This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains documents other than rules orproposed rules that are applicable to thepublic. Notices of hearings and investigations,committee meetings, agency decisions andrulings, delegations of authority, filing ofpetitions and applications and agencystatements of organization and functions areexamples of documents appearing in thissection.NoticesFederal Register22305 
Vol. 82, No. 92 
Monday, May 15, 2017 
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Grain Inspection, Packers and 
Stockyards Administration 
United States Standards for Lentils 
AGENCY : Grain Inspection, Packers and 
Stockyards Administration, USDA. 
ACTION : Notice; request for public 
comment. 
SUMMARY : The United States Department 
of Agriculture’s (USDA) Grain 
Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is proposing a revision to the United States Standards for Lentils to (1) establish an additional grading factor, definition, grade requirements, and visual reference images for ‘‘wrinkled lentils,’’ and (2) establish a special grade, definition, special grade requirements, designation, and visual reference images for ‘‘green lentils.’’ These revisions are being proposed at the request of the lentil industry. GIPSA believes that this proposed revision of the United States Standards for Lentils would improve the application of the standards and facilitate the marketing of lentils. 
DATES : GIPSA will consider comments 
received by June 14, 2017. 
ADDRESSES : GIPSA invites all interested 
parties to submit comments on this Notice. You may submit comments by any of the following methods: 
•Mail: M. Irene Omade, GIPSA, 
USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 2530–S, Washington, DC 20250–3613. 
•Hand Delivery or Courier: M. Irene 
Omade, GIPSA, USDA, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW., Room 2530–S, Washington, DC 20250–3613. 
•Internet: http://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments. Instructions: All comments should 
make reference to the date and page 
number of this issue of the Federal Register. All documents and comments relating to this Notice are available for public inspection in Room 2530–S, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250–3613 during regular business hours (7 CFR 1.27(b)). All comments received will be included in the public docket without change, including any personal information provided. Please call the GIPSA Management and Budget Services support staff (202) 720–8479 for an appointment to view the comments. 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT : 
Beverly A. Whalen at GIPSA, USDA, 10383 N. Ambassador Drive, Kansas City, MO 64153; Telephone: (816) 659– 8410; Fax: (816) 872–1258; Beverly.A.Whalen@usda.gov. 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION : Section 
203(c) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended, (AMA), directs and authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture ‘‘To develop and improve standards of quality, condition, quantity, grade, and packaging and recommend and demonstrate such standards in order to encourage uniformity and consistency in commercial practices.’’ GIPSA is committed to carrying out this authority in a manner that facilitates the marketing of agricultural commodities. 
Under the AMA, GIPSA establishes 
standards for graded commodities including rice, whole dry peas, split peas, feed peas, lentils, and beans. The AMA standards are voluntary and widely used in private contracts, government procurement, marketing communication, and/or consumer information. The standards serve as a common trading language to define 
commodity quality in the domestic and global marketplace. 
Background 
GIPSA engages in regular outreach 
with stakeholders to ensure commodity 
standards maintain relevance with the modern market. Lentil industry stakeholders include the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council (USADPLC), a national organization of producers, processors, and exporters of U.S. dry peas, lentils, and chickpeas; the US Dry 
Pea and Lentil Trade Association (USPLTA), a national association 
representing processors, traders, and transporters in the pea, lentil and chickpea industry; and, other handlers and merchandisers. 
The United States Standards for 
Lentils are found on GIPSA’s Web site at https://www.gipsa.usda.gov/fgis/ 
standards/lentils.pdf. USADPLC and USPLTA reviewed the U.S. Standards for Lentils, which were last revised in 2008. The review resulted in those stakeholders jointly recommending that GIPSA revise the standards based on changing market trends. Specifically, these groups asked GIPSA to (1) establish a new grading factor of ‘‘wrinkled lentils,’’ and (2) establish a new special grade of ‘‘green lentils.’’ 
GIPSA provides official inspection 
procedures for lentils in the Pea and Lentil Handbook, which is available on the GIPSA’s public Web site at https:// www.gipsa.usda.gov/fgis/handbook/ PeaLentilHB/PeaLentil_2016-07-11.pdf. 
Establishment of Grading Factor 
‘‘Wrinkled Lentils’’ 
USADPLC and USPLTA reported on a 
trend of an increasing percentage of fully developed lentils that possess a wrinkled seed coat. These lentils do not meet the definition for immature lentils. Under the current U.S. Standards for Lentils, these lentils would grade U.S. #1; however, the wrinkled appearance is considered undesirable. The stakeholders jointly recommended that GIPSA establish a new grade determining factor ‘‘wrinkled lentil,’’ and also recommended factor limits for grades No’s. 1, 2, and 3. GIPSA and these stakeholders collaborated to develop a visual reference image that best reflects the ‘‘wrinkled lentil’’ condition. Stakeholders endorsed the following definition: 
Wrinkled lentils are sound lentils that 
are substantially wrinkled on at least 50 percent of one side. 
The revised table of grade and grade 
requirements for dockage-free lentils would be as follows: 
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607 G RADES AND GRADE REQUIREMENTS FOR DOCKAGE -FREELENTILS  
Grading factors Grades U.S. Nos. 
