Grades.--United States Standards for Green Corn18 were set up in
May, 1954, by Congress upon the recommendation of the U. S. Department of
Agriculture. These provide for green corn grades to be known as U. S. Fancy,
U. S. No. 1 and U. S. No. 2. Differences in grade are the result of dif-
ferences in cob length, kernel filling, insect and disease injury, clipping,
tip filling and mechanical or other damage. Specified tolerances are per-
mitted within each grade and visual inspection by trained personnel is used
to determine proper grade.

 In actual practice, corn is sold on the basis of U. S. Fancy grade
and the buyers prefer a certificate showing a percentage of U. S. Fancy
quality. A certificate showing a lower grade such as U. S. No. 1 immedi-
ately becomes a price lowering factor. There are periods during each season
when prices are not high enough to cover cost of containers, precooling,
selling and transportation on U. S. No. 2 corn or on corn grading 84 percent
or less U. S. Fancy. At such times large quantities of corn must be left
in the field.

 Inspection.--During the 1961-62 season approximately 66 percent of
the sweet corn shipped from Florida was inspected and certified as to grade
or condition by the Federal-State Inspection Service. Over 99 percent of
the graded corn was U. S. Fancy or a percentage thereof; 90 percent was
U. S. Fancy, 2.2 percent 86 to 94 percent U. S. Fancy, 6.5 percent 75 to
85 percent U. S. Fancy and 1.3 percent 74 percent or less U. S. Fancy. One
cannot assume the balance of the Florida corn would run in the same pro-
portion as that which was inspected. Low quality is a good reason for
non-inspection.

 Marketing Sweet Corn

 Movement of sweet corn and comupetition.---Sweet corn is shipped from
Florida from mid-October to the following July of each season. Shipments
from Palm Beach County lead all other areas except in the months of June
and July. Sweet corn from the Other South Florida counties moves to market
from November through May. The Zellwood area markets in May, June and
July. During the past 3 seasons from 71 to 82 percent of the Florida crop
was marketed in April, May and June.

 Sweet corn from Florida competes with a light movement from
California and Texas during October and November of each season. Florida
is the sole producer of sweet corn from December to mid-April. Corn from
California, Texas and Arizona is marketed during May and June. Alabama
and California offer competition during the month of July. The movement
reported from other states was about one-fifth of the total domestic ship-
ment during Florida's 1960-61 season.19

 Transportation.--Sweet corn is transported to market by rail and
truck. Shipments by truck have increased significantly. During the 1954-55

 18United States Standards for Green Corn (19 F.R. 2221) Effective
May 18, 1954.
 19D. L. Brooke, Fla. Agr. Exp. Sta., Agr. Econ. Mimeo. Report 62-6,
October 1961.