This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

8559 

Vol. 87, No. 31 

Tuesday, February 15, 2022 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

[Doc No. AMS–FGIS–21–0088] 

Imaging Technology Solutions for the 

Inspection of Milled Rice 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice; request for proposals. 

SUMMARY: The United States Department 

of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural 

Marketing Service (AMS) is inviting 

manufacturers of automated imaging 

instrumentation to partner in 

cooperative research and development 

efforts to determine broken kernels, 

whole kernels, and milling yield, in 

percentage by mass, in short-, 

medium-, and long-grain milled rice. 

The goal is to develop a commercially 

available instrument that can be used in 

providing official inspection results at 

AMS field offices and official service 

provider locations. Manufacturers must 

be willing to enter into a cooperative 

research and development agreement 

that includes mutually agreed upon 

roles and responsibilities, providing a 

suitable instrument, and providing 

technical expertise to facilitate the 

development of algorithms and/or 

calibrations. AMS will provide the rice 

samples and inspection expertise 

necessary to facilitate method 

development efforts and assess whether 

the instrument is fit for the intended 

purpose. 

DATES: Proposals are due by April 18, 

2022. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit proposals to: Timothy 

D. Norden, Chief Scientist, Technology 

and Science Division, Federal Grain 

Inspection Service, AMS, USDA at 

Timothy.D.Norden@usda.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Timothy D. Norden, Chief Scientist, 

Technology and Science Division, 

Federal Grain Inspection Service, AMS, 

USDA, 816–702–3803, 

Timothy.D.Norden@usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the 

authority of the Agricultural Marketing 

Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1621–1627), as 

amended, AMS establishes quality and 

grade standards, and provides 

inspection services for milled and rough 

rice. The determination of broken 

kernels in rice is important in the 

inspection and grading of rice. A broken 

kernel is defined as any kernel that is 

less than three-fourths the length of a 

whole kernel. For the inspection of 

rough rice, the whole kernel milling 

yield is the percentage by mass of whole 

kernels in the total rice after milling. 

The total rice includes whole and 

broken kernels. For the inspection of 

milled rice, the percentage by mass of 

broken kernels, expressed as percentage 

by mass of total rice, is an important 

grade-determining factor. A 

comprehensive information on the 

grading and inspection of rice, 

including the assessment of broken and 

whole kernels in milled rice, can be 

found in the Rice Inspection Handbook 

at https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/ 

default/files/media/RiceHB.pdf. 

California produces the largest 

volume of medium grain rice for export 

markets. AMS official inspection 

locations, in California, rely on an 

imaging instrument for official 

inspection results. However, the 

manufacturer discontinued this imaging 

instrument over 10 years ago and no 

longer provides parts or technical 

support. As a result, official rice 

inspection, in California, could be 

impacted, if the instrument was to 

become damaged or unusable; it could 

lead to an increase in time and cost for 

inspecting rice in the State. 

AMS is inviting manufacturers of 

automated imaging instrumentation to 

partner in development efforts to 

determine broken kernels, whole 

kernels, and milling yield, in percentage 

by mass, in short-, 

medium-, and long-grain milled rice. 

Manufacturers must be willing to enter 

into a cooperative research and 

development agreement that includes 

mutually agreed upon roles and 

responsibilities, providing a suitable 

instrument, and providing technical 

expertise to facilitate the development 

of algorithms and/or calibrations. AMS 

will provide the rice samples and 

inspection expertise necessary to help 

develop the solution and determine if it 

is fit for the intended purpose. To meet 

official inspection requirements and be 

deemed fit for purpose, instruments 

must have the capability of providing 

results for short-, medium-, and longgrain milled rice, in a total sample size 

of 40–50 grams, with a testing time of 

ten minutes or less. In addition, the 

instrument must ultimately deliver 

results that are as accurate as current 

official inspection results. 

Manufacturers must provide a 

proposal that includes a description of 

the instrument and its current 

capabilities for analyzing broken 

kernels, whole kernels, and milling 

yield, in percentage by mass, in milled 

rice as defined in the Rice Inspection 

Handbook. The proposal should also 

address each selection factor as given in 

Table 1. AMS intends to select the top 

two instruments that demonstrate the 

greatest potential for successful 

development and implementation by 

summing the scores for the selection 

factors given in Table 1. Manufacturers 

who submit proposals will be notified 

directly when the selections are 

finalized. Selection and agreement to 

participate in the cooperative research 

and development process does not hold 

any obligation to future procurement. 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
8560 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 31 / Tuesday, February 15, 2022 / Notices 

TABLE 1—SELECTION FACTOR SCORES

Selection factor 

Score 

1 point 2 points 3 points 

Current capability for broken and 

whole kernels in milled rice in 

percentage by mass.

One rice type (i.e., long-grain 

only).

