February 2006
USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) maintains an internal-use-only national registry to help cotton merchants efficiently redeem cotton held as collateral by USDA.
Cotton producers may pledge as collateral baled cotton for Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) marketing assistance loans. These producers often authorize merchants to repay their loan obligations and redeem the cotton using form CCC-605, "Designation of Agent - Cotton." Cotton merchants mail or fax the form to one of 300 FSA county offices that process cotton loans.
Registry Content and Use
The purpose of the registry is to inform FSA county staff if an individual has authorization to request redemption of a cotton loan by a cotton merchandising company.
Viewable only by FSA employees, the registry contains:
- The name and address of the cotton merchant;
- The name of each individual authorized by the merchant to sign form CCC-605;
- A notation as to whether the authorized individual's signature, whether original or faxed, may be embossed or stamped, in addition to being written; and
- The effective date of authorization and, if applicable, the termination date.
Once a name is included on the registry, it is available nationwide to all FSA county offices. Merchants can then submit requests to redeem cotton to an FSA county office without having to identify its approved representative to each office.
FSA's staff can access the registry to determine whether the individual signing the CCC-605 has authorization to sign on behalf of the merchant. FSA updates the registry daily.
Only merchants that redeem cotton loan collateral using form CCC-605 may submit names for listing on this registry. The registry is not for use by individual producers.
Registry Benefits
The registry:
- Eliminates the need for merchants to notify multiple county offices when approved merchant representatives are either added or deleted; and
- Reduces paperwork for both cotton merchants and the federal government.
To have an individual listed on the registry, a merchant must submit to the FSA Price Support Division (PSD) a letter identifying the individual(s) authorized to sign the CCC-605. The letter must indicate whether the individual may use a stamped, embossed, or other mechanically reproduced signature.
Merchants must send the authorizing letter to:
By express mail only:* | By commercial or Postal Service parcel delivery: |
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USDA/FSA/PSD Attention: Signature Registry1400 Independence Ave., SW Stop 0512 - Room 4095 Washington, D.C. 20250-0512 | USDA/FSA/PSD Attention: Signature Registry Room 4095, South Building1400 Independence Ave., SW Washington, D.C. 20250 |
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Use of this registry is voluntary. Neither CCC nor county staff uses the registry for redemption requests under the automated centralized cotton redemption process.
For more information on the cotton registry service, please contact PSD at (202) 720-2879, or by e-mail at: Sylvia.Redd@wdc.usda.gov
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).
To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C., 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD).
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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