Agriculture & Food Safety

Child Nutrition Programs Income Eligibility Guidelines 2026-2027

The Food and Nutrition Service announces annual adjustments to Income Eligibility Guidelines for Child Nutrition Programs effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. These guidelines determine eligibility for free and reduced-price meals, free milk, and Summer EBT benefits. The adjustments are based on changes to the Consumer Price Index as required by section 9 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.

Food Price Data Collection Study, Non-Contiguous States, Deadline Jun 8

USDA Food and Nutrition Service invites public comments on a proposed information collection to gather food prices in Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, CNMI, Guam, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands to inform Thrifty Food Plan calculations. Comments are due June 8, 2026. This study fills a data gap in existing retail scanner data for these non-contiguous states and territories.

Information Collection OMB Review: Cotton Ginning Survey

The Department of Agriculture has published notice that the National Agricultural Statistics Service's Cotton Ginning Survey (OMB Control No. 0535-0220) completed its Office of Management and Budget review under the Paperwork Reduction Act. The survey collects cotton ginning data from 575 respondents across 17 cotton-producing states, with total estimated burden of 1,218 hours. The public comment period closed on May 11, 2026.

USDA NASS 30-Day PRA Notice - Current Agricultural Industrial Reports (0535-0254)

USDA NASS publishes a 30-day notice extending the public comment period for the Current Agricultural Industrial Reports (CAIR) information collection under OMB Control No. 0535-0254. The notice requests comments on burden estimates, necessity, and utility of collecting monthly, quarterly, and annual data on agricultural industrial operations. Comments are due May 11, 2026.

NASS Conservation Effects Assessment Project Survey OMB Review Comments Requested

The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is requesting OMB review of a substantive change to the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) Survey under OMB Control Number 0535-0245. NASS proposes adding text and email reminder messages to improve survey response rates, which will increase respondent burden hours. The change affects approximately 20,000 farm and ranch operators annually who participate in the National Resources Inventory sub-sample.

2026 RMA Organic Price Survey - OMB Information Collection Request

USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has submitted an information collection request to OMB for the 2026 RMA Organic Price Survey under OMB Control No. 0535-0264. The survey will collect price and sales data from certified organic farms across all 50 states to support USDA Risk Management Agency's organic crop insurance price elections. An estimated 27,000 respondents (farmers and ranchers) will report once annually, with total burden hours of 15,077.

Objective Yield Surveys - Information Collection Under OMB Review

The Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service submitted its Objective Yield Surveys information collection to OMB for review under the Paperwork Reduction Act. Comments are requested by May 11, 2026. The renewal reinstates the Cotton Objective Yield Survey, discontinues the California Almonds and Oregon Hazelnuts Surveys, and reduces the Florida Citrus survey from 12 to 5 data collection waves. Approximately 12,000 farms and agricultural businesses will provide data with a total annual burden of 3,346 hours.

Rural Utilities Service SUTA Initiative OMB Information Collection Extension

USDA Rural Utilities Service has submitted for OMB review the extension of an existing information collection under the Paperwork Reduction Act for the Substantially Underserved Trust Areas (SUTA) initiative at 7 CFR 1700, Subpart D. The SUTA initiative provides discretionary authorities for financial assistance terms to enhance financing for rural electric, water and waste, telecommunications and broadband infrastructure in underserved trust areas. Public comments are requested by May 11, 2026.

Information Collection: State Forest Law and Policy

The United States Forest Service is seeking public comments on a proposed information collection regarding state forest laws and policies. The notice invites interested parties to submit feedback on the scope and content of the information to be collected. Comments must be submitted by June 12, 2026.

National Woodland Owner Survey Information Collection Comment Request

The USDA Forest Service has published a notice in the Federal Register seeking public comments on an information collection request for the National Woodland Owner Survey. The survey collects data on private woodland ownership patterns, land use, management practices, and owner demographics. Comments are due June 12, 2026.