Science & Technology 1400 Independence Ave, SW 

Monitoring Programs Division Stop 0275 

 Washington, DC 20250 

September 9, 2022 

TO: See Distribution List 

BRENDA FOOS Digitally signed by BRENDA FOOS 

Date: 2022.09.09 13:52:50 -04'00' FROM: Brenda Foos 

Director, Monitoring Programs Division (MPD) 

SUBJECT: Program Plan, October 2022 through March 2023 – Pesticide Data Program, 

Version 2.0 

This Program Plan serves as the current Statement of Work for the period October 2022 

through March 2023 for each of the States participating in the Pesticide Data Program 

(PDP). It has been updated from Version 1.0 to include soybean collection and analysis as 

a special project. Aspects of this Plan have been coordinated with the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the PDP participating States for their 

continuing collaboration with PDP and dedication to the program. We look forward to 

working with each of you on the activities described in this Program Plan. 

I. ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES 

A. Summary Status: 

The 2020 PDP Annual Summary and dataset were posted to the PDP website on January 

19, 2022. Printed copies will be available at a future date. Currently, all PDP data for 2021 

have been received, and MPD is drafting the 2021 PDP Annual Summary. 

B. Cooperative Agreements/Financial: 

Cooperative Agreements for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 have been issued to all PDP 

participating States. For FY 2023 all PDP cooperative agreements will use a calendar year 

performance period. After MPD receives PDP funds for FY 2023, the agreements will be 

established prior to January 1. 

The current FY ends on September 30, 2022. States should ensure all expenses have been 

obligated on or prior to December 31, 2022. For all States any changes to the current 

cooperative agreement funding must be made prior to September 30, 2022. 

C. Program Meetings: 

PDP October 2022 through March 2023 Program Plan Page 1 
 

 

PDP Federal/State Meeting: 

The March 2020 Federal/State meeting that was scheduled to be held in Tallahassee, 

Florida was postponed. The rescheduled date is now tentatively set for early 2023, and 

more detailed information will be forthcoming. Attendees will include PDP 

Administrative Managers, Sampling Managers, Technical Program Managers, and Quality 

Assurance Officers, as well as representatives from the host state, USDA, EPA, FDA, and 

invited guest speakers. 

D. Advisory Committees:

Sampling Advisory Group: Members of the Sampling Advisory Group (SAG) are 

Barbara Sparkman (Texas) and Brian Regan (Michigan). Barbara Sparkman serves as the 

Presiding Member of the SAG. 

Technical Advisory Group: Members of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) are Hugh 

Robinson (Texas), Lucy Kaminski (Ohio), and Sarva Balachandra (California). Hugh 

Robinson serves as the Presiding Member of the TAG. 

Updates to the advisory group membership will be discussed at the Federal/State Meeting. 

E. PDP Fiscal Year 2023 Proficiency Testing Program: The PDP FY2023

Proficiency Testing (PT) program schedule will be posted on the PDP SharePoint after the

FAPAS PT options for the year become available. Refer to SOPs PDP-ADMIN and PDPQC for PT program requirements, reporting procedures, acceptability criteria, and

requirements for potential follow-up actions.

F. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs):

SOP to be Released December 1, 2022 

• PDP-LABOP: Sample Processing and Analysis 

SOP to be Released March 1, 2023 

• PDP-DATA: Data and Instrumentation 

G. Electronic Transfer of Data

Remote Data Entry (RDE) Version Upgrades: 

The latest version of the local/distributed RDE tool used by PDP laboratories is Build 6, 

which was released in May 2022. Build 6 includes modifications to speed up the display 

of data on the Maintain Samples screen and to fix an identified glitch with the Export Data 

PDP October 2022 through March 2023 Program Plan Page 2
 

to Excel function. Labs should continue to report identified glitches and suggested 

enhancements to the MPD staff for inclusion in a future RDE build. 

MPD has initiated a project with USDA IT staff for developing a new RDE e-SIF 

application to replace the one that has been used by State sample collectors since 2003. 

Ideally, the software will work on multiple platforms, i.e., smartphones, tablets, and laptops 

running Apple iOS, Android, and Windows operating systems, to give sample collectors 

greater flexibility and mobility. This modernization will allow the capture of commodity 

photos and barcode data, which will improve the detail and accuracy of captured sample 

information. 

