The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) certifies the following state departments of agriculture as qualified to provide official grain inspection services at export port locations, under delegated authority of the U.S. Grain Standards Act (USGSA), as amended:
- Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI)
- Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS)
- Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA)
- Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (WDATCP)
The certification process involved the evaluation of the states’ performance against delegation criteria outlined in the USGSA (7 U.S.C. 79(e)), as well as the submission and review of public comments given in response to Federal Register notices.
AMS did not conduct the same level of evaluation for the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA). In reviewing eligibility criteria against the State of South Carolina's current infrastructure, AMS acknowledges that the State of South Carolina no longer has any operable, bulk-grain export port facilities. Accordingly, AMS is not certifying the extension of SCDA's delegation. By way of this notice, SCDA's delegation is canceled. If the State of South Carolina opens a port facility for grain export in the future, SCDA would have the opportunity for delegated status again.