SUPPORTING STATEMENT
National Sheep Industry Improvement Center
OMB Number 0581-NEW
Clearance Notation: Agricultural Marketing Service is requesting OMB review and approval of a new information collection necessary for the establishment of a National Sheep Industry Improvement Center (7 USC 2008j). The National Sheep Industry Improvement Center (NSIIC) was initially authorized under the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (Act). The Act, as amended, was passed as part of the 1996 Farm Bill (Pub. L. 104-127). The initial legislation included a provision that privatized the NSIIC 10 years after its ratification or once the full appropriation of $50 million was disbursed. Subsequently, the NSIIC was privatized on September 30, 2006 (72 FR 28945). In 2008, the NSIIC was re-established under Title XI of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110-246), also known as the 2008 Farm Bill.
Justification
EXPLAIN THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT MAKE THE COLLECTION OF INFORMATION NECESSARY. IDENTIFY ANY LEGAL OR ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS THAT NECESSITATE THE COLLECTION.
The National Sheep Industry Improvement Center (NSIIC) was initially authorized under the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (Act). The Act, as amended, was passed as part of the 1996 Farm Bill (Pub. L. 104-127). The initial legislation included a provision that privatized the NSIIC 10 years after its ratification or once the full appropriation of $50 million was disbursed. Subsequently, the NSIIC was privatized on September 30, 2006 (72 FR 28945).
In 2008, the NSIIC was re-established under Title XI of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110-246), also known as the 2008 Farm Bill. Section 11009 of the 2008 Farm Bill repealed the requirement in section 375(e)(6) of the Act to privatize the NSIIC. Additionally, the 2008 Farm Bill provided for $1,000,000 in mandatory funding for fiscal year 2008 from the Commodity Credit Corporation for the NSIIC to remain available until expended, as well as authorization for appropriations in the amount of $10 million for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012.
The management of the NSIIC is vested in a Board of Directors (Board) that is appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary). The Secretary reviews and monitors compliance of the Board as provided under the Act and rules and regulations. The Board is composed of seven voting members, of whom four would be active producers of sheep or goats in the United States, two would have expertise in finance and management, and one would have expertise in lamb, wool, goat, or goat product marketing. The Board would also include two non-voting members, the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development and the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics. The Secretary would appoint the voting members from nominations submitted by eligible organizations. A member’s term of office shall be 3 years with a maximum of two terms. Board members shall initially serve staggered terms of 1, 2, or 3 years, as determined by the Secretary. Only national organizations that 1) consist primarily of active sheep or goat producers in the United States and 2) have the primary interest of sheep or goat production in the United States can make nominations to the Board. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will announce in a nationwide press release that USDA is accepting nominations from the aforementioned national organizations. This information collection is necessary to gather nominations from certified national producer organizations and background information and agreements to serve from those industry participants who have been nominated. This information will be used by the Secretary to make nominations to the Board.
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.
The various forms and narrative requirements contained herein will be collected from organizations making nominations and persons nominated for the Board. This information will be used for determining such factors as: (1) eligibility of organizations wishing to make nominations to the Board; and (2) eligibility of persons nominated for the Board.
Without the collection of this information, there would be no basis on which organizations can submit nominations to the Board, or for the Secretary to make nominations to the Board.
The information required under this program is gathered through the following forms, and is used by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service; the forms are described below:
Background Information Form AD-755 (OMB Form #0505-0001) This form contains questions to ascertain the nominee’s qualifications for consideration of appointment to the Board by the Secretary. The form questions include: personal identification information, including name, social security number, date of birth, and address, type of involvement in the sheep or goat industry, length of time engaged in the sheep or goat industry, employment information, professional affiliation(s), education, income sources for amounts over $10,000, and criminal history. The form would be completed by all Board nominees. This information would be forwarded to USDA for use in the Secretary’s appointment of Board members. This form is currently approved under OMB.
Nominee’s Agreement to Serve Form This form would be used upon appointment to the Board where the appointee would sign an agreement to serve on the Board and disclose to the Secretary any relationship with any organization that has a contractual relationship with the Board.
Nomination of Producers for Appointment This form would be used to nominate persons to serve on the Board. Under the interim rule, organizations that 1) consist primarily of active sheep or goat producers in the United States and 2) have the primary interest of sheep or goat production in the United States may nominate persons for Board positions for consideration by the Secretary.
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.
Upon approval, these forms will be used to submit information to USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service to process nominations to the Board. The Board is not part of a Federal agency, but is a commodity industry Board that operates under Federal authority and USDA/AMS oversight. AMS is committed to complying with the e-Government Act, which requires Government agencies in general to provide the public the option of submitting information or transacting business electronically to the maximum extent possible. These forms will be available on-line at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nsiic and will be accepted via e-mail as well as through conventional means of communication, such as a postal service or facsimile. Respondents will be encouraged, but not required to submit these forms electronically.
