- Cotton
- Dairy
- Fresh Fruits & Vegetables
- Processed Fruits & Vegetables
- Meat
- Egg and Poultry
- Science and Technology
- Tobacco
- Rice
AMS announced the 2024 rates it will charge for voluntary grading, inspection, certification, auditing and laboratory services for a variety of agricultural commodities including meat and poultry, fruits and vegetables, eggs, dairy products, and cotton and tobacco on May 6, 2024. View the Federal Register Notice for the complete listing of fees.
| Activity | Cost |
|---|---|
| Certification for Futures Contract | $4.25/bale |
| Transfer of Certification Data to New Owner or Certified Warehouse (Electronic transfer performed) | $0.20/bale or $5.00 per page minimum |
| Form 1: Grading Services for Producers (submitted by licensed sampler) | $3.00/bale |
| Form 1 Review (new sample submitted by licensed sampler) | $3.00/bale |
| Form A Determinations (sample submitted by licensed warehouse) | $3.00/bale |
| Form C Determinations (sample submitted by non-licensed entity; bale sampled under USDA supervision) | $3.00/bale |
| Form D Determination (sample submitted by owner or agent; classification represents sample only) | $3.00/bale |
| Foreign Growth Classification (sample of foreign growth cotton submitted by owner or agent; classification represents sample only) | $6.00/sample |
| Arbitration (comparison of a sample to the official standards or a sample type) | $6.00/sample |
| Practical Cotton Classing Exam (for non-USDA employees) | Exam: $150/applicant Reexamination: $130/applicant |
| Special Sample Handling (return of samples per request) | $0.50/sample |
| Electronic Copy of Classification Record | $0.05/bale ($5.00/month minimum with any records received) |
| Form A Rewrite (reissuance of Form 1, Form A, or Futures Certification data or combination) | $0.15/bale or $5.00/page minimum |
| Form R (reissuance of Form 1 classification only) | $0.15/bale or $5.00/page minimum |
| International Instrument Level Assessment | $4.00/sample |
Dairy
Fees effective October 1, 2024
| Activity | Regular per hour | Overtime per hour | Holiday per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continuous Resident Grading Service | $95.00 | $116.00 | $137.00 |
| Continuous Resident Grading Service 6 p.m.-6 a.m. | $105.00 | $128.00 | $151.00 |
| Non-resident and Intermittent Grading/Inspection Service | $120.00 | $155.00 | $190.00 |
| Non-resident Services 6pm-6am (10 percent night differential) | $132.00 | $171.00 | $190.00 |
| Equipment Review | $135.00 | $192.00 | $249.00 |
| Equipment Review 6 p.m. - 6 a.m. | $148.00 | $211.00 | $249.00 |
| Audit Services | $135.00 | NA | NA |
| Export Certificate | $104.00/certificate | NA | NA |
| Special Handling | $52.00/certificate | NA | NA |
| Uncertified Copy of Certificate | $12.00/copy | NA | NA |
| Derogation Application | $125.00/application | NA | NA |
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Fees effective October 1, 2024
| Activity | Cost |
|---|---|
| Quality and Condition Inspections for Whole Lots | $254.00/lot |
| Quality and Condition Half Lot or Condition-Only Inspections for Whole Lots. | $210.00/lot |
| Condition—Half Lot | $194.00/lot |
| Quality and Condition or Condition-Only Inspections for Additional Lots of the Same Product. | $116.00/lot |
| Dockside Inspections—Each package weighing <30 lbs | $0.044 per pkg |
| Dockside Inspections—Each package weighing >30 lbs | $0.068 per pkg |
| Charge per Individual Product for Dockside Inspection | $252.00 per lot |
| Charge per Each Additional Lot of the Same Product | $116.00 per lot |
| Activity | Regular per hour | Overtime per hour | Holiday per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate for inspections performed for other purposes during the grader's regularly scheduled work week | $123 | $163 | $203 |
| Audit Verification Services - Federal and State | $163 | ||
| GFSI Certification Fee | $250 per audit |
Processed Fruits and Vegetables
Fees effective October 1, 2024
