Agricultural Marketing Service September 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice is hereby given that the comment period on proposed changes in the regulatory periods when minimum grade, size, quality, and maturity requirements apply to southeastern California grapes under Marketing Order No. 925 (order), and to imported grapes under the table grape import regulation is extended until November 28, 2005.

This order amends certain features of the pooling standards of the Mideast milk marketing order on an interim basis. More than the required number of producers in the Mideast marketing area have approved the issuance of the interim order as amended.

This rule revises the quantity of Class 1 (Scotch) and Class 3 (Native) spearmint oil that handlers may purchase from, or handle for, producers during the 2005-2006 marketing year. This rule increases the Scotch spearmint oil salable quantity from 677,409 pounds to 1,062,898 pounds, and the allotment percentage from 35 percent to 55 percent. In addition, this rule increases the Native spearmint oil salable quantity from 867,958 pounds to 1,019,600 pounds, and the allotment percentage from 40 percent to 47 percent. The order regulates the handling of spearmint oil produced in the Far West and is administered locally by the Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee (Committee). The Committee recommended this rule for the purpose of avoiding extreme fluctuations in supplies and prices and to help maintain stability in the Far West spearmint oil market.

The purpose of this rule is to bring the provisions of the Peanut Promotion, Research and Information Order (Order), into conformity with changes that have occurred since the implementation of the Order with regard to the collection of assessments. This order is issued under the authority of the Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996. This rule invites comments on changes to the Order provisions on assessments and the deletion of a number of obsolete definitions.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim final rule which decreased the assessment rate established for the Washington Apricot Marketing Committee (Committee) for the 2005-2006 and subsequent fiscal periods from $2.50 per ton to $1.00 per ton of fresh apricots handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of apricots grown in designated counties in Washington. Assessments upon apricot handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal period began April 1 and ends March 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is increasing Plant Variety Protection (PVP) Office application, search, and certificate issuance fees by 20 percent. The last general fee increase in February 2003 is no longer adequate to cover current program obligations for administrative and information technology needs. The PVP Act of 1970 requires that reasonable fees be collected from applicants seeking certificates of protection in order to maintain the program. Also, a technical amendment will allow applicants to send voucher seed samples directly to the public repository.

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a forthcoming meeting of the Plant Variety Protection Board.

This rule limits the volume of sizes 48 and 56 red seedless grapefruit entering the fresh market and changes procedures used for this purpose under the marketing order for oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and tangelos grown in Florida (order). The order is administered locally by the Citrus Administrative Committee (Committee). The procedural changes modify the way a handler's average week is determined by providing that if crop conditions limit shipments from any of the three prior seasons, a prior season or seasons can be used for the three-season average. The average week is used by the Committee in determining the handler shipment allotments. This rule also limits the volume of small sizes entering the fresh market for the first 22 weeks of the 2005-2006 season beginning September 19, 2005. This action is intended to make the regulation more responsive to industry needs and provide adequate supplies of small red seedless grapefruit without saturating all markets. It is expected to stabilize supplies and improve grower returns.

This rule would increase the assessment rate established for the California Date Administrative Committee (committee) for the 2005- 06 and subsequent crop years from $0.85 to $0.95 per hundredweight of dates handled. The committee locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of dates produced or packed in Riverside County, California. Assessments upon date handlers are used by the committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The committee recommended increasing the assessment rate because additional revenues are needed to fund program operations and build up its financial reserve to a more satisfactory level. The crop year begins October 1 and ends September 30. The assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) published a notice soliciting comments as to whether any changes were necessary to the voluntary United States Standards for Grades of Lemons. No comments were received. The Agency has decided not to proceed further with this action due to lack of comments.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is publishing this notice to inform certified organic producers and handlers of AMS' intention to release the names and addresses of certified operations to the general public. AMS has determined that the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 6501 et seq. (OFPA), authorizes the release of the names and addresses of certified organic producers and handlers under the broad category of information characterized by the OFPA as ``certification documents.'' Therefore, AMS intends to release the names and addresses of certified producers and handlers to the general public in response to requests for such information.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting comments on its proposal to revise the United States Standards for Grades of Strawberries. Based on a request from the California Strawberry Commission (CSC), AMS is proposing to modify the standards to allow that percentages be determined by count rather than volume. The proposed revision will make tolerance determination more objective and uniform.