Two rice types (i.e., short- and 

medium-grain).

Capability for short-, medium-, 

and long-grain milled rice. 

Total testing time ........................... 8–10 minutes ................................ 5–7 minutes .................................. 1–4 minutes. 

Test sample size ............................ 25 g or greater in a single analysis........................................................ 40 g or greater in a single analysis. 

Sample presentation ...................... Dependent on user technique * .... ....................................................... Independent of user technique *. 

Ability to update algorithm and/or 

calibration.

Requires manufacturer cooperation and expertise.User updateable, but requires 

special training and/or programming.

User updateable with user-friendly 

tools available. 

Instrumentation .............................. Shared cost for duration of project Loan of one instrument for duration of project.Loan of two instruments for duration of project. 

Manufacturer development resources.Will provide tools and training for 

development efforts.

Will provide expertise and resources needed with 3- to 6- 

week turnaround on requests.

Will provide expertise and resources needed with 1- to 2- 

week turnaround on requests. 

* The way the sample is presented to the instrument by the operator can influence the results. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621–1627. 

Melissa R. Bailey, 

Associate Administrator, Agricultural 

Marketing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–03180 Filed 2–14–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Superior Resource Advisory 

Committee; Meeting 

AGENCY: Forest Service, Agriculture, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of virtual meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Superior Resource 

Advisory Committee (RAC) will hold a 

virtual meeting by phone and/or video 

conference. The committee is 

authorized under the Secure Rural 

Schools and Community SelfDetermination Act (the Act) and 

operates in compliance with the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act. The purpose 

of the committee is to improve 

collaborative relationships and to 

provide advice and recommendations to 

the Forest Service concerning projects 

and funding consistent with Title II of 

the Act, as well as to make 

recommendations on recreation fee 

proposals for sites on the Superior 

National Forest within three Counties, 

consistent with the Federal Lands 

Recreation Enhancement Act. RAC 

information and virtual meeting 

information can be found at the 

following website: https://

www.fs.usda.gov/main/superior/ 

workingtogether/advisorycommittees. 

DATES: The meeting will be held on 

March 2, 2022, 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m., 

Central Standard Time. 

All RAC meetings are subject to 

cancellation. For status of the meeting 

prior to attendance, please contact the 

person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held 

virtually via telephone and/or video 

conference. Members of the public may 

participate in the meeting by calling 1– 

202–650–0123 and use access code 

234369808#. 

Written comments may be submitted 

as described under SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION. All comments, including 

names and addresses when provided, 

are placed in the record and are 

available for public inspection and 

copying. The public may inspect 

comments received upon request. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mike Crotteau, Designated Federal 

Officer (DFO), by phone at (218) 387– 

3205 or email at michael.crotteau@

usda.gov or Cathy Quinn, RAC 

Coordinator, at (218) 387–3240 or email 

at cathleen.quinn@usda.gov. 

Individuals who use 

telecommunication devices for the deaf/ 

hard-of-hearing (TDD) may call the 

Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1–800– 

877–8339, 24 hours a day, every day of 

the year, including holidays. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

purpose of the meeting is to: 

1. Welcome and Introduction of 

Superior RAC Members; 

2. Overview of SRS Funds and Role 

of Superior RAC; 

3. Election of Superior RAC Chair and 

Vice Chair; 

4. Schedule the next meeting; and 

5. Question and Answer Session. 

The meeting is open to the public. 

The agenda will include time for people 

to make oral statements of three minutes 

or less. Individuals wishing to make an 

oral statement should make a request in 

writing by February 16, 2022, to be 

scheduled on the agenda. Anyone who 

would like to bring related matters to 

the attention of the committee may file 

written statements with the committee 

staff before or after the meeting. Written 

comments and requests for time for oral 

comments must be sent to Cathy Quinn, 

2020 West Highway 61, Grand Marais, 

MN 55604; or by email to 

cathleen.quinn@usda.gov. 

Meeting Accommodations: Please 

make requests in advance for sign 

language interpreter services, assistive 

listening devices, or other reasonable 

accommodation. For access to 

proceedings, please contact the person 

listed in the section titled FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. All reasonable 

accommodation requests are managed 

on a case-by-case basis. 

Equal opportunity practices, in line 

with USDA policies, will be followed in 

all membership appointments to the 

RAC. To help ensure that 

recommendations of the RAC have 

taken into account the needs of the 

diverse groups served by the 

Department, membership shall include, 

to the extent practicable, individuals 

with demonstrated ability to represent 

minorities, women, and persons with 

disabilities. 

The USDA prohibits discrimination in 

all of its programs and activities on the 

basis of race, color, national origin, 

religion, sex, gender identity (including 

gender expression), sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family/ 

parental status, political beliefs, income 

derived from a public assistance 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1