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Idaho Statutes
Idaho Statutes are updated to the website July 1 following the legislative session.
AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE
CHAPTER 9
POTATOES — GRADING AND PACKING
22-910. Definition of terms. As used in these standards:
1. "Soft rot or wet breakdown" means any soft, mushy, or leaky condition of the tissue such as slimy soft rot, leak, or wet breakdown following freezing or sunscald.
2. "Diameter" means the greatest dimension at right angles to the longitudinal axis. The long axis shall be used without regard to the position of the stem (rhisome).
3. "Fairly well shaped" means that the appearance of the individual potato or the general appearance of the potatoes in the container is not materially injured by pointed, dumbbell-shaped or otherwise ill-formed potatoes.
4. "Free from damage" means free from any injury or defect which materially injures the appearance of the individual potato or the general appearance of the potatoes in the container, or which cannot be removed without a loss of more than five percent (5%) of the total weight of the potato including peel covering defective area. Loss of outer skin (epidermis) shall not be considered as damage unless the skinned surface is materially affected by very dark discoloration. Any one (1) of the following defects or any combination of defects the seriousness of which exceeds the maximum allowed for any one (1) defect shall be considered as damage:
(a) Second growth or growth cracks which have developed to such an extent as to materially injure the appearance of the individual potato or the general appearance of the potatoes in the container.
(b) Air cracks which are deep, or shallow air cracks which materially injure the appearance of the individual potato or the general appearance of the potatoes in the container.
(c) Shriveling, when the potato is more than moderately shriveled, spongy, or flabby.
(d) Sprouting when more than ten percent (10%) of the potatoes have sprouts over three-fourths (3/4) of an inch long.
(e) Surface scab which covers an area of more than five percent (5%) of the surface of the potato in the aggregate.
(f) Pitted scab which affects the appearance of the potato to a greater extent than the amount of surface scab permitted or causes a loss of more than five percent (5%) of the total weight of the potato including peel covering defective area.
(g) Rhizoctonia when the general appearance of the potatoes in the container is materially injured or when individual potatoes are badly infected.
(h) Dirt when the general appearance of the potatoes in the container is more than slightly dirty or stained, or when individual potatoes are badly caked with dirt or badly stained; or other foreign matter which materially affects the appearance of the potatoes.
5. "Free from serious damage" means free from any injury or defect which seriously injures the appearance of the individual potato or the general appearance of the potatoes in the container, or which cannot be removed without a loss of more than ten percent (10%) of the total weight of the potato including peel covering defective area. Any one (1) of the following defects or any combination of defects the seriousness of which exceeds the maximum allowed for any one (1) defect shall be considered as serious damage:
(a) Dirt when the general appearance of the potatoes in the container is seriously affected by tubers badly caked with dirt; or other foreign matter which seriously affects the appearance of the potatoes.
(b) Cuts when both ends are clipped or when more than an estimated one-third (1/3) of the potato is cut away from one (1) end or when the remaining portion of the clipped potato weighs less than four (4) ounces.
Other cuts which seriously affect the appearance of the individual potato or which cannot be removed without a loss of more than ten percent (10%) of the total weight of the potato including peel covering defective area.
(c) Shriveling when the potato is excessively shriveled, spongy, or flabby.
(d) Surface scab which covers an area of more than fifty percent (50%) of the surface of the potato in the aggregate.
(e) Pitted scab which affects the appearance of the potato to a greater extent than the amount of surface scab permitted or causes a loss of more than ten percent (10%) of the total weight of the potato including peel covering defective area.
6. "Sampling" means the procedure used to take a representative sample from a lot:
(a) Random sampling: The process of selecting a sample from a lot whereby each unit in the lot has an equal chance of being chosen.
(b) Sample portion: A randomly selected portion of the potatoes taken from the lot which when composited with other portions will represent the quality of the lot.
7. "Recognized types of sampling procedures" mean:
(a) Official sampling: The sampler is a trained and licensed employee of the federal/state inspection service. The federal/state inspection service or the Idaho department of agriculture assumes full responsibility for employees in this position, ensuring that proper sampling methods and procedures, sample identity and security are maintained.
(b) Supervised sampling: The sampler is not an employee of the federal/state inspection service nor the Idaho department of agriculture. Sampling methods and procedures, sample identity and security are randomly checked and supervised by the federal/state inspection service. Before a sampler can be employed as a supervised sampler, the sampler shall be trained and approved by the federal/state inspection service.
Federal/state inspection service registers shall contain the names of trained and approved samplers used for this type of sampling. Worksheets and certificates or computer printouts from this type of sampling shall show supervised sampling.
8. "Submitted samples" mean samples that are drawn, marked and controlled by the applicant requesting inspection and submitted to the inspection service for grading results. Work sheets and certificates or computer printouts from this type of sampling shall show "submitted sample."
9. Any handler of potatoes requesting grade or quality inspections from the federal/state inspection service using sampling methods other than official sampling shall notify all financially interested parties.
10. Any processor, packer or shipper of potatoes who uses other than the official sampling as defined in this chapter, shall notify the grower of this fact. The penalties for any deviation in sampling procedures or for tampering with a sample or altering a certificate are provided in section 22-912, Idaho Code.
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