Science & Technology 1400 Independence Ave, SW 

Monitoring Programs Division Stop 0275 

Washington, DC 20250 

August 12, 2021 

TO: See Distribution List 

Digitally signed

FROM: Brenda Foos BRENDA by BRENDA FOOS 

Director, Monitoring Programs Division (MPD) Date: 2021.08.12 FOOS 10:14:42 -04'00' 

SUBJECT: Program Plan, October 2021 through March 2022 – Pesticide Data Program, 

Version 1.0 

This Program Plan serves as the current Statement of Work for the period October 2021 

through March 2022 for each of the States participating in the Pesticide Data Program 

(PDP). Aspects of the 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 in 2022. I look forward 

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

I. ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES 

A. Summary Status: 

The 2019 PDP Annual Summary and dataset were posted to the PDP website on October 

27, 2020, and printed copies have been distributed to the states. The 2020 PDP Annual 

Summary has been drafted and will be finalized following Agency clearance later this year. 

B. Cooperative Agreements/Financial: 

Cooperative Agreements for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 have been issued to all PDP 

participating States. FY 2022 agreements will be established as soon as possible after the 

FY 2022 PDP budget is available. Starting in FY22, all cooperative agreements and 

payments will be processed through EZFedGrants. More information will be distributed 

once received. 

The current FY ends on September 30, 2021 for the States with FY funding agreements; 

ensure all expenses have been obligated on or prior to this date. For States with calendar 

year agreements, ensure all expenses have been obligated on or prior to December 31, 

2021. For all States, any changes to the current cooperative agreement funding must be 

made prior to September 30, 2021. 

PDP April through September 2021 Program Plan, v1.0 Page 1 
PDP April through September 2021 Program Plan, v1.0 Page 2

C. Program Meetings:

PDP Federal/State Meeting:

The March 2020 meeting that was scheduled to be held in Tallahassee, Florida was 

postponed. The dates for the next meeting will be announced after COVID-19 related 

travel restrictions are lifted. 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 industry.

D. Advisory Committees:

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

Barbara Sparkman (Texas), Brian Regan (Michigan), and Joscelyn Moseley (New York). 

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.

E. PDP Fiscal Year 2022 Proficiency Testing Program: The PDP FY2022

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

the end of September. Refer to SOPs PDP-ADMIN and PDP-QC for PT program 

requirements, reporting procedures, acceptability criteria, and requirements for potential 

follow-up actions.

F. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs):

SOPs to be Released December 1, 2021

• PDP-LABOP: Sample Processing and Analysis

SOPs to be Released March 1, 2022

• PDP-DATA: Data and Instrumentation

G. Electronic Transfer of Data

Remote Data Entry (RDE) Version Upgrades:

That latest version of the local/distributed RDE system used by PDP laboratories is Build 

4, which was released in December 2020. The USDA National Science Laboratory (US2) 

is running a special Build 4.1 version, delivered in July 2021, that includes new features to 

handle the data entry and reporting of grain samples collected by the USDA Federal Grain 

Inspection Service. The Build 4.1 modifications will be rolled into the next major build 

for all laboratories (Build 5). Labs should continue to report identified glitches and 

suggested enhancements to the MPD staff for inclusion in a future RDE build.
PDP April through September 2021 Program Plan, v1.0 Page 3

MPD is planning to initiate a contracted project for developing a new RDE e-SIF system 

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 on 

a monthly basis. FDA utilizes the PTV reports in choosing commodities that require extra 

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

decisions. MPD is also providing 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 July 2021 containing tolerances for all 

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

2021. 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) or the Informa Agrow U.S. Tolerance 

Tracker online version. Blank spaces in the table indicate that no tolerance is established 

or referenced in the U.S. Tolerance Tracker or the eCFR, part 40, section 180.

1. 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 

2021 and 1st quarter of 2022 will follow this document. Final shipping dates and fact sheets 

will be issued under separate cover.

Sampling Deletions

Cauliflower collection ends September 30, 2021.

