Agricultural Marketing Service – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This final rule amends Marketing Order No. 929, which regulates the handling of cranberries grown in the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and Long Island in the State of New York. The amendment, which was proposed by the Cranberry Marketing Committee (Committee), was approved by growers and processors in the referendum. This action authorizes the Committee to accept contributions from domestic sources for research and development activities authorized under the marketing order that would be free from any encumbrances as to their use by the donor.

The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (2002 Farm Bill) requires the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to establish a Peanut Standards Board (Board) for the purpose of advising the Secretary on quality and handling standards for domestically produced and imported peanuts. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominations for individuals to be considered for selection as Board members for a term of office ending June 30, 2022.

This rule implements a recommendation from the California Date Administrative Committee (Committee) to increase the assessment rate for the 2018-19 and subsequent crop years for California dates handled under Marketing Order 987. The assessment rate will 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 an extension for and revision to a currently approved information collection for Pecans Grown in the States of Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas, Marketing Order No. 986.

This final rule implements a recommendation from the Processed Pear Committee (Committee) to change the Committee's membership structure. This action removes the second alternate member position from the Committee structure, leaving ten member positions and one alternate position for each respective member.

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 an extension of and revision to the currently approved information collection of the Federal Seed Act Labeling and Enforcement.

This final rule amends the Class I skim milk price formula for milk pooled under Federal milk marketing orders (FMMO) as required by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill). Under the amended price formula, the Class I skim milk price will be the simple average of the monthly advanced pricing factors for Class III and Class IV skim milk, plus $0.74 per cwt, plus the applicable adjusted Class I differential. Prior to this amendment, the Class I skim milk price was the higher of the two advanced pricing factors, plus the applicable adjusted Class I differential.

This document directs that a referendum be conducted among eligible producers of peanuts to determine whether they favor continuance of the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) regulations regarding a national peanut research and promotion program.

This rule revises the reporting requirements under the Federal marketing order for pecans. The revised reporting requirements will enable the American Pecan Council (Council) to collect information from handlers on the average handler price paid and the average shelled pecan yield. The Council will use this information to provide important statistical reports to the industry and meet requirements under the marketing order.

This final rule reauthorizes the Dairy Forward Pricing Program (DFPP) in accordance with the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill). Establishing new contracts under the DFPP has been prohibited since the expiration of the program on September 30, 2018. The 2018 Farm Bill reauthorized the program to allow handlers to enter into new contracts until September 30, 2023. Any forward contract entered prior to the September 30, 2023, deadline is subject to a September 30, 2026, expiration date.

This rule amends the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) regulations regarding a fresh mango national research and promotion program to include frozen mangos as a covered commodity under the Mango Promotion, Research and Information Order. The importers of frozen mangos will be assessed one cent ($0.01) per pound on frozen mangos. Also, the National Mango Board's (Board) membership will be expanded from 18 to 21 with the addition of two importers of frozen mangos and one foreign processor.

This rule removes the requirement in the Processed Raspberry Promotion, Research, and Information Order (Order) that each eligible producer of raspberries for processing and eligible importer of processed raspberries pay to the National Processed Raspberry Council (Council) an assessment in the amount of one cent per pound as specified in the Order. The remaining provisions of the Order and regulations issued thereunder will terminated at a later date. This action is necessary because termination of the Order was favored by a majority of the eligible producers and eligible importers voting in a referendum conducted from September 10 through October 5, 2018.

This final rule terminates the Federal marketing order regulating the handling of Irish potatoes grown in Southeastern states (Order). The Order has been suspended, at the industry's recommendation, since 2011. Because the industry has not petitioned to have the Order reactivated in accordance with the terms of the suspension, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is terminating the Order.

This rule implements a recommendation from the California Olive Committee (Committee) to establish procedures to conduct meetings and voting using electronic means of communication.

This proposal invites comments on reallocating the membership of the Mushroom Council (Council) under the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) regulations regarding a national research and promotion program for mushrooms. This action 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. The number of Council members would be revised 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.

This rule implements a recommendation from the Raisin Administrative Committee (Committee) to increase the assessment rate established for the 2018-19 and subsequent crop years. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

This rule changes the National Honey Board (Board) importer- handler member and alternate to an importer member and alternate. The Honey Packers and Importers Research, Promotion, Consumer Education and Industry Information Order (Order) is administered by the Board with oversight by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This rule also updates the definition for the term Board to reflect current practices, and make clarifying and conforming changes to other provisions of the program.

This proposed rule invites comments on a recommendation to revise the size requirements currently prescribed under the federal marketing order for Irish potatoes grown in Colorado. This action would revise 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 would revise the size requirements for smaller size profile U.S. Commercial grade or better potatoes.

This final rule amends the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List) provisions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) organic regulations to implement recommendations submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). This rule changes the use restrictions for seventeen substances allowed for organic production or handling on the National List. This rule also adds sixteen new substances on the National List to be allowed in organic production or handling. In addition, this final rule lists the botanical pesticide, rotenone, as a prohibited substance in organic crop production. This final rule removes ivermectin as an allowed parasiticide for use in organic livestock production and amends our regulations to allow the use of parasiticides in fiber bearing animals. Finally, this rule inserts corrections of instructions and regulation text as listed in the proposed rule.

This rule establishes the new national mandatory bioengineered (BE) food disclosure standard (NBFDS or Standard). The new Standard requires food manufacturers, importers, and other entities that label foods for retail sale to disclose information about BE food and BE food ingredients. This rule is intended to provide a mandatory uniform national standard for disclosure of information to consumers about the BE status of foods. Establishment and implementation of the new Standard is required by an amendment to the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing the designation of D.R. Schaal Agency, Inc. (Schaal) to provide official services under the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA), as amended. 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 proposed rule invites comments on a recommendation from the Processed Pear Committee (Committee) to change the Committee's membership structure. This action would remove the second alternate member position from the Committee structure, leaving ten member positions and one alternate position for each respective member.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice announces AMS's intention to request that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approve a 3-year extension and revision to a currently approved information collection; a voluntary customer survey concerning the delivery of official inspection, grading, and weighing services authorized under the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA) and the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (AMA). OMB approved this information collection as OMB 0580-0018 under Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards (GIPSA). Due to the realignment of offices authorized by the Secretary's memorandum dated November 14, 2017, which eliminated the GIPSA as a standalone agency, the grain inspection activities formerly part of GIPSA are now under the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and assigned a new OMB control number of 0581-0310. This voluntary survey gives customers who are primarily in the grain, oilseed, rice, lentil, dry pea, edible bean, and related agricultural commodity markets an opportunity to provide feedback on the quality of services they receive and provides AMS with information on new services that customers wish to receive. Customer feedback assists Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) with enhancing the value of services and service delivery provided by the official inspection, grading, and weighing system.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is announcing a meeting of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). The NOSB assists the USDA in the development of standards for substances to be used in organic production and advises the Secretary of Agriculture on any other aspects of the implementation of the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA).

This rulemaking proposes amendments to Marketing Order No. 981, which regulates the handling of almonds in California. The Almond Board of California (Board) recommended changing the dates associated with the process to nominate members to the Board as well as the start of the term of office of members of the Board. The Board also recommended adding authority to allow future revisions of the nomination methods and term of office start date through the development of regulations using informal rulemaking.