| Activity | Regular per hour | Overtime per hour | Holiday per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lot Inspections | $95.00 | $123.00 | $151.00 |
| In-plant Inspections Under Annual Contract (year-round) | $100.00 | $126.00 | $152.00 |
| Additional Graders (in-plant) or Less Than Year-Round | $100.00 | $130.00 | $160.00 |
| Audit Verification Services - Federal and State | $163 | ||
| GFSI Certification Fee | $250 per audit |
Meat
Fees effective October 1, 2024
| Activity | Regular per hour | Overtime per hour | Holiday per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Grading (8 hours per day between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM, 40 hours per week) | $92.00 | $115.00 | $139.00 |
| Unscheduled Grading (8 hours or less per day between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM) | $123.00 | $142.00 | $166.00 |
| Night Differential | $102.00 | $127.00 | $139.00 |
| Auditing Activities | $175.00 | $244.00 | $268.00 |
Egg & Poultry
Fees effective October 1, 2024
| Activity | Regular per hour | Overtime per hour | Holiday per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled, (in-plant) hours | $74.00 | $96.00 | $116.00 |
| Scheduled, Night Differential (6pm-6am) | $82.00 | $107.00 | $116.00 |
| Scheduled, Sunday Differential | $95.00 | $122.00 | N/A |
| Scheduled, Sunday and Night Differential | $106.00 | $135.00 | N/A |
| Unscheduled | $108.00 | $133.00 | $160.00 |
| Audit Service | $175.00 | $244.00 | $268.00 |
Science and Technology
Fees effective October 1, 2024
| Activity | Regular per hour | Overtime per hour | Holiday per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laboratory Testing Services | $118.00 | $137.00 | $155.00 |
| Laboratory Approval Services (effective Jan 1, 2025) | $188.00 | $218.00 | $249.00 |
Seed
Fees effective October 1, 2024
| Activity | Regular per hour | Overtime per hour | Holiday per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laboratory Testing | $75.00 | $95.00 | $119.00 |
| Administrative Fee | $17.00/certificate | ||
| Auditing Services | $149.00 | $173.00 | $198.00 |
| OECD Seed Schemes for Corn Seeds | $0.42/100 pounds | ||
| OECD Seed Schemes for Cotton, Soybeans, Sunflower, and Cereal Seeds. | $0.34/100 pounds | ||
| OECD Seed Schemes for Other Seeds | $0.32/100 pounds |
Tobacco
Fees effective July 1, 2024
| Activity | Regular | Overtime | Holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic Permissive Inspection and Certification | $55.00 | $64.00 | $72.00 |
| Export Permissive Inspection and Certification | $0.0025/pound | ||
| RMAGrading | $0.015/pound | ||
| Pesticide Test Sampling | $0.0065/kg or $0.0029/pound | ||
| Pesticide Retest Sampling | $115.00/sample and $55.00/hour | ||
| Standards Course | $1,250.00/person | ||
| Import Inspection and Certification | $0.0170/kg or $0.0080/pound |
Rice
Fees effective October 1, 2024
| Activity | Regular | Overtime | Holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract (per hour per Service representative) | $79.30 | $119.00 | $158.60 |
| Noncontract (per hour per Service representative) | $99.10 | $148.70 | $198.30 |
| Export Port Services | $0.047/cwt | ||
| Inspection for quality (per lot, sublot, or sample inspection): | |||
| Rough rice | $69.20 | ||
| Brown rice for processing | $65.00 | ||
| Milled rice | $57.70 | ||
| Factor analysis for any single factor (per sample): | |||
| Milling yield (Rough or Brown rice) | $54.00 | ||
| All other factors (all rice) | $41.90/factor | ||
| Total oil and free fatty acid | $62.30 | ||
| Faxed and extra copies of certificates | $1.90/copy | ||
| Stowage examination (service-on-request): | |||
| Ship | $43.90 (per stowage space, minimum 5 spaces per ship) | ||
| Subsequent ship examinations | $49.40 (per stowage space, minimum 3 spaces per ship) | ||
| Barge | $49.40/examination | ||
| All other carriers | $18.40/examination | ||
| Aflatoxin (Rapid Test Kit) | $47.90/test | ||
| All Other Mycotoxins (Rapid Test Kit) | $54.00/test |