7 U.S.C. § 456 — Rules and regulations; appointment, re-

Page 408 TITLE 7—AGRICULTURE § 453 porations; Advisory Board of Commodity Credit Cor- poration; and Farm Credit Administration or any agen- cy, officer, or entity of, under, or subject to supervision of said Administration excepted from functions of offi- cers, agencies, and employees transferred to Secretary of Agriculture by 1953 Reorg. Plan No. 2, § 1, eff. June 4, 1953, 18 F.R. 3219, 67 Stat. 633, set out as a note under section 2201 of this title. § 453. Authority and duties of division (a) The division shall render service to asso- ciations of producers of agricultural products, and federations and subsidiaries thereof, en- gaged in the cooperative marketing of agricul- tural products, including processing, warehousing, manufacturing, storage, the coop- erative purchasing of farm supplies, credit, fi- nancing, insurance, and other cooperative ac- tivities. (b) The division is authorized— (1) To acquire, analyze, and disseminate eco- nomic, statistical, and historical information regarding the progress, organization, and busi- ness methods of cooperative associations in the United States and foreign countries. (2) To conduct studies of the economic, legal, financial, social, and other phases of co- operation, and publish the results thereof. Such studies shall include the analyses of the organization, operation, financial and mer- chandising problems of cooperative associa- tions. (3) To make surveys and analyses if deemed advisable of the accounts and business prac- tices of representative cooperative associa- tions upon their request; to report to the asso- ciation so surveyed the results thereof; and with the consent of the association so sur- veyed to publish summaries of the results of such surveys, together with similar facts, for the guidance of cooperative associations and for the purpose of assisting cooperative asso- ciations in developing methods of business and market analysis. (4) To confer and advise with committees or groups of producers, if deemed advisable, that may be desirous of forming a cooperative asso- ciation and to make an economic survey and analysis of the facts surrounding the produc- tion and marketing of the agricultural prod- uct or products which the association, if formed, would handle or market. (5) To acquire from all available sources in- formation concerning crop prospects, supply, demand, current receipts, exports, imports, and prices of the agricultural products han- dled or marketed by cooperative associations, and to employ qualified commodity marketing specialists to summarize and analyze this in- formation and disseminate the same among cooperative associations and others. (6) To promote the knowledge of cooperative principles and practices and to cooperate, in promoting such knowledge, with educational and marketing agencies, cooperative associa- tions, and others. (7) To make such special studies, in the United States and foreign countries, and to ac- quire and disseminate such information and findings as may be useful in the development and practice of cooperation. (July 2, 1926, ch. 725, § 3, 44 Stat. 802.) § 454. Advisers to counsel with Secretary of Agri- culture; expenses and subsistence The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized, in his discretion, to call advisers to counsel with him and/or his representatives relative to spe- cific problems of cooperative marketing of farm products or any other cooperative activity. Any person, other than an officer, agent, or employee of the United States, called into conference, as provided for in this section, may be paid actual transportation expenses and not to exceed $10 per diem to cover subsistence and other ex- penses while in conference and en route from and to his home. (July 2, 1926, ch. 725, § 4, 44 Stat. 803.) Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries TRANSFER TO SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE Transfer of Division of Cooperative Marketing ‘‘(by whatever name now called)’’ from Farm Credit Admin- istration to Secretary of Agriculture, by act Aug. 6, 1953, ch. 335, § 9, 67 Stat. 394, see note set out under sec- tion 452 of this title. Executive Documents TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS Farmer Cooperative Service in Department of Agri- culture as successor to functions of Cooperative Re- search and Service Division, Farm Credit Administra- tion, see note set out under section 452 of this title. For prior transfers of functions, see notes set out under section 452 of this title. EXCEPTIONS FROM TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS Functions of Corporations of Department of Agri- culture, boards of directors and officers of such cor- porations; Advisory Board of Commodity Credit Cor- poration; and Farm Credit Administration or any agen- cy, officer, or entity of, under, or subject to supervision of said Administration excepted from functions of offi- cers, agencies, and employees transferred to Secretary of Agriculture by 1953 Reorg. Plan No. 2, § 1, eff. June 4, 1953, 18 F.R. 3219, 67 Stat. 633, set out as a note under section 2201 of this title. § 455. Dissemination of crop, market, etc., infor- mation by cooperative marketing associa- tions Persons engaged, as original producers of agri- cultural products, such as farmers, planters, ranchmen, dairymen, nut or fruit growers, act- ing together in associations, corporate or other- wise, in collectively processing, preparing for market, handling, and marketing in interstate and/or foreign commerce such products of per- sons so engaged, may acquire, exchange, inter- pret, and disseminate past, present, and prospec- tive crop, market, statistical, economic, and other similar information by direct exchange be- tween such persons, and/or such associations or federations thereof, and/or by and through a common agent created or selected by them. (July 2, 1926, ch. 725, § 5, 44 Stat. 803.) § 456. Rules and regulations; appointment, re- moval, and compensation of