03-8722. Commodity Credit Corporation Information Collection; Payment Eligibility and Payment Limitation Determinations Under the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program

AGENCIES:

Farm Service Agency and the Commodity Credit Corporation, USDA.

ACTION:

Notice; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on a currently approved information collection with revision. This information collection is used to support payment eligibility and payment limitation determinations for a multiple programs including the Conservation Reserve Program, the Price Support Programs, and the Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program authorized by the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.

DATES:

Comments on this notice must be received on or before June 9, 2003, to be assured consideration. Comments received after that date will be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES:

Comments concerning this notice should be addressed to Farm Service Agency, Attn: James Baxa, Agricultural Program Specialist, Production, Emergencies, and Compliance Division, Farms Service Agency, United States Department of Agriculture, STOP 0517, Room 4752, South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-0517. Comments also may be submitted via facsimile to [phone] or by e-mail to [e-mail].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

James Baxa, Agricultural Program Specialist at [phone], or Diane Sharp, Director of Production, Emergencies, and Compliance Division at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Description of Information Collection

Title: Payment Eligibility and Payment Limitation Determinations under the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.

OMB Control Number: 0560-0096.

Expiration Date of Approval: March 31, 2003.

Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved information collection with revision.

Abstract: The collection of the information is necessary to determine the eligibility of individuals and entities as defined at 7 CFR part 1400 for payment eligibility and payment limitation in a multiple programs including, but not limited to, the Conservation Reserve Program, the Price Support Programs, the Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program and the Noninsured Corp Disaster Assistance Program. The regulations at 7 CFR part 1400, as amended, provide for an “actively engaged in farming” and “person” determinations to be made for individuals or entities, with respect to a particular farming operation, in order to determine their payment eligibility and payment limitations under the multiple programs. Forms CCC-502A, CCC-502B, CCC-502C, CCC-502D, CCC-502EZ, CCC-501A and CCC-501B are still used by the respondents. The common elements to collect information from individuals or entities in the forms are names, as well as farming interest members, addresses, social security/employee identification numbers, location of the lands, percentage of leased or owned equipments, citizenship types, estimated farming labor hours, estimated percentage of farming management, and designated names in receiving payments. The respondents are allowed to complete and submit the forms electronically to the appropriate FSA County-based office that receives and makes the payment eligibility determinations. Information collection under Titles I and II of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 are exempted from the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, including the Conservation Reserve Program, the Price Support Programs, and the Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program. Only the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program is not exempt from the requirement of Paperwork Reduction Act, so it is necessary to describe the information collection in this Notice. If the information is not collected from the respondents, the FSA would not able to administer the payment programs properly to comply with the regulations.

Estimate of Burden: Average 56 minutes per response.

Type of Respondents: Producers who, as owner, landlord, tenant, or sharecropper, are involved in the farming operations and who would seek benefits under the Noninsured Corp Disaster Assistance Program.

Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 123,000.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: One per respondent.

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 114,870.

Comment is invited on: (1) Whether this collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; (4) ways to minimize the burden of collection on those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

All comments received in responses to this notice, including names and addresses when provided, will be a matter of public record. Comments will be summarized and included in the submission for Office of Management and Budget approval.

Signed in Washington, DC, on April 3, 2003.

James R. Little,

Administrator, Farms Service Agency, and Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation.