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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 66 (Thursday, April 5, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20610-20611]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-8135]

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[Document Number FV-09-0043]

United States Standards for Grades of Cultivated Ginseng

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Final Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), of the Department of 
Agriculture (USDA), is revising the voluntary United States Standards 
for Grades of Cultivated Ginseng. AMS received a request from the 
Ginseng Board of Wisconsin (GBW), to amend the standards to reflect 
current market values. To ensure the integrity of the standards, the 
revisions will be based on quality and percentage defects. The new 
grades will replace the current ones and promote the orderly and 
efficient marketing of ginseng in an evolving global economy. Other 
changes will include a revised General Section, new tolerances, 
reclassified sizes, removed table ``values'' and amended definitions. 
These revisions are needed to determine and complement the new grades.

DATES: Effective Date: May 7, 2012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Carl Newell, Standardization and 
Training Branch, Fresh Products Division, (540) 361-1120. The United 
States Standards for Grades of Cultivated Ginseng are available through 
the Fresh Products Division Web site at http://www.ams.usda.gov/freshinspection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 203(c) of the Agricultural Marketing 
Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1621-1627), as amended, 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.'' AMS is committed to carrying out 
this authority in a manner that facilitates the marketing of 
agricultural commodities and makes copies of official standards 
available upon request. The United States Standards for Grades of 
Fruits and Vegetables not connected with Federal Marketing Orders or 
U.S. Import Requirements, no longer appear in the

[[Page 20611]]

Code of Federal Regulations, but are maintained by USDA, AMS, Fruit and 
Vegetable Programs, and are available on the internet at 
www.ams.usda.gov/freshinspection.
    AMS is revising the voluntary United States Standards for Grades of 
Cultivated Ginseng using procedures that appear in Part 36, Title 7 of 
the Code of Federal Regulations (7 CFR part 36).

Background

    AMS received a request from the GBW on June 8, 2009, to revise the 
United States Standards for Grades of Cultivated Ginseng. The GBW 
represents approximately 95% of the cultivated ginseng industry in the 
U.S. The initial inquiry requested AMS to add ``unless otherwise 
specified'' to the size table to accommodate changing market values. 
AMS believed that by allowing any specified value would undermine the 
integrity of the standards. To resolve the issue, AMS met with members 
of the GBW to revise the standards and develop new grades based solely 
on quality and percentage defects. AMS then initiated the revision 
process and continued to work closely with the GBW on the proposed 
standards through electronic communication and site visits. On August 
30, 2011, AMS published a notice in the Federal Register (76 FR 53875), 
soliciting comments on a possible revision of the United States 
Standards for Grades of Cultivated Ginseng. The public comment period 
closed on September 29, 2011, with no responses.
    Based on the information gathered, AMS believes the revisions will 
bring the standards for cultivated ginseng in line with current 
marketing practices and thereby improve their usefulness. Therefore, 
AMS will revise the standards as follows:
    The General Section will clarify that the standards apply to 
cultivated ginseng, such as American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and 
Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng), but not to wild ginseng.
    The U.S. Premium, U.S. Select, U.S. Medium, and U.S. Standard 
grades will be replaced with U.S. No. 1, U.S. No. 2, U.S. No. 3, U.S. 
No. 4, U.S. No. 5, U.S. No. 6, and U.S. No. 7.
    All the sizes for diameter and length are revised with the 
following Whole Root Size Categories: Premium, Select, and Standard.
    The External Color Section is revised to include: ``Color shall be 
applied to the lot as a whole * * *'' Further, the Wrinkle Section is 
renamed the Texture Section.
    A Size Classification Determination Section will be added to 
provide procedures for determining size. Size will be determined first, 
followed by inspecting the ginseng for defects.
    The formula for the Grade Determination Section is revised to 
reflect the percentage of defects in a lot.
    The definition for ``Whole Root'' is revised to mean the main root 
or upper portion of the main root, including any portion growing off 
the main root that is too large to be a prong. Whole roots must have a 
tapered top or crown.
    The definition for ``Diameter'' is revised to mean the greatest 
dimension at right angles to a line from the top of the whole root to 
the tip. Diameter shall not be measured at the point of attachment of a 
prong or the area where a prong was removed.
    A definition for ``Length'' will be added to the standards, which 
means the greatest dimension of the whole root measured in a straight 
line parallel to the longitudinal axis from the top of the whole root 
to the tip, not including any portion of the crown or rootlet, if 
present.
    The following terms and definitions will also be removed or 
revised: The definition for ``Similar Varietal Characteristics'' will 
be removed from the standards, since it will not be a requirement of 
the grade. The definition for ``Prong'' is revised to include: ``A 
prong cannot exceed more than one half of the diameter of the main 
root.'' The term ``Fiber' will be renamed ``Rootlet'' and defined as 
small slender roots less than \1/8\ inch in diameter. The term ``rust'' 
will be removed from the list of defects, since it is the same as 
discoloration. The definition for ``Cull'' will be revised to mean more 
than 50 percent of the whole root is unusable. The definition for 
``Defects' is revised to include: ``In addition, when the cut area left 
by a clipped or removed prong exceeds one half of the diameter of the 
root, it shall be a defect.''
    An illustration of a ginseng root will be added to the end of the 
standards, which define the parts of the root, areas to be clipped, and 
the correct determination for length and diameter.
    Various section numbers will be changed to reflect these revisions, 
including a correction to the notice. The proposed section number for 
Grade Determination in the notice was ``.1332'' but will be corrected 
to ``.1333.''
    The official grade of a lot of cultivated ginseng covered by these 
standards will be determined by the procedures set forth in the 
Regulations Governing Inspection, Certification, and Standards of Fresh 
Fruits, Vegetables and Other Products (Sec. 51.1 to 51.61).
    The United States Standards for Grades of Cultivated Ginseng will 
be effective 30 days after publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register.

    Authority:  7 U.S.C. 1621--1627.

    Dated: March 30, 2012.
Robert C. Keeney,
Acting Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-8135 Filed 4-4-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P
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