employees; ex- penditures; authorization of appropriations The Secretary of Agriculture may make such rules and regulations as may be deemed advis- Page 409 TITLE 7—AGRICULTURE § 472 able to carry out the provisions of this chapter and may cooperate with any department or agency of the Government, any State, Territory, District, or possession, or department, agency, or political subdivision thereof, or any person; and may call upon any other Federal depart- ment, board, or commission for assistance in carrying out the purposes of this chapter; and shall have the power to appoint, remove, and fix the compensation of such officers and employees not in conflict with existing law and make such expenditure for rent, outside the District of Co- lumbia, printing, telegrams, telephones, books of reference, books of law, periodicals, news- papers, furniture, stationery, office equipment, travel, and other supplies and expenses as shall be necessary to the administration of this chap- ter in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, and there is hereby authorized to be appro- priated, such sums as may be necessary after the fiscal year 1927, for carrying out the purposes of this chapter. (July 2, 1926, ch. 725, § 6, 44 Stat. 803.) Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries TRANSFER TO SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE Transfer of Division of Cooperative Marketing ‘‘(by whatever name now called)’’ from Farm Credit Admin- istration to Secretary of Agriculture, by act Aug. 6, 1953, ch. 335, § 9, 67 Stat. 394, see note set out under sec- tion 452 of this title. Executive Documents TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS Farmer Cooperative Service in Department of Agri- culture as successor to functions of Cooperative Re- search and Service Division, Farm Credit Administra- tion, see note set out under section 452 of this title. For prior transfers of functions, see notes set out under section 452 of this title. EXCEPTIONS FROM TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS Functions of Corporations of Department of Agri- culture, boards of directors and officers of such cor- porations; Advisory Board of Commodity Credit Cor- poration; and Farm Credit Administration or any agen- cy, officer, or entity of, under, or subject to supervision of said Administration excepted from functions of offi- cers, agencies, and employees transferred to Secretary of Agriculture by 1953 Reorg. Plan No. 2, § 1, eff. June 4, 1953, 18 F.R. 3219, 67 Stat. 633, set out as a note under section 2201 of this title. § 457. Separability If any provision of this chapter is declared un- constitutional or the applicability thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of the chapter and the applicability of such provision to other persons and circumstances shall not be affected thereby, and nothing contained in this chapter is in- tended nor shall be construed, to modify or re- peal any of the provisions of sections 291 and 292 of this title. (July 2, 1926, ch. 725, § 7, 44 Stat. 803.) CHAPTER 19—COTTON STATISTICS AND ESTIMATES Sec. 471. Statistics and estimates of grades and staple length of cotton; collection and publication. Sec. 472. Information furnished of confidential char- acter; penalty for divulging information. 473. Persons required to furnish information; re- quest; failure to furnish; false information. 473a. Cotton classification services. 473b. Market supply, demand, condition and prices; collection and publication of information. 473c. Rules and regulations. 473c–1. Offenses in relation to sampling of cotton for classification. 473c–2. Penalties for offenses relating to sampling of cotton. 473c–3. Liability of principal for act of agent. 473d. Quality tests and analyses by Secretary for breeders and others; fees. 474. Powers of Secretary of Agriculture; appro- priation. 475. Repealed. 476. Acreage reports. § 471. Statistics and estimates of grades and sta- ple length of cotton; collection and publica- tion The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized and directed to collect and publish annually, on dates to be announced by him, statistics or esti- mates concerning the grades and staple length of stocks of cotton, known as the carry-over, on hand on the 1st of August of each year in ware- houses and other establishments of every char- acter in the continental United States; and fol- lowing such publication each year, to publish, at intervals in his discretion, his estimate of the grades and staple length of cotton of the then current crop: Provided, That not less than three such estimates shall be published with respect to each crop. In any such statistics or estimates published, the cotton which on the date for which such statistics are published may be rec- ognized as tenderable on contracts of sale of cot- ton for future delivery under the United States Cotton Futures Act, shall be stated separately from that which may be untenderable under said Act. (Mar. 3, 1927, ch. 337, § 1, 44 Stat. 1372.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT The United States Cotton Futures Act, referred to in text, is part A of act Aug. 11, 1916, ch. 313, 39 Stat. 476, which was repealed by section 4 of act Feb. 10, 1939, ch. 2, 53 Stat. 1. For complete classification of this Act to the Code prior to its repeal, see Tables. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries SHORT TITLE OF 1987 AMENDMENT Pub. L. 100–108, § 1, Aug. 20, 1987, 101 Stat. 728, pro- vided: ‘‘That this Act [amending section 473a of this title and enacting provisions set out as notes under sec- tion 473a of this title] may be cited as the ‘Uniform Cotton Classing Fees Act of 1987’.’’ SHORT TITLE Act Mar. 3, 1927, which enacted sections 471 to 474 and amended sections 475 and 476 of this title, is popularly known as the ‘‘Cotton Statistics and Estimates Act’’. § 472. Information furnished of confidential char- acter; penalty for divulging information The information furnished by any individual establishment under the provisions of this chap-