Warehouses United States Department of Agriculture Licensed Under the Farm Service U.S. Warehouse Act Agency Deputy Administrator for Commodity As of December 31, 2014 Operations LICENSED AND BONDED WAREHOUSE The Storage of Agricultural Products Is Locked Into the Marketing System Through -- Farmers Who Produce Warehouse Operators Who Store Bankers Who Loan Merchants Who Buy and Sell Processors Who Manufacture Consumers Who Use Users of Electronic Warehouse Receipts and other Electronic Documents With Assurance of Return of the Stored Commodity in Marketable Condition. And the Key Is Integrity of the Warehouse Operator and the Warehouse Receipt Through -- Financial Responsibility Warehouse Facilities and Practices Management’s Ethics and Capabilities Licensing Bonding Examination Electronic Providers March 2015 BACKGROUND INFORMATION LEGISLATIVE The United States Warehouse Act (USWA) or the Act was originally passed by AUTHORITY the Congress on August 11, 1916. On November 9, 2000, the President signed the Grain Standards and Warehouse Improvement Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-472) which amended the USWA in its entirety and modernized the regulation of Federal warehouses to better reflect current trade and operational practices. The 2000 Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to license and examine public warehouse operators that store agricultural products. It also gives the Secretary broad authority to improve the administration of various aspects involving the trade of agricultural products under the purview of the USWA, including the use, establishment and maintenance of electronic warehouse receipts and other electronic documents for all agricultural products. The USWA is considered a “permissive regulatory act.” It is permissive because it only applies to warehouse operators who voluntarily apply for licensing and regulatory because each licensee must operate under its provisions and be subject to the regulations and licensing agreements administered by the USWA. The USWA also authorizes the Secretary to license qualified individuals to sample, inspect, weigh, and classify agricultural products. PURPOSE The Act accomplishes several purposes: (1) provides protection for depositors of agricultural products (2) offers a nationwide uniform regulatory system for storing agricultural products, (3) maintains integrity and acceptability of warehouse receipts in the commodity and financial marketplaces, (4) facilitates interstate and global commerce for the marketing of agricultural products, (5) provides safe storage of agricultural products at reasonable rates and (6) requires warehouse operators to accept agricultural products for storage without discrimination. PROGRAM The Act is administered by the Deputy Administrator for Commodity Operations ADMINISTRATION (DACO) of the Farm Service Agency through the Commodity Operations Division (COD) in Washington, D.C., and the Warehouse License and Examination Division (WLED) in the Kansas City Commodity Office (KCCO). COD in Washington, DC, develops and amends, when necessary, the Act’s regulations and operational policies to maintain acceptable standards that provide depositors with protection. WLED in Kansas City implements USWA policies by working directly with applicants and licensees in processing applications, assuring compliance with the Act and its regulations, supervising a nationwide staff of strategically positioned warehouse examiners, and conducting the examination program nationwide. PROGRAM To qualify for a license, a warehouse operator must have a suitable and properly PROVISIONS/ equipped warehouse; a good business reputation; a minimum net worth; STANDARDS furnish an acceptable bond; furnish an Audit or Review level financial statement, have qualified personnel employed to weigh, sample, inspect, and grade commodities (whichever is applicable); and pay required license and inspection fees. i All USWA warehouse receipts, must be fully accounted for. The warehouse operator licensed under the USWA or using an USWA approved electronic receipt provider must deliver the agricultural product without unnecessary delay when a warehouse receipt holder requests delivery, surrender of the receipt, and pays any outstanding storage and handling charges. Some new features of the updated USWA expands USDA’s authority to establish and issue electronic warehouse receipts and other electronic business documents for any agricultural product; recognizes mutually-agreed upon arbitration as a means to resolve private sector disputes involving activities authorized under the USWA; allows acceptance of other forms of financial assurances and recognizes a warehouse operator’s ability to allocate available storage space. Warehouse operators must post their license and schedule of charges of available services (Public Tariff) in a conspicuous place. The Secretary may deny, suspend, or revoke a license if these rates are unreasonable or exorbitant. Licensed warehouse operators must maintain current and complete records that are subject to review at any time. Unannounced warehouse examinations are conducted frequently. USWA warehouse operators found violating the Act are subject to corrective action, suspension or revocation of their license depending upon the severity of the violation. NUMBER OF This listing reflects the approximate number of warehouses and LICENSES locations currently licensed under the Act: 176 cotton (approximately 46.0 ISSUED percent of U.S. commercial space), 655 grain (approximately 47.0 percent of U.S. commercial space), and 67 others storing other agricultural products. USWA licenses are in effect for over 12,000 inspectors, weighers, samplers, and classifiers. FURTHER INFORMATION For more information, contact: USDA/FSA USDA/FSA/DACO Kansas City Commodity Office Commodity Operations Division Warehouse License and Examination Division STOP Code 0501 STOP Code 9148 1400 Independence Ave., SW P.O. Box 419205 Washington, DC 20250-0501 Kansas City, MO 64141 Telephone: (202) 720-2121 Telephone: (816) 926-6474 FAX: (202) 690-3123 FAX: (816) 926-1774 or (816) 926-1548 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.) If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632 9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or e mail at [email protected]. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities and wish to file either an EEO or program complaint, please contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6136 (in Spanish). Persons with disabilities, who wish to file a program complaint, please see information above on how to contact us by mail directly or by email. If you require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) please contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720- 2600 (voice and TDD). ii CONTENTS Background ........................................................................i Cotton ................................................................................ 1 Grain ................................................................................ 10 Beans ............................................................................ 101 Cottonseed .................................................................... 104 Nut ................................................................................. 104 Export Food Aid Commodity ........................................ 118 Alabama - Arkansas COTTON ALABAMA Town Warehouse Warehouse Operator Belle Mina; South Limestone Cooperative Warehouse; South Limestone Cooperative. Decatur; Union Compress Warehouse; Union Compress Warehouse Company of Decatur, A Limited Partnership Under the Laws of Alabama, Union Services Industries, Inc., A Delaware Corporation, General Partner. Dothan; Sowega Cotton Hartford Warehouse; Sowega Cotton Gin & Warehouse, LLC. Florence; Scruggs & Vaden Warehouse; Scruggs & Vaden Warehouse, LLC. Hartford; Sowega Cotton Hartford Warehouse; Sowega Cotton Gin & Warehouse, LLC. McCullough; McCullough Bonded Warehouse; Alabama Farmers Cooperative, Inc. ARIZONA Eloy; Federal Compress Warehouse; Federal Compress & Warehouse Company, Inc. ARKANSAS Blytheville; Blytheville Compress Warehouse; Blytheville Compress Company. Blytheville; Caruthersville Cotton Warehouse – Blytheville; Caruthersville Cotton Warehouse, Inc. Blytheville; Federal Compress Warehouse; Federal Compress & Warehouse Company, Inc. Blytheville; Staplcotn Warehouse, Blytheville;