Tangerine (mandarin) collection ends September 30, 2021.

Broccoli collection ends December 31, 2021.
PDP April through September 2021 Program Plan, v1.0 Page 4

Eggplant collection ends December 31, 2021.

Grape juice collection ends December 31, 2021.

Winter squash collection ends December 31, 2021.

Sampling Additions

Butter will be added October 1, 2021. Butter 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.

Watermelon will be added October 1, 2021. Watermelon will remain in the program for 

two years. All samples will be shipped to the Texas (TX1) laboratory. Refer to the current 

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

Grapes will be added January 1, 2022. Grapes will remain in the program for two years. 

All samples will be shipped to the Ohio (OH1) laboratory. Refer to the current commodity 

fact sheet for sampling selection, packaging, and shipping guidance.

Mushrooms will be added January 1, 2022. Mushrooms will remain in the program for 

two years. 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.

Peanut butter will be added January 1, 2022. Peanut butter 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.

Tomatoes will be added January 1, 2022. Tomatoes will remain in the program for two 

years. All samples will be split between the Michigan (MI1) and New York (NY1) 

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

and shipping guidance.

Sampling Continuations

Blueberries, carrots, celery, corn grain, green beans, peaches, pears, plums, and summer 

squash continue to be sampled.

PDP Sampling Commodity Counts

October 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021 = 15 commodities

• Remove cauliflower and tangerine (mandarin)

• Add butter and watermelon 

January 1, 2022 through March 31, 2022 = 15 commodities

• Remove broccoli, eggplant, grape juice, and winter squash
PDP April through September 2021 Program Plan, v1.0 Page 5

• Add grapes, mushrooms, peanut butter, and tomatoes

B. Testing Deletions and Changes:

Testing Deletions

Cauliflower collection ends September 30, 2021. This ends multi-residue testing of 

cauliflower by the New York (NY1) laboratory.

Tangerine (mandarin) collection ends September 30, 2021. This ends multi-residue 

testing of tangerine (mandarin) by the Texas (TX1) laboratory.

Broccoli collection ends December 31, 2021. This ends multi-residue testing of broccoli 

by the New York (NY1) laboratory.

Eggplant collection ends December 31, 2021. This ends multi-residue testing of eggplant 

by the Michigan (MI1) and New York (NY1) laboratories.

Grape juice collection ends December 31, 2021. This ends multi-residue testing of grape 

juice by the Ohio (OH1) laboratory.

Winter squash collection ends December 31, 2021. This ends multi-residue testing of 

winter squash by the California (CA1) laboratory.

Testing Additions

Butter will be added October 1, 2021. Butter 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 will be listed in the memorandum 

communicated to the laboratory.

Watermelon will be added October 1, 2021. Watermelon will remain in the program for 

two years. Multi-residue testing will be performed by the Texas (TX1) laboratory. 

Commodity specific requirements regarding analytes of interest will be listed in the 

memorandum communicated to the laboratory.

Grapes will be added January 1, 2022. Grapes will remain in the program for two years. 

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.

Mushrooms will be added January 1, 2022. Mushrooms will remain in the program for 

two years. Multi-residue testing will be performed by the New York (NY1) laboratory. 

Commodity specific requirements regarding analytes of interest will be listed in the 

memorandum communicated to the laboratory.
PDP April through September 2021 Program Plan, v1.0 Page 6

Peanut butter will be added January 1, 2022. Peanut butter 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.

Tomatoes will be added January 1, 2022. Tomatoes will remain in the program for two 

years. Multi-residue testing will be split by the Michigan (MI1) and New York (NY1)

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

in the memorandum communicated to the laboratory.

Testing Continuations

Blueberries, carrots, celery, corn grain, green beans, peaches, pears, plums, and summer 

squash continue to be tested.

C. Web Site for PDP Information:

A new PDP SharePoint website has been developed for sharing information with states. 

The PDP SharePoint replaces the Extranet. Please contact MPD if you would like access.

For additional Pesticide Data Program information check out our Internet Web Site:

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