USDA Seeks Input on Fruit and Nut Reporting Forms
Published Date: 3/19/2025
Notice
Summary
The Department of Agriculture is asking for public feedback on a new info collection about fruits, nuts, and specialty crops. Farmers and businesses involved in these crops might need to share some updated info soon. Comments are open until April 18, 2025, so jump in if you want to help shape the process and keep paperwork easy!
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.
Voluntary surveys cover 55,435 respondents
NASS collects voluntary information from growers, processors, and handlers on fruit, tree nuts, and specialty crops. The notice estimates 55,435 respondents and a total of 28,114 burden hours across the collection with frequencies ranging from weekly to annually.
Estimates support farm and market decisions
NASS uses the collected data to produce state and national estimates of acreage, yield, production, utilization, price, and value. Those estimates are used by farmers, processors, importers/exporters, shipping companies, cold storage facilities, handlers, and market order administrators for production and marketing decisions and to determine expected crop supplies under federal and State market orders.
Maple inquiry adds yes/no screening
The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is adding a yes/no screening question to the May Maple Syrup Inquiry asking whether the respondent intends to have taps in the future. The notice states this substantive change causes no change in estimated respondent burden.
Respondent data protected by law
Individually identifiable data collected by NASS are governed by 7 U.S.C. 2276 and Title III of Public Law 115-435 (CIPSEA), and the agency is required to afford strict confidentiality to non-aggregated respondent data.
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