H. Presumptive Tolerance Violation Reporting

Data for Presumptive Tolerance Violations (PTVs) are communicated to FDA and EPA 

monthly. FDA uses the PTV reports in choosing commodities that require more focused 

sampling initiatives. EPA uses the data for dietary risk assessments and pesticide 

registration review decisions. MPD also provides the data to USDA’s Office of Pest 

Management Policy (OPMP) for communication to grower groups, the Foreign 

Agricultural Service (FAS) to assist in facilitating the export of domestic commodities, and 

the National Organic Program (NOP) to inform them of any potential PTVs detected on 

claimed organic samples. PDP States may request a copy of the monthly PTV report by 

contacting MPD. 

An updated tolerance table was emailed in April 2022 containing tolerances for all 

commodities in the program at this time, including those that entered the program in April 

2022. The table shows tolerances (and FDA action levels for organochlorines) for 

pesticides on all current PDP commodities. With over 700 pesticides and metabolites, there 

is information for over 10,000 pesticide/commodity pairings. This table includes 

permanent, interim, regional, and section 18 emergency tolerances as stated in the 

electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR). Blank spaces in the table indicate that no 

tolerance is established or referenced in the eCFR, part 40, section 180. 

II. PROGRAM SAMPLING AND TESTING UPDATES

A. Sampling Changes and Rotations: Shipping charts are distributed quarterly to

Sampling Managers by MPD. The draft shipping charts for the 4th quarter of calendar year

2022 and 1st quarter of 2023 will follow this document. Final shipping dates and fact sheets

will be issued under separate cover.

Sampling Deletions 

Blueberry collection ends September 30, 2022. 

Butter collection ends September 30, 2022. 

Green bean collection ends September 30, 2022. 

PDP October 2022 through March 2023 Program Plan Page 3
Summer squash collection ends September 30, 2022. 

Peach collection ends December 31, 2022. 

Peanut butter collection ends December 31, 2022. 

Pear collection ends December 31, 2022. 

Soybean grain collection ends January 31, 2023. 

Sampling Additions 

Soybean grain will be added October 1, 2022. Soybean grain will remain in the program 

for four months. All samples will be collected by USDA Federal Grain Inspection Service 

personnel and will be shipped to the USDA National Science Laboratory (US2). 

Baby food – green beans will be added October 1, 2022. Baby food – green beans will 

remain in the program for one year. All samples will be shipped to the California (CA1) 

laboratory. Refer to the current commodity fact sheet for sampling selection, packaging, 

and shipping guidance. 

Baby food – peaches will be added October 1, 2022. Baby food – peaches will remain in 

the program for one year. All samples will be split between the California (CA1) and Texas 

(TX1) laboratories. Refer to the current commodity fact sheet for sampling selection, 

packaging, and shipping guidance. 

Baby food – pears will be added October 1, 2022. Baby food – pears will remain in the 

program for one year. All samples will be shipped to the New York (NY1) laboratory. 

Refer to the current commodity fact sheet for sampling selection, packaging, and shipping 

guidance. 

Baby food – sweet potatoes will be added October 1, 2022. Baby food – sweet potatoes 

will remain in the program for one year. All samples will be shipped to the Washington 

(WA1) laboratory. Refer to the current commodity fact sheet for sampling selection, 

packaging, and shipping guidance. 

Baby food – applesauce will be added January 1, 2023. Baby food – applesauce will 

remain in the program for one year. All samples will be shipped to the Florida (FL1) 

laboratory. Refer to the current commodity fact sheet for sampling selection, packaging, 

and shipping guidance. 

Baby food – carrots will be added January 1, 2023. Baby food – carrots will remain in the 

program for one year. All samples will be shipped to the Ohio (OH1) laboratory. Refer to 

the current commodity fact sheet for sampling selection, packaging, and shipping guidance. 

PDP October 2022 through March 2023 Program Plan Page 4
Baby food – peas will be added January 1, 2023. Baby food – peas will remain in the 

program for one year. All samples will be shipped to the California (CA1) laboratory. Refer 

to the current commodity fact sheet for sampling selection, packaging, and shipping 

guidance. 

Sampling Continuations 

Celery, grapes, mushrooms, plums, potatoes, tomatoes, and watermelon continue to be 

sampled. 