1 2 3 
Defective Lentils 
Total1............................................................................................................................... ..... 2.0 3.5 5.0 
Weevil-Damaged Lentils ....................................................................................................... 0.3 0.8 0.8 
Heat-Damaged Lentils .......................................................................................................... 0.2 0.5 1.0 
Foreign Material 
Total2............................................................................................................................... ..... 0.2 0.5 0.5 
Stones ......................................................................................................................... .......... 0.1 0.2 0.2 
Skinned Lentils ................................................................................................................ ............ 4.0 7.0 10.0 
Wrinkled Lentils3......................................................................................................................... 5.0 10 .0 >10.0 
Contrasting Lentils4..................................................................................................................... 2.0 4.0 >4 .0 
Inconspicuous Admixture ........................................................................................................ ..... 0.5 0.8 1.0 
Minimum Requirements for Color ................................................................................................ Good Fair Poor 
U.S. Sample grade lentils: 
(a) Do not meet the requirements for the grades U.S. Nos. 1, 2, or 3; or (b) Contain more than 14.0 percent moisture, live weevils, or other live insects, metal fragments, broken glass, or a commercially objectionable 
odor; or 
(c) Are materially weathered, heating, or distinctly low quality. 
1Defective lentils total is weevil-damaged, heat-damaged, damaged, and split lentils combined. 
2Foreign material total includes stones. 
3Lentils with more than 10.0 percent wrinkled lentils must grade no higher than U.S. No. 3. 
4Lentils with more than 4.0 percent contrasting lentils must grade no higher than U.S. No. 3. 
Establishment of Special Grade ‘‘Green 
Lentils’’ 
The USPLTA Grades Committee 
members recommended that GIPSA establish a special grade, ‘‘green lentils.’’ Lentil stakeholders concurred on the need for a special grade to distinguish a desirable aesthetic feature. GIPSA and these stakeholders collaborated to develop a visual reference image that best reflects the ‘‘green lentils’’ condition. Stakeholder endorsed the following definition: 
Green lentils are clear seeded (non- 
mottled) and possess a natural, uniformly green color. 
Proposed GIPSA Action 
Based on input from stakeholder 
organizations in the lentil industry that 
concurred on the need for revisions to the United States Standards for Lentils, GIPSA proposes to revise the lentil standards to (1) establish a new grade determining factor, definition, factor limits, and visual reference image for ‘‘wrinkled lentils,’’ and (2) establish a special grade, definition, designation, and visual reference image for ‘‘green lentils.’’ Accordingly, GIPSA proposes the following revisions: 
Section 601, Definitions, would be 
amended to include the definition of ‘‘Wrinkled lentils.’’ 
Section 607, Grades and grade 
requirements for dockage-free lentils, would be amended to include grade limits for ‘‘Wrinkled lentils.’’ 
Section 609, Special grades and 
requirements, would be amended to include the definition of ‘‘Green lentils.’’ 
GIPSA will solicit comments for 30 
days. All comments received within the comment period will be made part of the public record maintained by GIPSA, will be available to the public for review, and will be considered by GIPSA before final action is taken on the proposal. 
The Pea and Lentil Handbook would 
be revised to incorporate any revision to the standards. 
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621–1627. 
Randall D. Jones, 
Acting Administrator, Grain Inspection, 
Packers and Stockyards Administration. 
[FR Doc. 2017–09720 Filed 5–12–17; 8:45 am] 
BILLING CODE 3410–KD–P 
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Grain Inspection, Packers and 
Stockyards Administration 
United States Standards for Beans 
AGENCY : Grain Inspection, Packers and 
Stockyards Administration, USDA. 
ACTION : Notice; request for public 
comment. 
SUMMARY : The United States Department 
of Agriculture’s (USDA) Grain 
Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is proposing a revision to the United States Standards for Beans to (1) establish a class and grade requirement chart for ‘‘chickpeas,’’ also known as ‘‘garbanzo beans,’’ and (2) establish a new grade determining factor, definition, factor limits, and visual reference image for ‘‘contrasting chickpeas.’’ These revisions are being proposed at the request of the pea and lentil industry, and are supported by the bean industry. GIPSA believes that this proposed revision of the United States Standards for Beans would facilitate the marketing of chickpeas and improve the application of the standards. 
DATES : GIPSA will consider comments 
received by June 14, 2017. 
ADDRESSES : GIPSA invites all interested 
parties submit comments on this Notice. You may submit comments by any of the following methods: 
•Mail: M. Irene Omade, GIPSA, 
USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 2530–S, Washington, DC 20250–3613. 
•Hand Delivery or Courier: M. Irene 
Omade, GIPSA, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 2530–S, Washington, DC 20250–3613. 
•Internet: http://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments. 
Instructions: All comments should 
make reference to the date and page number of this issue of the Federal Register. All documents and comments relating to this Notice are available for public inspection in Room 2530–S, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250–3613 during regular business hours (7 CFR 1.27(b)). All comments received will be included in the public docket without change, including any personal information 
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