Commodity Credit Corporation December 1, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This rule amends the regulations that specify the requirements for the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC)-approved warehouses storing cotton, which are administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). FSA is changing the definition of Bales Made Available for Shipment (BMAS). CCC-approved cotton warehouses are currently required to report BMAS, among other data, to FSA every week. FSA is clarifying that bales made available, but not picked up by the shipper, can only be reported by the warehouse operator as BMAS for no longer than the first 2 weeks that such bales have been made available for delivery but have not yet been picked up. This rule change includes whether bales not picked up are reported by the warehouse operator to FSA in the weekly report; it does not change any warehouse tariffs, late fees, or restocking fees. The quality of reported information about bales made available for shipment will improve, which will benefit both FSA and the cotton industry.