4. DESCRIBE EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY DUPLICATION. SHOW SPECIFICALLY WHY ANY SIMILAR INFORMATION ALREADY AVAILABLE CANNOT BE USED OR MODIFIED FOR USE FOR THE PURPOSE(S) DESCRIBED IN ITEM 2 ABOVE.
Information collection processes are periodically reviewed to avoid unnecessary duplication by industry and public sector agencies. Each nomination submission is expected to be unique, and the information obtained is not available from other sources because it relates directly to the personal information of the persons being nominated.
IF THE COLLECTION OF INFORMATION IMPACTS SMALL BUSINESSES OR OTHER SMALL ENTITIES (ITEM 5 OF THE OMB FORM 83-1), DESCRIBE THE METHODS USED TO MINIMIZE BURDEN.
This information collection will not have an impact on small businesses or other 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.
The information would be collected to implement and maintain the federally mandated NSIIC, designed to (1) Promote strategic development activities and collaborative efforts by private and State entities to maximize the impact of Federal assistance to strengthen and enhance production and marketing of sheep or goat products in the United States; (2) Optimize the use of available human capital and resources within the sheep or goat industries; (3) Provide assistance to meet the needs of the sheep or goat industry for infrastructure development, business development, production, resource development, and market and environmental research; (4) Advance activities that empower and build the capacity of the U.S. sheep or goat industry to design unique responses to the special needs of the sheep or goat industries on both a regional and national basis; and (5) Adopt flexible and innovative approaches to solving the long-term needs of the United States sheep or goat industry. If the information collection herein were not collected, the Secretary could not appoint the Board as is prescribed in the Act. Collecting data less frequently also would limit the Secretary’s ability to oversee the Center.
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;
This information would be collected no more than once per year.
- REQUIRING RESPONDENTS TO PREPARE A WRITTEN RESPONSE TO A
COLLECTION OF INFORMATION IN FEWER THAN 30 DAYS AFTER
RECEIPT OF IT;
It is not anticipated that respondents will be required to prepare a written response to this information collection in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it.
- REQUIRING RESPONDENTS TO SUBMIT MORE THAN AN ORIGINAL AND
TWO COPIES OF ANY DOCUMENT;
It is not anticipated that there are any special circumstances that would require respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document.
- REQUIRING RESPONDENTS TO RETAIN RECORDS, OTHER THAN
HEALTH, MEDICAL, GOVERNMENT CONTRACT, GRANT-IN-AID, OR TAX
RECORDS FOR MORE THAN 3 YEARS;
It is not anticipated that respondents would need to retain records for more than 3 years.
- IN CONNECTION WITH A STATISTICAL SURVEY, THAT IS NOT
DESIGNED TO PRODUCE VALID AND RELIABLE RESULTS THAT CAN BE
GENERALIZED TO THE UNIVERSE OF STUDY;
There are no such special circumstances. The Agency will not be using any statistical surveys that are not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study.
- REQUIRING THE USE OF A STATISTICAL DATA CLASSIFICATION THAT
HAS NOT BEEN REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY OMB;
There are no such special circumstances. The Agency will not be using a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB.
- THAT INCLUDES A PLEDGE OF CONFIDENTIALITY THAT IS NOT
SUPPORTED BY AUTHORITY ESTABLISHED IN STATUE OR
REGULATION WHICH IS NOT SUPPORTED BY DISCLOSURE AND DATA
SECURITY POLICIES THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE PLEDGE, OR
WHICH UNNECESSARILY IMPEDES SHARING OF DATA WITH OTHER
AGENCIES FOR COMPATIBLE CONFIDENTIAL USE; OR
There are no such special circumstances. The Interim Final Rule supports a pledge of confidentiality.
- REQUIRING RESPONDENTS TO SUBMIT PROPRIETARY TRADE SECRET,
OR OTHER CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION UNLESS THE AGENCY CAN
DEMONSTRATE THAT IT HAS INSTITUTED PROCEDURES TO PROTECT THE INFORMATION’S CONFIDENTIALITY TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
There are no special circumstances. The collection of information is conducted in a manner consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.6.
IF APPLICABLE, 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. SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS COMMENTS RECEIVED ON COST AND HOUR BURDEN.
The 60-day notice for comments was embedded in the proposed rule, which was published in the Federal Register on July [Day], 2010 (Vol. XXX, No. XXX), which invited comments through __________________, 2010.
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.
