[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 213 (Thursday, November 4, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64269-64270]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-24647]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration


Official Barley Protein Measurement

AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration 
(GIPSA) is announcing its intent to provide official protein content 
measurement for barley using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) 
calibration on the official near-infrared transmittance (NIRT) 
instruments. GIPSA will provide protein content measurement in barley 
as official criteria under the authority of the United States Grain 
Standards Act (USGSA).

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven N. Tanner, Director, Technical 
Services Division, GIPSA, USDA, 10383 N. Ambassador Drive, Kansas City, 
Missouri 64153; telephone (816) 891-0401; fax (816) 891-0478.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: GIPSA's official inspection system has not 
previously offered an official test for barley protein content. 
Recently developed state-of-the-art Artificial Neural Network (ANN) 
calibration development techniques, allow for wheat and barley protein 
content to be determined with a greater degree of accuracy than was 
possible with more limited calibration approaches. GIPSA will begin 
using an ANN calibration for official wheat protein content measurement 
in May 2005 (69 FR 52645).
    The barley protein content testing service will be available, upon 
request of an interested person, as official criteria for barley, under 
the authority of the USGSA, as amended.
    Therefore, to better facilitate the marketing of barley, and 
provide official barley protein testing to producers and other 
interested parties on a voluntary basis, GIPSA is establishing a new 
official criteria, available upon request, to determine the protein 
content of barley. GIPSA believes offering this service will facilitate 
the marketing of malting barley, by providing a fair, accurate and 
transparent third party

[[Page 64270]]

determination, backed by a national quality control process, and 
standardized instrumentation, reference samples, calibrations and 
procedures. As part of GIPSA's on-going efforts to evaluate 
calibrations and programs, GIPSA has thoroughly evaluated the accuracy 
of the ANN calibration. ANN-related information may be found on GIPSA's 
Web site at: http://www.usda.gov/gipsa.
    Based on its evaluation, GIPSA has decided to implement the new ANN 
barley protein calibration on official NIRT instruments on July 1, 
2005.


    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 71 et seq.

Donna Reifschneider,
Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration.
[FR Doc. 04-24647 Filed 11-3-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-EN-P