[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 74 (Tuesday, April 20, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20480-20481]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-08062]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[AMS-FGIS-21-0017]


United States Standards for Wheat

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; request for information.

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SUMMARY: The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) 
Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking comments from the 
public regarding the United States Standards for Wheat under the United 
States Grain Standards Act (USGSA). To ensure that standards and 
official grading practices remain relevant, AMS invites interested 
parties to comment on whether the current wheat standards and grading 
practices need to be changed.

DATES: We will consider comments we receive by July 19, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments 
concerning this notice. All comments must be submitted through the 
Federal e-rulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov and should

[[Page 20481]]

reference the document number and the date and page number of this 
issue of the Federal Register. Instructions for submitting and reading 
comments are detailed on the site. All comments submitted in response 
to this notice will be included in the record and will be made 
available to the public. Please be advised that the identity of the 
individuals or entities submitting comments will be made public on the 
internet at the address provided above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barry Gomoll, USDA, AMS; Telephone: 
(202) 720-8286; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 4 of the USGSA (7 U.S.C. 76(a)) 
grants the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to establish 
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 2013 (78 FR 27857) and appear in USGSA 
regulations at 7 CFR 810.2201-2205. 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; define the basis 
of determination for grading factors; and specify grades and grade 
requirements. Official procedures for determining grading factors are 
provided in the Grain Inspection Handbook, Book II, Chapter 13, 
``Wheat.'' Together, the grading standards and official procedures 
allow buyers and sellers to communicate quality requirements, compare 
wheat quality using equivalent forms of measurement, and assist in 
price discovery.
    FGIS 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, 
FGIS-issued certificates describing the quality and condition of graded 
wheat are accepted as prima facie evidence in all Federal courts. U.S. 
Standards for Wheat and the affiliated grading and testing services 
offered by FGIS verify that a seller's wheat meet 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, AMS 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 Wheat and official procedures.

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

Bruce Summers,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-08062 Filed 4-19-21; 8:45 am]
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