Sonia Jimenez
Deputy Administrator, Specialty Crops Program 

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Specialty Crops Program (SCP) is proud to be your partner, providing voluntary grading, inspection, laboratory analysis, audit verification and certification services for fruits, vegetables, nuts and other specialty crops.  Through the delivery of these programs, SCP helps producers market more than 65 billion pounds of specialty crops annually.

Today, I am happy to share that we have improved our financial position through cost cutting and other efforts.  As a result, there will not be a user fee increase for most of our specialty crops inspection services included in the “2018 Rates Charged for AMS Services” notice.  The audit program will see a different fee structure to account for state and Federal costs to operate the program.  At the request of industry, SCP is adding a voluntary Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) service audit fee in this notice.  The fee includes a fixed cost of maintaining the GFSI recognition and the cost to USDA to administer the program.

The costs for running our voluntary services are covered by the user-fees paid by the customer.  We function similar to a business by ensuring our fees are aligned with the costs of the services we provide.  In fact, Congress requires us to recover our costs fully for providing these services.

We had to adjust voluntary services fees in Fiscal Years 2016 and 2017 to keep up with the escalating costs of doing business. These were the first fee increases in nearly a decade.  We continue to review avenues to ensure our program is operating as efficiently as possible including streamlining the inspection services staffing structure and closing offices.  Although we have improved our financial position with current inspection fee rates, the costs of doing business continues to increase and we will reevaluate our fee structures again next year.   

This past year we reached out to members of the industry we serve in a number of virtual and in-person discussions about the future of the services offered by SCP.  We heard loud and clear that you value our services and we are committed to adapting to your changing needs in the most cost-effective way possible.

We strive for constant improvement to provide the best service and add value to your operation.  For example, we are requesting ideas from information technology providers to assist in the development of an improved inspection support system that is technologically advanced, and enhances efficiency and cost-effectiveness.  I will share more about this process as we move through it. 

I am always ready to hear from you, whether it is about our user fees or your suggestions regarding our systems modernization effort.  It is my pleasure to serve American agriculture and especially the produce industry.

More information about AMS’ user fees is available here.

Charles Stephens
Associate Deputy Administrator, Specialty Crops Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is evolving to meet the dynamic needs of the agricultural industry. In 2017 Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced a realignment of multiple offices within the USDA to help us better meet the needs of farmers, ranchers, and producers, while providing improved customer service and maximized efficiency.  This action impacted the Specialty Crops Program (SCP) with the transition of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) Division to the new Fair Trade Practices Program (FTPP). 

Former AMS SCP Marketing Orders and Agreements Division Director (MOAD) Michael Durando is the Associate Deputy Administrator of the new FTPP. You may contact him at Michael.Durando@ams.usda.gov or (202) 720-0219.  Judy Rudman remains Director of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act Division and is available at (202) 720-4180 or Judith.Rudman@ams.usda.gov.

The USDA realignment also included the Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) and several program areas from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) joining the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). Additionally, the International Food Aid Commodity Procurement Program from the Farm Service Agency merged into the AMS Commodity Procurement Program. The enlarged AMS Commodity Procurement Program consolidates USDA commodity procurement, and allows for greater efficiencies in the acquisition of food commodities.