U.
S. Department of Agirculture
DEPARTMENTAL REGULATION
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NUMBER: 1042-130 |
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SUBJECT: Advisory Committee on Agriculture
Statistics |
DATE: April 3, 2007 |
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OPI: National Agricultural Statistics Service
(NASS) |
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1 PURPOSE/SCOPE
a The Advisory Committee on Agriculture
Statistics was originally established by the Secretary of Commerce on July 16,
1962. Initially chartered under the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. 2, in January 1973, the committee
is hereby rechartered in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the
same Act, with General Services Administration’s concurrence.
b Effective October 1, 1996,
responsibility for the census of agriculture program was transferred to
USDA. Responsibility for the Advisory
Committee on Agriculture Statistics was transferred, along with its OMB
allocated slot, to USDA when the National Agricultural Statistics Service
(NASS) received funding and responsibility for the census of agriculture
beginning in fiscal year 1997.
c The renewal of this Committee is in
the public interest in accordance with the duties the law imposes on the
Department.
d The purpose of the Committee is to
advise the Secretary on the conduct of the periodic censuses and surveys of agriculture,
other related surveys, and the types of agricultural information to obtain from
respondents. The committee also
prepares recommendations regarding the content of agriculture reports, and
presents the views and needs for data of major suppliers and users of
agriculture statistics.
e The committee draws on the experience
and expertise of its members to form a collective judgment concerning
agriculture data collected and the statistics issued by NASS. This input is vital to keep current with shifting
data needs in the rapidly changing agricultural environment and keep NASS
informed of emerging developments and issues in the agriculture community that
can affect agriculture statistics activities.
2 SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS/CANCELLATION
This regulation
shall terminate 2 years from date of filing.
Departmental Regulation 1042-130, dated November 24, 2004 is superseded
by this regulation.
3 OFFICERS AND MEMBERSHIP
a The Committee, appointed by the
Secretary, shall consist of 25 members representing a broad range of interests,
including agricultural economists, rural sociologists, farm policy analysts,
educators, State agriculture representatives, agriculture-related business and
marketing experts, and members of major national farm organizations.
b A representative of the Bureau of the
Census, U.S. Department of Commerce, serves as an ex-officio member of the
Committee.
c A representative of the Economic
Research Service, USDA, serves as an ex-officio member of the Committee.
d Each member shall be appointed for a
term of 2 years and may serve no more than 3 consecutive terms.
e The Chairperson of the Committee shall
be elected by members to serve a one-year term.
f Equal opportunity practices, in line
with USDA policies, will be followed in all membership appointments to the
Committee. To ensure that the
recommendations of the Committee have taken into account the needs of the
diverse groups served by the Department, membership shall include, to the
extent practicable, individuals with demonstrated ability to represent
minorities, women, and persons with disabilities.
4 DUTIES
The duties of the
Committee are solely advisory. The
Committee will make recommendations to the Secretary with regards to the
agricultural statistics program of NASS, and such other matters as it may deem
advisable, or which the Secretary, Under Secretary for Research, Education, and
Economics, or the Administrator of NASS may request.
5 ESTIMATED ANNUAL OPERATING COSTS
a Members shall serve without
compensation, but may receive reimbursement for travel expenses and per diem
incurred in the performance of Committee duties as USDA travel regulations
authorize.
b The annual cost of operating the
committee is estimated at $40,000 and 0.5 staff-years of support.
6 NUMBER AND FREQUENCY OF MEETINGS
The Committee
shall meet at least annually. All
meetings are open to the public.
7 REPORTS/SUPPORT
a The Committee will report through the
Administrator of NASS.
b Support to the Committee will be provided
by the Administrator’s office.
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