initial review × 1 new plant = 4
hours for initial review; 0.25 hours per
contract × 6 example contracts per plant
× 1 new plant = 1.5 hours; 4 hours + 1.5
hours = 5.5 total hours.
Thereafter, 64.5 total hours annually
for all subsequent filing of examples for
offered contracts and for amended
existing or available contracts by all
plants combines, based on an average of
6 offered or amended existing or
available contracts annually. Calculated
as follows: 0.25 hours per contract × 6
example contracts per plant × 43 plants
= 64.5 hours.
Total Cost: Initial filing $138 for all
plants combined. Calculated as follows:
5.5 hours × $25 per hour = $138.
Thereafter, $1,613 annually for all
plants combined for submission of
subsequent filings. Calculated as
follows: 64.5 hours × $25 per hour =
$1,613.
(2) Monthly Report: Estimate of Swine
To Be Delivered Under Contract (Form
P&SP–341)
Estimate of Burden: The reporting
burden for compiling data, completing
and submitting the form is estimated to
average 2 hours per manually prepared
and submitted (by mail or facsimile)
report and 1 hour per electronically
prepared and submitted report. There
would be an estimated additional onetime set up burden of 1 hour at a cost
of $60 per plant for a packer that chose
to create a spreadsheet or database for
recordkeeping and preparation of
monthly estimates. There would be an
estimated additional 2 hour burden at a
cost of $60 per hour or $120 per plant
for a packer to develop procedures to
extract and format the required
information and to develop an interface
between the packer’s electronic
recordkeeping system and GIPSA’s

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system. The hourly rate for the
development of electronic tools is
assumed to be high due to the need to
use personnel with specialized
computer skills.
Respondents: Packers required to
report information for the Swine
Contract Library.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 30
packers (total of 43 plants).
Estimated Number of Responses per
Plant: 12 (1 per month for 12 months).
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 1,032 hours for all plants
combined provided all plants used
manual compiling, preparation, and
submission. Calculated as follows: 2
hours per response × 43 plants × 12
responses per plant = 1,032.
516 hours for all plants combined
provided all plants use electronic
compiling, preparation, and submission.
Calculated as follows: 1 hour per
response × 43 plants × 12 responses per
plant = 516 hours.
Total Cost: $25,800 annually for all
plants combined provided all use
manual submission. Calculated as
follows: 1,032 × $25 per hour = $25,800.
$12,900 annually for all plants
combined provided all were to
completely utilize electronic
preparation and submission. Calculated
as follows: 516 hours × $25 per hour =
$12,900.
Additional $180 one-time set-up cost
provided all plants newly subject to the
Regulations were to completely utilize
electronic systems for preparation and
submission.
Calculated as follows: 1 hour build
spreadsheet/database + 2 hours develop
electronic interface = 3 hours. 3 hours
total development × $60 per hour × 1
new plant = $180.
The Paperwork Reduction Act also
requires GIPSA to measure the
recordkeeping burden. Under the
Packers and Stockyards Act and its
existing regulations, each packer is
required to maintain and make available
upon request any records necessary to
verify information on all transactions
between the packer and producers from
whom the packer obtains swine for
slaughter. Records that packers are
required to maintain under existing
regulations would meet the
requirements for verifying the accuracy
of information required to be reported
for the Swine Contract Library. These
records include original contracts,
agreements, receipts, schedules, and
other records associated with any
transaction related to the purchase,
pricing, and delivery of swine for
slaughter under the terms of marketing
contracts. Additional annual costs of
maintaining records would be nominal

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since packers are required to store and
maintain such records as a matter of
normal business practice and in
conformity with existing regulations.
As required by the Paperwork
Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A))
and its implementing regulations (5 CFR
1320.8(d)(1)), we specifically request
comment to:
(a) Evaluate the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(b) Evaluate the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
(c) Enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and
(d) Minimize the burden on the
collection of information on those who
are to respond, including through the
use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
All responses to this notice will be
summarized and included in the request
for the Office of Management and
Budget approval. All comments will
also become a matter of public record.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3506 and 5 CFR
1320.8.
Larry Mitchell,
Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and
Stockyards Administration.
[FR Doc. 2012–26723 Filed 10–29–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–EN–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Publication of Depreciation Rates
Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
Notice.

AGENCY:
ACTION:

The United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities
Service (RUS) administers rural utilities
programs, including the
Telecommunications Program. RUS
announces the depreciation rates for
telecommunications plant for the period
ending December 31, 2011.
DATES: These rates are effective
immediately and will remain in effect
until rates are available for the period
ending December 31, 2012.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jonathan P. Claffey, Deputy Assistant
Administrator, Telecommunications
Program, Rural Utilities Service, STOP
SUMMARY:

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