SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (AMA), as amended (7 U.S.C. 1621-1627), provides for the collection of fees to cover costs of various inspection, grading, certification, or auditing services covering many agricultural commodities and products. The AMA also provides for the recovery of costs incurred in providing laboratory services. The Cotton Statistics and Estimates Act (7 U.S.C. 471-476) and the U.S. Cotton Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 51-65) provide for classification of cotton and development of cotton standards materials necessary for cotton classification. The Cotton Futures Act (7 U.S.C. 15b) provides for futures certification services, and the Tobacco Inspection Act (7 U.S.C. 511-511s) provides for tobacco inspection and grading. Finally, the United States Warehouse Act (7 U.S.C. 241-256) provides for the licensing of public warehouse operators in the business of storing agricultural products and the examination of such federally licensed warehouses. These Acts also provide for the recovery of costs associated with these services.

I. Standardization of AMS Rates Calculations

On November 13, 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Department) published in the Federal Register a final rule that established standardized formulas for calculating the fees charged by AMS user-funded programs (79 FR 67313). On the basis of rates calculated using these formulas, AMS is to determine the fee rates necessary to sustain program services. Every year since then, the Department has published in the Federal Register a notice announcing the rates for its user-funded programs.

This notice announces the 2026/2027 fee rates for voluntary grading, inspection, certification, auditing, and laboratory services for a variety of agricultural commodities including meat and poultry, fruits and vegetables, eggs, dairy products, rice, and cotton and tobacco on a per-hour rate and, in some instances, the equivalent per-unit cost. The per-unit cost is provided to facilitate understanding of the costs associated with the service to the industries that historically used unit-cost basis for payment. Fee rates will be effective at the beginning of the fiscal year, crop year, or as required by specific laws.

Rates reflect direct and indirect costs of providing services. Direct costs include the cost of salaries, employee benefits, and, if applicable, travel and some operating costs. Indirect or overhead costs include the cost of program and Agency activities supporting the services provided to the industry. The formula used to calculate these rates also includes operating reserve, which may add to or draw upon the existing operating reserves.

These services include the grading, inspection, or certification of quality factors in accordance with established U.S. Grade Standards or other specifications; audits or accreditation according to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards and/or Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles; and other marketing claims. The quality grades serve as a basis for market prices and reflect the value of agricultural commodities to both producers and consumers. AMS' grading and certification, audit and accreditation, plant process and equipment verification, and laboratory approval services are voluntary tools paid for by the users on a fee-for-service basis. The agriculture industry can use these tools to promote and communicate the quality of agricultural commodities to consumers. Laboratory services are provided for analytic testing, including but not limited to chemical, microbiological, biomolecular, and physical analyses. AMS is required by statute to recover the costs associated with these services.

As required by the Cotton Statistics and Estimates Act (7 U.S.C. 471-476), fees for the upcoming season must be announced by June 1 of year and consultations regarding the establishment of the fee for cotton classification are to be held with U.S. cotton industry representatives. Representatives of all segments of the cotton industry, including producers, ( printed page 23234) ginners, bale storage facility operators, merchants, cooperatives, and textile manufacturers were informed of general fees prior to this publication.

2026/2027 Rate Calculations

AMS calculated the rate for services, per hour per program employee, using the following formulas (a per-unit base is included for programs that charge for services on a per-unit basis):

(1) Regular rate. The total AMS grading, inspection, certification, classification, audit, or laboratory service program personnel direct pay divided by direct hours for the previous year, which is then multiplied by the next year's percentage of cost of living increase, plus the benefits rate, plus the operating rate, plus the allowance for bad debt rate. If applicable, travel expenses may also be added to the cost of providing the service.

(2) Overtime rate. The total AMS grading, inspection, certification, classification, audit, or laboratory service program personnel direct pay divided by direct hours, which is then multiplied by the next year's percentage of cost of living increase and then multiplied by 1.5, plus the benefits rate, plus the operating rate, plus an allowance for bad debt. If applicable, travel expenses may also be added to the cost of providing the service.

(3) Holiday rate. The total AMS grading, inspection, certification, classification, audit, or laboratory service program personnel direct pay divided by direct hours, which is then multiplied by the next year's percentage of cost of living increase and then multiplied by 2, plus the benefits rate, plus the operating rate, plus an allowance for bad debt. If applicable, travel expenses may also be added to the cost of providing the service.

All rates are per-hour except when a per-unit cost is noted. The specific amounts in each rate calculation are available upon request from the specific AMS program.

II. The United States Warehouse Act Fees

The United States Warehouse Act (USWA) (7 U.S.C. 241-256) provides for the licensing of public warehouse operators in the business of storing agricultural products, examination of such federally licensed warehouses, and collection of fees to sustain the operation and administration of such efforts. Participation in USWA program is voluntary. Participants may choose to obtain licensing under USWA to meet State or other industry requirements. Warehouse examinations provided by AMS examine the financial status of the operation, the integrity of the commodities stored in licensed facilities, as well as the facilities themselves.

This notice announces the fees for licensing and examining warehouses storing export food aid commodities, grain, nuts, sweeteners, wool, cotton, cottonseed and dry beans. USWA fees will remain unchanged from last year.

Fees must cover all expenses for USWA administrative services including the maintenance of a sufficient operating reserve. The fees reflect direct and indirect costs of providing services. Direct costs include the cost of salaries, employee benefits, and, if applicable, travel and some operating costs. Indirect or overhead costs include the cost of AMS administrative activities supporting the services provided to the industry. Program costs also include maintaining an operating reserve and, depending on the balance in the reserve, may provide for adding to or drawing down the reserve to assure an appropriate balance is maintained.

Rates in this notice will be available at AMS' website, as required by 7 CFR 869.4. A schedule of fees may also be requested by contacting the Director, ( printed page 23238) Warehouse and Commodity Management Division, Fair Trade Practices Program, AMS, USDA at the following updated address: 805 Pennsylvania Avenue, Mail Stop 9148, Kansas City, Missouri 64105.

Authority:7 U.S.C. 15b; 7 U.S.C. 473a-b; 7 U.S.C. 55 and 61; 7 U.S.C. 51-65; 7 U.S.C. 471-476; 7 U.S.C. 511-511s; 7 U.S.C. 1621-1627 and 7 U.S.C. 241-256.

91 FR 23233