USDA Extends Comment Period on Proposal to Revise Pecan Standards

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is extending the comment period for the proposed rule to revise the U.S. Standards for Grades of Pecans in the Shell and the U.S. Standards for Grades of Shelled Pecans until September 7, 2022.

A proposed rule published in the Federal Register on June 1, 2022, (87 FR 33064) invited comments on proposed revisions to the U.S. Standards for Grades of Pecans in the Shell and the U.S. Standards for Grades of Shelled Pecans by August 1, 2022. The proposed standards were intended to be posted with the proposed rule on the Regulations.gov website.

On June 28, 2022, AMS learned the proposed U.S. Standards for Grades of Pecans in the Shell and the U.S. Standards for Grades of Shelled Pecans failed to upload to the Regulations.gov website. The proposed standards have now been posted on Regulations.gov.

To provide all interested parties a full 60-day comment period to review the proposed standards and proposed rule, AMS has extended the public comment period by 30 days. Written comments on the proposed rule must be received by September 7, 2022. Comments may be submitted online at Regulations.gov, faxed to (540) 361-1199, or mailed to the USDA, Specialty Crops Inspection Division, 100 Riverside Parkway, Suite 101, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22406.

The Federal Register notice and copies of the proposed U.S. Standards for Grades for Pecans in the Shell and U.S. Standards for Grades of Shelled Pecans are posted on Regulations.gov. Copies of the current standards can be viewed on the AMS Grades and Standards Nuts webpage.

For further information, please contact Olivia Banks at (540) 361-1120 or by email at [email protected].

#