[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},"mediaId",6185652,"mediaKeyId","5081381-79e0d8cd193dd855ab280e13af8a4c5c","parentId",5081381,"title","Panel debates clearer emergency-waiver authority, advisory-committee role and fee stability in USGSA reauthorization","audioSeconds",1651,"startMs",1259000,"endMs",2910000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5081381-79e0d8cd193dd855ab280e13af8a4c5c&start=1259&end=2910","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5081381-79e0d8cd193dd855ab280e13af8a4c5c/thumbnail_1259000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6185652/Panel-debates-clearer-emergency-waiver-authority-advisory-committee-role-and-fee-stability-in-USGSA-reauthorization","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6185652-3ae95252062794469d09d27e3e92d392/orig.mp4?Expires=1771204046&Signature=fuW4aHvy9GHAIFwwKrqv7tJ0~awvU8CESx4N9VaiMoRf8dN3HU-Os0gvcVRhTnBiXZaCv7kOtBlZptN2M6Xh1Tr4TsIMaqg7TYaNwYU-6ay0w4vz2Rb86xrA~6vn7v8NhihlzDQkaGwEMGwOkPzXo9yTV4-o6413N~n~BPQJR-lse0XFk8I9M14HUPjLt7ywwIlPMzPx1sKydCHlJ92hhKrWCYSHJ12veCmOJxzThc5lHd6ZqWvMSKhHg53KzNn6DCmiWZe~bbsXVPpv4ookHa4CVjH43lX5Fvpg5v8Kx9RywxTRSKl6~Vb7DT0eURsUiCPPiAVswatZKHypWCPR9Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","U.S. House Committee on Agriculture","date","2025-06-24T19:50:18Z","article","Lawmakers and witnesses at a House Agriculture Subcommittee hearing focused part of their questions on three governance and funding issues: the scope and definition of emergency waivers for official inspection, the future of the Grain Inspection Advisory Committee if reauthorization lapses, and needed stability in user fees that finance inspection services.

Industry witness Nick Friant told the committee that \"we do not want waivers in any at any time. We want it to be very specific during times of service disruption,\" and recommended clearer statutory language defining an emergency and providing for conditional waivers when buyer and seller voluntarily agree. Friant said the 2015 reauthorization included transparency steps and that additional statutory clarity would help avoid ambiguity in future service disruptions.

Members pressed witnesses on advisory functions. Friant said the advisory committee — the Grain Inspection Advisory Committee authorized under the act — would expire if the statute were not reauthorized: \"If the act is not reauthorized, it's 1 of 4 provisions that it expires. And so, in fact, we would lose the advisory committee.\" Several members and witnesses described the committee as a public forum that produced recommendations on grading issues including the recent removal of \"soybeans of other color\" as a grade-determining factor.

On funding, witnesses noted the role of user fees for direct inspection services and the recent FGIS final rule that decoupled Schedule A fees from tonnage-based rolling averages. Friant and others described the need for predictable fee methodology so exporters and official agencies can plan. Testimony and Q&A also covered the user-fee authority that expires with parts of the statute and how Congress might structure user-fee caps or limitations to regulated commodities.

