NEW - Wheat Barley Scab Control Practices Survey - SSA - 2013_2014Jan28_FINAL

Supporting Statement – Part A

WHEAT & BARLEY SCAB CONTROL PRACTICES SURVEY

OMB No. 0535-NEW

This supporting statement addresses the new data collection efforts for the Wheat and Barley Scab Control Practices Survey for a period of one year. This project will concentrate on wheat and barley producers in 17 mid-western and eastern States. The reference period will be practices that occurred during crop years 2009-2013.

Data collected under this docket is for a cooperative agreement between the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and the United States Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative (USWBSI), which is funded by the USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The purpose of this effort is for NASS and USWBSI to determine the economic factors which influence scab control measures. NASS and USWBSI hope to determine which practices are utilized to control scab with relation to the types of farms that employ those practices. From this analysis, further outreach will be targeted to determine the more efficient use of limited resources.

A. JUSTIFICATION

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.

From the U.S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative’s website (http://scabusa.org/mission.html) “Fusarium head blight (FHB) emerged in the 1990s “as a widespread and powerful enemy of American agriculture. This disease, also known as ‘Scab’, inflicts yield and quality losses on farms in at least 18 states. Food industries throughout the U.S. incur losses from the cost of dealing with the toxin-contaminated grain that often accompanies scab infection. Combined losses to all steps in the food system are difficult to estimate, but the bill at the farm-gate alone is estimated to exceed 3.0 billion dollars since 1990.”

The goal of this NASS information collection is for NASS and USWBSI to make an objective connection between practices that are utilized to control scab with relation to the types of farms that employ those practices. Ultimately, NASS and USWBSI want to assess what factors would motivate a farmer to control for scab. USWBSI seeks to understand adoption of methods for controlling scab, and what barriers are experienced to adopting methods of scab management. This will help minimize losses to scab incurred by farmers, millers, brewers, and other purchasers of grain, and will help ensure safer supplies of food and livestock feed.

The primary function of NASS is to prepare and issue official State and national estimates of crop and livestock production, disposition, and prices. Auxiliary services such as statistical consultation, data collection, and summary tabulation are performed for other Federal and State agencies on a reimbursable basis. General authority for these data collection activities is granted under U.S. Code Title 7, Section 2204(a) which 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.

NASS will select a total of 16,000 operations in seventeen States (AR, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MI, MN, MO, NE, NY, NC, ND, OH, PA, SD, and VA) to represent various farms that have barley and/or winter, spring, or durum wheat. The 16,000 operations will be asked to provide whether the operator harvested any wheat or barley in the past 5 years. If he/she did, then the survey will ask

• Was Fusarium Head Blight (scab) present on any of their harvested grain,

• What economic effects resulted from the presence of scab,

• Which practices were utilized to control the presence of scab, and

• What sources of information regarding scab and scab control practices did the farmer utilize?

The information will be analyzed by small-grain pathologists, agricultural economists, and stakeholders in small-grain production. Results will be used to identify strategies for enhancing adoption of scab management techniques. Extending this information will help growers adopt the best practices for minimizing the disease and ensuring a safe supply of food and livestock feed.

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.

During this data collection, NASS will mail out a paper questionnaire along with a cover letter and return envelope. Operators who do not respond to this mailing will be contacted by a Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI). Data will be collected by a trained National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) enumerator. Data collection does not currently involve the use of electronic submission of responses or other information technology to reduce burden.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Item 2 above.

NASS cooperates with State departments of agriculture, land grant universities, and other State and Federal agencies to conduct surveys. Wherever possible, surveys meet both State and Federal needs, thus eliminating duplication and minimizing reporting burden on the agricultural industry.

Data used by the operator on scab control practices and the sources of this information can only be obtained from farm operators; they are not available from any other source.

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.

This information collection will not have a significant economic impact on small entities.

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.

Efforts to target federal research funding to the highest impact strategies for managing scab of wheat and barley will be less effective in the absence of knowledge of the reasons why farmers, in different production environments, do or do not adopt the best scab management techniques. Collection of this information will help us define a road map for future educational efforts designed to ensure widespread adoption of these best management practices.

7. Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the general information guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5.

There are no special circumstances associated with this information collection.

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.

The Notice soliciting comments was published in the Federal Register on May 7, 2013, Page 26612. One public comment was received from Ms. Jean Public.

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 record-keeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.

The USWBSI has requested and received input on these matters from stakeholders in the U.S. wheat and barley industries, including representatives of the malting barley industry, farmers, and certified seed producers.

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

No payment or gifts will be provided to respondents.

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

Questionnaires include a statement that individual reports are kept confidential; only summarized data will be published. 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 (NASDA) must read the regulations and sign a statement of compliance

Additionally, NASS and NASS contractors comply with OMB Implementation Guidance, “Implementation Guidance for Title V of the E-Government Act, Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA), (Public Law 107-347). CIPSEA supports NASS’ pledge of confidentiality to all respondents and facilitates the agency’s efforts to reduce burden by supporting statistical activities of collaborative agencies through designation of NASS agents; subject to the limitations and penalties described in CIPSEA.

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. If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden estimates for each form and aggregate the hour burdens in Item 13 of OMB Form 83-I. Provide estimates of annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collections of information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories.

Response burden hours are shown in the table below. The projected response rate was based on a targeted response rate of 40-50% for the final survey. The OMB response rate for the Childhood Injury and Adult Occupational Injury surveys (0535-0235) was used as a reference for surveys not utilizing field enumeration. If a response rate of 80% is not obtained by this first round study; NASS will conduct a non-response bias analysis/review of coverage prior to any subsequent waves of this study.

Cost to the public of completing the questionnaire is assumed to be comparable to the hourly rate of those requesting the data. The annual, estimated reporting time of 5,481 hours is multiplied by $24 per hour for a total cost to the public of $131,544. NASS regularly checks the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment Statistics. Median wage rates for bookkeepers and accountants are averaged to obtain the wage for the burden cost. The May, 2012 median wage for bookkeepers is $16.91. The median wage for accountants is $30.55. The mean wage of the two is $23.73.

Estimated Sample Size and Respondent Burden for the 2014 survey

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

There are no capital/start-up or ongoing operation/maintenance costs associated with this information collection.

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, and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information.

The projected total cost to the Federal government to conduct the Wheat and Barley Scab Control Practices Survey is approximately $135,000 for fiscal year 2014, most of which is staff costs.

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).

This is a new request, so there is no current inventory.

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.

There will be at least one peer-reviewed publication. There will be several other publications in the USWBSI newsletter, agricultural media outlets, and extension bulletins.

2014 Survey:

Survey design January-June, 2013

Sample selection November 2013

Questionnaire design February-June, 2013

Mail Survey February, 2014

Phone Follow-up March, 2014

End of Data Collection April, 2014

Publication April, 2015

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.

No approval is requested for 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.

January, 2014