REGULATORY:
Notice: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.; The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), a Rural Development agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, is issuing this notice regarding the new provisions affecting RUS borrower participation in the Cushion of Credit (CoC) program pursuant to the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, (the 2018 Farm Bill). Info HERE
Notice; comment requested: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA; In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations that implement the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) intention to request approval for the renewal of a currently approved information collection for Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR). Info HERE
Final rule: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA; This amendment to NIFA regulations updates the list of institutions that are granted Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACU) certification by the Secretary and are eligible for HSACU programs for the period starting October 1, 2018, and ending September 30, 2019. Info HERE
Notice of availability; reopening of comment period: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA; We are reopening the comment period for our draft programmatic environmental assessment for the importation of plants in approved growing media, which considers the potential environmental effects of a standardized set of pest risk mitigations for routine market requests to import plants in approved growing media. This action will allow interested persons additional time to prepare and submit comments. Info HERE
Notice and request for comments: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA; The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), USDA, is taking several actions to post and de-post stockyards under the Packers and Stockyards Act (P&S Act). Specifically, we are proposing that 10 stockyards now operating subject to the P&S Act be posted. We are also posting six stockyards that were identified previously as operating subject to the P&S Act and de-posting two stockyards that no longer meet the definition of a stockyard. Info HERE
Notice: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); EPA has received applications to register new uses for pesticide products containing currently registered active ingredients. Pursuant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), EPA is hereby providing notice of receipt and opportunity to comment on these applications. Info HERE
Notice of filing of petitions and request for comment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); This document announces the Agency’s receipt of several initial filings of pesticide petitions requesting the establishment or modification of regulations for residues of pesticide chemicals in or on various commodities. Info HERE
Proposed rule: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA; We are proposing to revise our regulations regarding the movement (importation, interstate movement, and environmental release) of certain genetically engineered organisms in response to advances in genetic engineering and our understanding of the plant pest risk posed by them, thereby reducing regulatory burden for developers of organisms that are unlikely to pose plant pest risks. This proposed rule, which would mark the first comprehensive revision of the regulations since they were established in 1987, would provide a clear, predictable, and efficient regulatory pathway for innovators, facilitating the development of new and novel genetically engineered organisms that are unlikely to pose plant pest risks. Info HERE
Notice; requests for comments: Forest Service, USDA; In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Forest Service is seeking comments on the renewal of a currently approved information collection. Info HERE
Notice: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA: NIFA is soliciting topics commodity board entities (Federal and State-level commodity boards, as defined below) are willing to co-fund equally with NIFA. To be considered for inclusion in future Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) competitive grants program Requests for Applications (RFAs), topics must relate to the established priority areas of AFRI. Info HERE
Notice and request for comments: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA; In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing its intention to collect information from applicants that want to obtain specimens of condemned or other inedible materials from official establishments. This is a new information collection with an estimated burden of 274 hours. Info HERE
Notice: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA; We are advising the public that we have added Mongolia to the list of regions that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service considers to be affected with African swine fever (ASF). We are taking this action because of the confirmation of ASF in Mongolia. Info HERE
LEGISLATIVE:
S. 1717: A bill to amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to make certain multivitamin-mineral dietary supplements eligible for purchase with supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits, and for other purposes. Info HERE
H.R. 3142: To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to make certain multivitamin-mineral dietary supplements eligible for purchase with supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits, and for other purposes. Info HERE