Agricultural Marketing Service 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This rule implements a recommendation from the Far West Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee (Committee) to increase the assessment rate established for the 2019-2020 and subsequent marketing years. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing the fees it will charge warehouse operators for voluntary services associated with the administration of the United States Warehouse Act. This action establishes the license action fees, service license fees, inspection fees, and annual user fees for warehouse services for fiscal year 2020, which begins October 1, 2019. AMS is increasing all these fees by approximately 10 percent to ensure fee levels are sufficient to cover the full cost of program administration.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, this constitutes notice of the upcoming meeting of the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Grain Inspection Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee). The Advisory Committee meets no less than once annually to advise the AMS on the programs and services delivered under the U.S. Grain Standards Act. Recommendations by the Advisory Committee help AMS better meet the needs of its customers who operate in a dynamic and changing marketplace. The realignment of offices within the U.S. Department of Agriculture authorized by the Secretary's Memorandum dated November 14, 2017, eliminates the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) as a standalone agency. The grain inspection activities formerly part of GIPSA are now organized under AMS.

This rule implements a recommendation from the California Olive Committee (Committee) to increase the assessment rate for California olives handled under Marketing Order No. 932. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

This document directs that a referendum be conducted among eligible almond growers to determine whether they favor continuance of the marketing order regulating the handling of almonds grown in California.

This proposed rule would implement a recommendation from the Almond Board of California (Board) to revise the almond accepted user program requirements currently prescribed under the Marketing Order for Almonds Grown in California (Order). In addition, this action would prohibit the transfer of inedible material between accepted users. This proposal also announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of a new information collection and to make a conforming change to an existing form.

This amendment implements corrections to typographical and miscellaneous errors in Marketing Order 989, as amended, regulating the handling of raisins produced from grapes grown in California. These changes include removing one duplicate use of the word ``Committee'' and standardizing several occurrences of non-hyphenated words to their hyphenated form. This document is necessary to inform the public of these non-substantive amendments to the marketing order.

The interim designation of the South Carolina Department of Agriculture will end on September 30, 2019. We are asking persons or governmental agencies interested in providing official services in the areas presently served by this agency to submit an application for designation. The realignment of offices within the U.S. Department of Agriculture authorized by the Secretary's Memorandum dated November 14, 2017, eliminates the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) as a standalone agency. The grain inspection activities formerly part of GIPSA are now organized under the Agricultural Marketing Service.

This proposed rule would implement a recommendation from the Far West Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee (Committee) to increase the assessment rate established for the 2019-2020 and subsequent marketing years. The assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for an extension of a currently approved information collection for the Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements Under Regulations Under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, 1930, as amended.

This final rule revises the size requirements currently prescribed under the federal marketing order for Irish potatoes grown in Colorado. This action revises the minimum size requirement for U.S. No. 2 or better grade round potatoes to align with the current size requirements for all other types of U.S. No. 2 or better grade potatoes. In addition, this rule revises the size requirements for smaller size profile U.S. Commercial grade or better potatoes.

This final rule amends the Soybean Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order (Soybean Order) and the Beef Promotion and Research Order (Beef Order) to add provisions allowing producers subject to these Orders to request, under certain circumstances, that their assessments paid to a State board or council authorized under their respective statutes, be redirected to the national program. The final rule also makes technical amendments to the Beef Order.

This final rule implements a recommendation from the Far West Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee (Committee) to establish salable quantities and allotment percentages of Class 1 (Scotch) and Class 3 (Native) spearmint oil produced in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and designated parts of Nevada and Utah (the Far West) for the 2019-2020 marketing year. This rule also removes references to past volume regulation no longer in effect.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing the 2019 rates it will charge for voluntary grading, inspection, certification, auditing, and laboratory services for a variety of agricultural commodities including meat and poultry, fruits and vegetables, eggs, dairy products, and cotton and tobacco. The 2019 regular, overtime, holiday, and laboratory services rates will be applied at the beginning of the crop year, fiscal year or as required by law depending on the commodity. Other starting dates are added to this notice based on cotton industry practices. This action establishes the rates for user-funded programs based on costs incurred by AMS. This year more than half of AMS user fee rates will remain unchanged or will decrease, but increases are necessary to many fees to cover costs. For consistency, audit fees will now be the same for all commodities at $115.00 per hour.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval, from the Office of Management and Budget, for a renewal and revision to the currently approved information collection of the Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) of Covered Commodities.