Specifically, AMS staff members have been in contact with the American Sheep Industry Association (phone number: 303.771.3500). No other industry representatives have been directly contacted; this is because 1) this is a new program, and AMS is unsure of the type of industry response to expect with regard to interest in nominating or serving on the board, and 2) AMS has based these estimates on industry research and experience with other boards and advisory committees. Furthermore, board members and AMS staff will consult with representatives from whom the information is to be obtained through one-on-one meetings and through regular Board meetings. All meetings will be publicized throughout the sheep and goat industry. The Board is to be appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture for the purpose of representing the sheep and goat industry and improving that industry. Industry members will be consulted on an ongoing basis regarding information collection requirements.
CONSULTATION WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THOSE FROM WHOM
INFORMATION IS TO BE OBTAINED OR THOSE WHO MUST COMPILE
RECORDS SHOULD OCCUR AT LEAST ONCE EVERY 3 YEARS EVEN IF
THE COLLECTION OF INFORMATION ACTIVITY IS THE SAME AS IN
PRIOR PERIODS. THERE MAY BE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT MAY
PRECLUDE CONSULTATION IN A SPECIFIC SITUATION, THESE
CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD BE EXPLAINED.
There are no identified obstacles for consulting with industry members who must submit information to the Board under the Interim Rule. Industry members would be consulted on an ongoing basis regarding information collection requirements.
9. EXPLAIN ANY DECISION TO PROVIDE ANY PAYMENT OR GIFT TO RESPONDENTS, OTHER THAN REMUNERATION OF CONTRACTORS OR GRANTEES.
AMS does not provide 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.
Questions of a sensitive nature are not included on any form. Private information is required on the Background Information Form AD-755 (OMB Form No. 0505-0001). The form contains questions to ascertain the candidate’s qualifications for consideration of appointment to the Board by the Secretary of Agriculture. The questions include length of time engaged in sheep or goat production, finance or management, or lamb, wool, goat, or goat product marketing; volume produced, professional affiliation(s) and education; income sources for amounts over $10,000, personal identification information, including social security number and date of birth. This information is provided to the Board and forwarded to USDA for use in the nomination process.
In addition, the Act provides that information acquired will be kept confidential, and that penalties exist for violating confidentiality requirements. Therefore, USDA’s AMS field office staff and employees in Washington, D.C. are required to maintain confidentiality. Other confidential information will be withheld from public review under the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act, 5 USC 552.
11. PROVIDE ADDITIONAL JUSTIFICATION FOR ANY QUESTIONS OF A SENSITIVE NATURE, SUCH AS SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AND ATTITUDES, RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, AND OTHER MATTERS THAT ARE COMMONLY CONSIDERED PRIVATE. THIS JUSTIFICATION SHOULD INCLUDE THE REASONS WHY THE AGENCY CONSIDERS THE QUESTIONS NECESSARY, THE SPECIFIC USES TO BE MADE OF THE INFORMATION, THE EXPLANATION TO BE GIVEN TO PERSONS FROM WHOM THE INFORMATION IS REQUESTED, AND ANY STEPS TO BE TAKEN TO OBTAIN THEIR CONSENT.
No questions of such sensitive nature are included in this information collection.
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. UNLESS DIRECTED TO DO SO, AGENCIES SHOULD NOT
CONDUCT SPECIAL SURVEYS TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ON WHICH TO
BASE HOUR BURDEN ESTIMATES. CONSULTATION WITH A SAMPLE
(FEWER THAN 10) OF POTENTIAL RESPONDENTS IS DESIRABLE. IF THE
HOUR BURDEN ON RESPONDENTS IS EXPECTED TO VARY WIDELY
BECAUSE OF DIFFERENCE IN ACTIVITY, SIZE, OR COMPLEXITY, SHOW
THE RANGE OF ESTIMATED HOUR BURDEN, AND EXPLAIN THE REASONS
FOR THE VARIANCE. GENERALLY, ESTIMATES SHOULD NOT INCLUDE
BURDEN HOURS FOR CUSTOMARY AND USUAL BUSINESS PRACTICES.
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.
Estimates of the burden of collection of information and recordkeeping are summarized on AMS Form 71, which is attached.
PROVIDE ESTIMATES OF ANNUALIZED COST TO RESPONDENTS FOR THE
HOUR BURDENS FOR COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION, IDENTIFYING
AND USING APPROPRIATE WAGE RATE CATEGORIES. THE COST OF
CONTRACTING OUT OR PAYING OUTSIDE PARTIES FOR INFORMATION
COLLECTION ACTIVITIES SHOULD NOT BE INCLUDED HERE. INSTEAD,
THIS COST SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN ITEM 14.
The estimated annual cost of providing the information to the Board by the total estimated number of persons subject to information collection burden (28 persons and 16 burden hours) would be $338.40. This total has been estimated by multiplying 16 (total burden hours) by $21.15, the mean hourly earnings of first line supervisors and managers of farming, fishing, and forestry workers as obtained from the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics’ National Compensation Survey: Occupational Wages in the United States, July 2009 (NCS Occupational Wages). This publication can also be found at the following Web site: http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/sp/nctb1347.pdf.
