[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 19, 2016)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 2775]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-00848]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration

7 CFR Part 810


United States Standards for Oats

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

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Grain 
Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is seeking 
comment from the public regarding the United States (U.S.) Standards 
for Oats under the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA). To ensure 
that standards and official grading practices remain relevant, GIPSA 
invites interested parties to comment on whether the current oats 
standards and grading practices need to be changed.

DATES: We will consider comments we receive by April 18, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written or electronic comments on this 
proposed rule to:
     Mail: Irene Omade, GIPSA, USDA, STOP 3642, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW., Room 2530-B, Washington, DC 20250-3604.
     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 ``U.S. Standards for Oats request for information 
comments,'' making reference to the date and page number of this issue 
of the Federal Register. All comments received become the property of 
the Federal government, are a part of the public record, and will 
generally be posted to www.regulations.gov without change. If you send 
an email comment directly to GIPSA without going through 
www.regulations.gov, or you submit a comment to GIPSA via fax, the 
originating email address or telephone number will be automatically 
captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the 
public docket and made available on the Internet. Also, all personal 
identifying information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily 
submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit 
confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected 
information.
    Electronic submissions should avoid the use of special characters, 
avoid any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses, 
since these may prevent GIPSA from being able to read and understand, 
and thus consider your comment.
    GIPSA will post a transcript or report summarizing each substantive 
oral comment that we receive. This would include comments made at any 
public meetings hosted by GIPSA during the comment period, unless GIPSA 
publically announces otherwise.
    All comments will also be available for public inspection at the 
above address during regular business hours (7 CFR 1.27(b)). Please 
call the GIPSA Management and Budget Services support staff (202) 720-
8479 for an appointment to view the comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Giese at GIPSA, USDA, 10383 N. 
Ambassador Drive, Kansas City, MO 64153; Telephone (816) 891-0460; Fax 
Number (816) 872-1258; email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the authority of the USGSA (7 U.S.C. 
76), GIPSA establishes standards for oats and other grains regarding 
kind, class, quality and condition. The oats standards, established by 
USDA on June 16, 1919, were last revised in 1988 and appear in the 
USGSA regulations at 7 CFR 810.1001 through 810.1005. The standards 
facilitate oats marketing and define U.S. oats 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; the 
basis of determination; and specify grades and grade requirements. 
Official procedures for determining grading factors are provided in 
GIPSA's Grain Inspection Handbook, Book II, Chapter 7, ``Oats'' which 
also includes standardized procedures for additional quality attributes 
not used to determine grade, such as dockage and moisture content. 
Together, the grading standards and testing procedures allow buyers and 
sellers to communicate quality requirements, compare oats 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 oats. 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 oats are accepted as prima facie evidence in all 
Federal courts. U.S. Standards for Oats and the affiliated grading and 
testing services offered by GIPSA verify that a seller's oats meets 
specified requirements, and ensure that customers receive the quality 
of oats they purchased.
    In order for U.S. standards and grading procedures for oats to 
remain relevant, GIPSA is issuing this request for information to 
invite interested parties to submit comments, ideas, and suggestions on 
all aspects of the U.S. Standards for Oats and inspection procedures.

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 71-87K

Larry Mitchell,
Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration.
[FR Doc. 2016-00848 Filed 1-15-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-KD-P