This rule implements a recommendation from the Far West Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee (Committee) to increase the quantity of Class 3 (Native) spearmint oil that handlers may purchase from, or handle on behalf of, producers during the 2018-2019 marketing year. The Committee recommended this action to ensure that the Native spearmint oil market is adequately supplied through the end of the current marketing year.

This rule reallocates the membership of the Mushroom Council (Council) under the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) regulations regarding a national research and promotion program for mushrooms. The Council administers the regulations with oversight by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This rule was recommended by the Council after a review of the geographic distribution of the volume of mushroom production throughout the United States and the volume of imports. This rule revises the number of Council members in two of the four geographic regions under the program. This action is necessary to provide for equitable representation of producers and importers on the Council.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) is revising the U.S. Standards for Grades of Canned Lima Beans, U.S. Standards for Grades of Canned Mushrooms, U.S. Standards for Grades of Pickles, and U.S. Standards for Grades of Green Olives. AMS is replacing the term ``midget'' with ``petite'' in the canned lima bean, canned mushroom, and pickle standards, and removing ``midget'' completely from the green olive standards as there is an alternative term. AMS is also replacing the two-term grading system (dual nomenclature) with a single term to describe each quality level in the canned lima bean, canned mushroom, and green olive standards. Editorial changes are also being made to the grade standards that conform to recent changes made in other grade standards.

This rule implements a recommendation from the Citrus Administrative Committee (Committee) to revise the grade and size requirements currently prescribed under the marketing order for oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and pummelos grown in Florida. This rule removes the grade and size requirements for Ambersweet and Temple oranges, and simplifies the tables outlining the grade and size requirements for interstate and export shipments. A corresponding change will be made to the grapefruit import regulation as required under section 8e of the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937.

This proposal invites comments on changing the membership and nomination procedures of the Paper and Packaging Board (Board). The Paper and Paper-Based Packaging Promotion, Research and Information Order (Order) is administered by the Board with oversight by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This proposal would also make administrative changes to other provisions of the Order.

This final rule amends Marketing Order No. 956, which regulates the handling of sweet onions grown in the Walla Walla Valley of Southeast Washington and Northeast Oregon. The three amendments, which were proposed by the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Marketing Committee (Committee), were approved by producers in a referendum. This action also updates the term of office and staggered term limits for producers and handlers.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget, for revision of a currently approved collection titled ``Local Food Directories and Survey''. Under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended, AMS is responsible for conducting research to enhance market access for small and medium sized farmers. The role of the Marketing Services Division (MSD) of AMS is to facilitate distribution of U.S. agricultural products. This information is used to populate USDA's National Farmers Market Directory and periodically market managers are invited to participate in a comprehensive survey assessing the farmers market sector. Beginning in 2020, the survey of the farmers market sector will be administered by the National Agricultural Statistical Service. Information will also be collected by AMS to populate the National Farmers Market Directory, as well as three additional local food directories: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Directory, Food Hub Directory, and On-Farm Market Directory. All four directories are national in scope and provide free advertising for producers of local agricultural products. The directories also assist customers to locate local food enterprises.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing a meeting of the Plant Variety Protection Board (Board). The meeting is being held to discuss a variety of topics including, but not limited to, work and outreach plans, subcommittee activities, and program activities. The meeting is open to the public. This notice sets forth the schedule and location for the meeting.

This final rule amends Marketing Order No. 959, which regulates the handling of onions grown in South Texas. The amendments will reduce the size of the South Texas Onion Committee (Committee) and make necessary conforming changes.

U.S. Department of Agriculture published a final rule on December 26, 2018, to implement a recommendation from the Kiwifruit Administrative Committee (Committee) to decrease the assessment rate established for the 2018-2019 and subsequent fiscal periods. This correction addresses a typographical error in that final rule.