Ag News
AMS seeks comments on proposed peanut assessment change
Posted on Apr 18, 2018 at 0:00 AM
In the March 30 issue of The Federal Register, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) published notice of a proposed change in how the producer assessment is calculated for the National Peanut Board.
Currently, the assessment, which growers pay at the point of first sale, is set at 1 percent of the peanuts’ loan value. At the time the notice was published, loan values averaged $355 per ton, resulting in an average assessment of $3.55 per ton. Because values fluctuate, assessment rates also fluctuate.
The National Peanut Board, seeking to make its revenue stream more predictable, recommended converting to a straight per-ton rate instead of attaching the assessment rate to loan values. The proposed rate for Segregation 1 peanuts would be $3.55 per ton. The proposed rate for Segregation 2 and Segregation 3 peanuts would be $1.25 per ton.
The AMS is seeking public comment on the proposed change. April 30 is the deadline to make comments, which may be submitted online at www.regulations.gov or by mail at Promotion and Economics Division, Specialty Crops Program, AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Room 1406-S, Stop 0244, Washington, D.C., 20250-0244. All comments should reference the document number (AMS-SC-16-0115), the March 30 issue of Federal Register and page number 13700.
For more information, contact Jeanette Palmer at 202-720-9915 or Jeanette.Palmer@ams.usda.gov.
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