Members asked for examples and guardrails to prevent waiver abuse and requested follow-up details on fee mechanics. Witnesses urged statutory precision and transparent contingency planning so that exporters, importers and customers can expect continuity of service during force majeure events or isolated port disruptions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","A Review of the U.S. Grain Standards Act","oneSentenceSummary","Members and witnesses discussed clarifying the statute’s emergency-waiver language, preserving the Grain Inspection Advisory Committee and ensuring predictable user fees for export inspection supervision during a House Agriculture Subcommittee hearing on reauthorization of the United States Grain Standards Act.","taxTitle","Agriculture: House Committee, Standing Committees - House & Senate, Congressional Hearings Compilation, Legislative, Federal","taxId",1977,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6185656,"Industry urges Congress to give FGIS new authorities and funding to speed adoption of imaging and other inspection technologies",1219,1127000,2346000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5081381-79e0d8cd193dd855ab280e13af8a4c5c&start=1127&end=2346","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5081381-79e0d8cd193dd855ab280e13af8a4c5c/thumbnail_1127000.jpg","/articles/6185656/Industry-urges-Congress-to-give-FGIS-new-authorities-and-funding-to-speed-adoption-of-imaging-and-other-inspection-technologies","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6185656-e3162d53d8fd137eb5c6aa8e15ed7138/orig.mp4?Expires=1771204046&Signature=HA4ErB7zCXtgG5ibYYUbzAOBEskds~ZhDcIpm8xh6dYclgKncqJVp2zCTIHUJLsdMzSdVcvMBH206LqfmswVEIgmLVTi~HhyLIUw-C1wqQ0HR4vlNrcSNbn3Slts~L42Q8cHZFyHmx32iylP5HE6FYGoq6ExSYAl9fnqHsFndGAT8UmuQrJI~KIKU57e08pqQY0k~Q~~VvvETcciD1CpYLSC3nMHuEOADzDo~uzOiyBwNeQ2OwCsHCgZ3pswWlrXL8vFVY97D5btO4VYQFWzdkGPPF7jVuhlnWEIc9vFfKWOAzUJ3YQeIrJuU~QSVnMw0bWLSIoREDcwQ~w3fwlPGw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","During a House Agriculture Subcommittee hearing, witnesses from industry, official agencies and academia urged Congress to give the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) statutory tools and funding to accelerate research, validation and deployment of modern grain-grading technologies.

\"FGIS must prioritize research, development, and validation of modern grain grading technologies that improve accuracy, speed, and consistency,\" said Nick Friant of Cargill and the National Grain and Feed Association. Friant told the committee that new tools could reduce human error, address staffing shortages and lower costs across the supply chain.

Kia Mickish, president of the American Association of Grain Inspection and Weighing Agencies (AGWA), called for a modest toolbox of authorities for FGIS, including clarification that official agencies may be leveraged for R&D and authority to use \"other transactions\" to partner with private developers. \"We need to be able to work flexibly with the private sector to find solutions to our unique problems and foster the conditions necessary for investors to take risks in our field,\" she said.

Witnesses described several practical technical goals: high-resolution visual imaging to detect damaged kernels, near-infrared or composition analysis to assess protein and oil, and integrated systems that combine multiple sensors. Kevin Donnelly, emeritus professor at Kansas State University, said imaging could make inspection careers more attractive to younger workers and help address workforce shortages if proven reliable.

Panelists described existing private-sector engagement and a recent industry \"innovation summit\" where exporters, official agencies and technology providers began evaluating candidate systems. Friant said NGFA has engaged at least one technology provider to test visual imaging for damage assessment, and AGWA noted ongoing cooperative agreements with FGIS to pilot instruments.

Witnesses cautioned that new tools require standardized data and rigorous validation. Mickish warned that visual grading depends on tightly controlled sampling, lighting and sample presentation; she said good input leads to good output for instrumentation models. To overcome barriers, panelists recommended statutory clarity on agency participation in R&D, more flexible contracting authorities, and targeted appropriations or incentives to de-risk development.