PROVIDE AN ESTIMATE OF THE TOTAL ANNUAL COST BURDEN TO RESPONDENTS OR RECORDKEEPERS RESULTING FROM THE COLLECTION OF INFORMATION. (DO NOT INCLUDE THE COST OF ANY HOUR BURDEN SHOWN IN ITEMS 12 AND 14).
IF COST ESTIMATES ARE EXPECTED TO VARY WIDELY, AGENCIES SHOULD PRESENT RANGES OF COST BURDENS AND EXPLAIN THE REASONS FOR THE VARIANCE. THE COST OF PURCHASING OR CONTRACTING OUT INFORMATION COLLECTION SERVICES SHOULD BE A PART OF THIS COST BURDEN ESTIMATE. IN DEVELOPING COST BURDEN ESTIMATES, AGENCIES MAY CONSULT WITH A SAMPLE OF RESPONDENTS (FEWER THAN 10), UTILIZE THE 60-DAY PRE-OMB SUBMISSION PUBLIC COMMENT PROCESS AND USE EXISTING ECONOMIC OR REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS ASSOCIATED WITH THE RULEMAKING CONTAINING THE INFORMATION COLLECTION, AS APPROPRIATE.
GENERALLY, ESTIMATES SHOULD NOT INCLUDE PURCHASES OF
EQUIPMENT OR SERVICES, OR PORTIONS THEREOF, MADE: (1) PRIOR
TO OCTOBER 1, 1995, (2) TO ACHIEVE REGULATORY COMPLIANCE WITH
REQUIREMENTS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE INFORMATION COLLECTION, (3) FOR REASONS OTHER THAN TO PROVIDE
INFORMATION OR KEEPING RECORDS FOR THE GOVERNMENT, OR (4)
AS PART OF CUSTOMARY AND USUAL BUSINESS OR PRIVATE
PRACTICES.
There are no capital, startup, operation, or maintenance costs associated with this program.
14. PROVIDE ESTIMATES OF ANNUALIZED COST TO THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT. ALSO, PROVIDE A DESCRIPTION OF THE METHOD USED TO ESTIMATE COST, WHICH SHOULD INCLUDE QUANTIFICATION OF HOURS, OPERATION EXPENSES (SUCH AS EQUIPMENT, OVERHEAD, PRINTING, AND SUPPORT STAFF), AND ANY OTHER EXPENSE THAT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN INCURRED WITHOUT THIS COLLECTION OF INFORMATION. AGENCIES ALSO MAY AGGREGATE COST ESTIMATES FROM ITEMS 12, 13, AND 14 IN A SINGLE TABLE.
The Federal government’s estimated annual cost for providing oversight and assistance for this information collection is estimated at $67,000 annually. A breakdown of the costs for the first year is the following:
Salaries/Benefits/FERS Contributions/Awards $60,000
Travel $2,000
Contracts/Services/Training $1,000
Printing/Copying/Mailing/Postage $1,000
Rent/Communication/Utilities/FTS $1,000
OGC (Legal Services) $1,500
Supplies/Equipment $ 500
TOTAL $67,000
EXPLAIN THE REASON FOR ANY PROGRAM CHANGES OR ADJUSTMENTS REPORTED IN ITEMS 13 OR 14 OF THE OMB FORM 83-I.
This is a new information collection for the establishment of a new National Sheep Industry Improvement Center.
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 are no plans to publish any information or data collected.
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.
The Agency requests approval not to display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection. This requirement significantly affects mandatory programs by increasing costs to users because otherwise usable forms must be destroyed based on the expiration date, if the form is revised, and redistributed. Such needless cost increases are passed on to users of mandatory services, and are counter-productive to the Administration’s goal of reducing costs and increasing program efficiency. Additionally, the impact of the expiration date requirement on administrative and regulatory forms for the programs can adversely affect the operation and enforcement of statutes. Inadvertent use of a form with an expired date poses an opportunity for those looking for a means of disruption to challenge the validity of the collection of information.
18. EXPLAIN EACH EXCEPTION TO THE CERTIFICATION STATEMENT IDENTIFIED IN ITEM 19, CERTIFICATION FOR PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSIONS, OF OMB FORM 83-I.
The agency is able to certify compliance with all provisions under Item 19 of OMB Form 83-I.
COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS
This information collection does not employ statistical methods.
| File Type | application/msword |
| Author | VEmmer |
| Last Modified By | Marilyn Pish |
| File Modified | 2010-07-19 |
| File Created | 2010-07-19 |