By Jamie Martin
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued two final rules to revise the fees and formulas used for grain inspection services under the U.S. Grain Standards Act (USGSA). These updates ensure full cost recovery for services and maintain an operating reserve of three to six months.
The rules enable the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) to adjust hourly and unit fees, aligning them with current Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) user fee programs.
The finalized fees, introduced in July 2024, address gaps in previous formulas, such as insufficient adjustments for projected costs.
An interim rule in June 2024 allowed temporary fee increases, while a proposed rule in October 2024 sought public input on revising fee structures.
After reviewing feedback, USDA finalized the rules without changes. The fee rule became effective on December 27, 2024, while the formula rule will take effect on February 5, 2025.
Key updates include removing national and local tonnage fees from operating reserve adjustments while retaining the supervision tonnage fee formula. These changes ensure FGIS can sufficiently recover costs and maintain financial stability.
For more details, contact Anthony Goodeman at Anthony.T.Goodeman@usda.govor call (202) 720-0291.
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Categories: National