[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 227 (Friday, November 27, 2009)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 62257]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-28429]
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Proposed Rules
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 227 / Friday, November 27, 2009 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 62257]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration
7 CFR Part 810
RIN 0580-AB12
Request for Public Comment on the United States Standards for
Wheat
AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration, USDA.
ACTION: Advance notice of proposed rulemaking.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Grain Inspection,
Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is reviewing the United
States (U.S.) Standards for Wheat under the United States Grain
Standards Act (USGSA). Since the standards were last revised, numerous
changes have occurred in the breeding and production practices of
wheat; the technology used to harvest, process, and test wheat; and
also wheat marketing. To ensure that standards and official grading
practices remain relevant, GIPSA invites interested parties to comment
on whether the current wheat standards and grading practices need to be
changed.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 25, 2010.
ADDRESSES: You may submit your written or electronic comments on this
notice to:
Mail: Tess Butler, GIPSA, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue,
SW., Room 1643-S, Washington, DC 20250-3604.
E-mail comments to: [email protected].
Fax: (202) 690-2173.
Internet: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the
on-line instruction for submitting comments.
All comments will become a matter of public record and should be
identified as ``United States Standards for Wheat Notice Comments,''
making reference to the date and page number of this issue of the
Federal Register. Comments will be available for public inspection at
http://www.regulations.gov and in the above office during regular
business hours (7 CFR 1.27(b)). Please call the GIPSA Management
Support Staff at (202) 720-7486 to make an appointment to read comments
received.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick McCluskey at GIPSA, USDA,
Beacon Facility, Stop 1404, P.O. Box 419205, Kansas City, MO 64131-
6205; Telephone (816) 823-4639; Fax Number (816) 823-4644; e-mail
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Executive Order 12866
This rule has been determined to be exempt for the purposes of
Executive Order 12866, and therefore has not been reviewed by the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Under the authority of the USGSA (7 U.S.C. 76), GIPSA establishes
standards for wheat and other grains regarding kind, class, quality and
condition. The wheat standards, established by USDA on August 1, 1917,
were last revised in 1993 and 2006 and appear in the USGSA regulations
at 7 CFR 810.2201-810.2205. The standards facilitate wheat marketing
and define U.S. wheat quality in the domestic and global marketplace.
The standards define commonly used industry terms; contain basic
principles governing the application of standards, such as the type of
sample used for a particular quality analysis; specify grades, grade
requirements, special grades; and special grade requirements, such as
garlicky wheat and light smutty wheat. Official procedures for
determining grading factors are provided in GIPSA's Grain Inspection
Handbook, Book II, Chapter 13, ``Wheat,'' which also includes
standardized procedures for additional quality attributes not used to
determine grade, such as protein content and falling number. Together,
the grading standards and testing procedures allow buyers and sellers
to communicate quality requirements, compare wheat quality using
equivalent forms of measurement and assist in price discovery.
GIPSA's grading and inspection services are provided through a
network of federal, state, and private laboratories that conduct tests
to determine the quality and condition of wheat. These tests are
conducted in accordance with applicable standards using approved
methodologies and can be applied at any point in the marketing chain.
Furthermore, the tests yield rapid, reliable and consistent results. In
addition, GIPSA-issued certificates describing the quality and
condition of graded wheat are accepted as prima facie evidence in all
Federal courts. U.S. wheat standards and the affiliated grading and
testing services offered by GIPSA verify that a seller's wheat meets
specified requirements, and ensure that customers receive the quality
of wheat they purchased.
In order for U.S. standards and grading procedures for wheat to
remain relevant, GIPSA is issuing this advance notice of proposed
rulemaking to invite interested parties to submit comments, ideas, and
suggestions on all aspects of the U.S. wheat standards and inspection
procedures.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 71-87K.
J. Dudley Butler,
Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration.
[FR Doc. E9-28429 Filed 11-25-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-KD-P