Committee members pressed witnesses on how technology would be validated, the timeline for usable results and the expected cost and staffing impacts. Witnesses stressed phased pilots, interagency collaboration and close oversight by FGIS to ensure that any technology used for official grading is as reliable or better than current methods.","Industry groups, official agencies and academics told a House subcommittee that modern imaging, near-infrared and other tools could make official grain inspection faster and more objective, but the Federal Grain Inspection Service needs statutory flexibilities, cooperative R&D authority and predictable funding to deploy them.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6185661,"House panel urges timely reauthorization of U.S. Grain Standards Act to avoid export disruptions",1587,615000,2202000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5081381-79e0d8cd193dd855ab280e13af8a4c5c&start=615&end=2202","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5081381-79e0d8cd193dd855ab280e13af8a4c5c/thumbnail_615000.jpg","/articles/6185661/House-panel-urges-timely-reauthorization-of-US-Grain-Standards-Act-to-avoid-export-disruptions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6185661-d3177794ee2a237728f38aad9e239e47/orig.mp4?Expires=1771204046&Signature=ajs0-qf5kuNI5fk2hXWBf7nz96dtoFH4Wi876pRIyMWygG0WRuFQYQZHbvpCYTjckQBnvJytm0HohBAS2Hxt6h8f7-IzyLuWOHc69vFCZpGnQS3~oQ~D6bMfxmSksBylWvl5KDXGcqtmf8oL-X~V~JUJn0IP459Iq-OONPTqSqLT664nX0ORcdQqQi8JidFTTNNuOTY-sKqFD~hg37o9V0OQrX5Y-LxZUmVBYo4YUSnAyEccwVByi7e4VqFv2jw0wnuJInMdAgK5NwFeHEVDF32d4uHp7PqrVeL7VaCXBCspN2JWToULSvpI0-AV4R810LjE~vJYk-eDQmkovDb8LA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a House Agriculture Subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C., Chairman Scott and witnesses urged Congress to reauthorize the United States Grain Standards Act before key provisions expire in September to avoid interruptions in official inspection and weighing of exported grain.

Members and witnesses framed reauthorization as essential to keeping U.S. grain flowing to international buyers and maintaining price discovery for farmers. “We urge Congress to reauthorize The US Grain Standards Act in a timely and bipartisan manner,” said Nick Friant, director of raw material quality and regulatory at Cargill and chair of the National Grain and Feed Association’s Grain Grades and Weights Committee.

The panel heard that a lapse could delay inspections, back up shipments and depress prices at the farm gate. “It would disrupt the flow of soybeans from my farm to our foreign customers,” said Dave Walton, secretary of the American Soybean Association and a soybean farmer from Iowa. Walton told members that disruptions would create immediate price impacts for producers and longer-term supply-chain disruption.

Committee members cited financial risks in questioning witnesses. Chairman Scott warned that allowing the authority to lapse “would cost the farm economy more than $70,000,000 a day,” and said the committee planned to complete legislation in a timely manner. Several witnesses and members said the act’s export-inspection mandate underpins international trust in U.S. grain contracts and futures-market liquidity.

Witnesses emphasized that most of the act is permanently authorized but that several provisions are set to expire in September. Kevin Donnelly, emeritus professor of agronomy at Kansas State University, told the subcommittee that reauthorization is necessary to avoid disrupting export certification and to preserve existing training and appeals functions housed at the National Grain Center.

Members asked for details on what a lapse might mean in practice: farmers and handlers said a pause in mandatory export inspection could block shipments, create contractual disputes and reduce the premium foreign buyers pay for U.S. grain. Panelists urged the committee to move promptly and to preserve the official inspection system’s independence and credibility.

The subcommittee announced at the hearing’s close that the record would remain open for 10 calendar days to receive additional materials and written responses from witnesses.

Less-critical details discussed in the hearing included the role of user fees in funding inspection services, staffing pressures at the Federal Grain Inspection Service and the National Grain Center’s appeals role for disputed grades.","Members of the House Agriculture Subcommittee and industry witnesses told a congressional hearing that several provisions of the United States Grain Standards Act expire this September and urged Congress to reauthorize the law promptly to prevent disruptions to export inspections and market access.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Panel debates clearer emergency-waiver authority, advisory-committee role and fee stability in USGSA reauthorization

Industry urges Congress to give FGIS new authorities and funding to speed adoption of imaging and other inspection technologies

House panel urges timely reauthorization of U.S. Grain Standards Act to avoid export disruptions