PDP Sampling Commodity Counts 

October 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022 = 15 commodities 

• Remove blueberries, butter, green beans, and summer squash 

• Add baby food – green beans, baby food – peaches, baby food – pears, baby food 

– sweet potatoes, and soybean grain

January 1, 2023 through March 31, 2023 = 15 commodities 

• Remove peaches, peanut butter, pears, and soybean grain 

• Add baby food – applesauce, baby food – carrots, and baby food - peas 

B. Testing Deletions and Changes:

Testing Deletions 

Blueberry collection ends September 30, 2022. This ends multi-residue testing of 

blueberries by the Washington (WA1) laboratory. 

Butter collection ends September 30, 2022. This ends multi-residue testing of butter by 

the New York (NY1) laboratory. 

Green bean collection ends September 30, 2022. This ends multi-residue testing of green 

beans by the California (CA1) laboratory. 

Summer squash collection ends September 30, 2022. This ends multi-residue testing of 

summer squash by the California (CA1) and Texas (TX1) laboratories. 

Peach collection ends December 31, 2022. This ends multi-residue testing of peaches by 

the Florida (FL1) laboratory. 

Peanut butter collection ends December 31, 2022. This ends multi-residue testing of 

peanut butter by the California (CA1) laboratory. 

Pear collection ends December 31, 2022. This ends multi-residue testing of pears by the 

Ohio (OH1) laboratory. 

PDP October 2022 through March 2023 Program Plan Page 5
Soybean grain collection ends January 31, 2023. This ends multi-residue testing of 

soybean grain by the National Science (US2) laboratory. 

Testing Additions 

Soybean grain will be added October 1, 2022. Soybean grain will remain in the program 

for four months. Multi-residue testing will be performed by the USDA National Science 

Laboratory (US2). Commodity specific requirements regarding analytes of interest have 

been listed in the memorandum communicated to the laboratory. 

Baby food – green beans will be added October 1, 2022. Baby food – green beans will 

remain in the program for one year. Multi-residue testing will be performed by the 

California (CA1) laboratory. Commodity specific requirements regarding analytes of 

interest have been listed in the memorandum communicated to the laboratory. 

Baby food – peaches will be added October 1, 2022. Baby food – peaches will remain in 

the program for one year. Multi-residue testing will be split by the California (CA1) and 

Texas (TX1) laboratories. Commodity specific requirements regarding analytes of interest 

have been listed in the memorandum communicated to the laboratory. 

Baby food – pears will be added October 1, 2022. Baby food – pears will remain in the 

program for one year. Multi-residue testing will be performed by the New York (NY1) 

laboratory. Commodity specific requirements regarding analytes of interest have been 

listed in the memorandum communicated to the laboratory. 

Baby food – sweet potatoes will be added October 1, 2022. Baby food – sweet potatoes 

will remain in the program for one year. Multi-residue testing will be performed by the 

Washington (WA1) laboratory. Commodity specific requirements regarding analytes of 

interest have been listed in the memorandum communicated to the laboratory. 

Baby food – applesauce will be added January 1, 2023. Baby food – applesauce will 

remain in the program for one year. Multi-residue testing will be performed by the Florida 

(FL1) laboratory. Commodity specific requirements regarding analytes of interest have 

been listed in the memorandum communicated to the laboratory. 

Baby food – carrots will be added January 1, 2023. Baby food – carrots will remain in the 

program for one year. Multi-residue testing will be performed by the Ohio (OH1) 

laboratory. Commodity specific requirements regarding analytes of interest will be listed 

in the memorandum communicated to the laboratory. 

Baby food – peas will be added January 1, 2023. Baby food – peas will remain in the 

program for one year. Multi-residue testing will be performed by the California (CA1) 

laboratory. Commodity specific requirements regarding analytes of interest will be listed 

in the memorandum communicated to the laboratory. 

Testing Continuations 

PDP October 2022 through March 2023 Program Plan Page 6 
Celery, grapes, mushrooms, plums, potatoes, tomatoes, and watermelon continue to be 

tested. 

III. Website for PDP Information: 

For additional Pesticide Data Program information check out our website: 

http://www.ams.usda.gov/pdp 

State collaborators may request access to the PDP SharePoint website. Please contact MPD 

for more information. 

PDP October 2022 through March 2023 Program Plan Page 7