USDA NOT PLANNING ANY MAJOR PRICING CHANGES The Agriculture Department is not considering any major changes in its pricing system for posted county prices, an Agriculture Department offical said. "We do not have current plans to make any major adjustments or changes in our pricing," said Bob Sindt, USDA assistant deputy administrator for commodity operations. U.S. grain traders and merchandisers said earlier this week USDA might act soon to reduce the cash corn price premium at the Gulf versus interior price levels by dropping ASCS posted prices to encourage interior PIK and roll movement. But Sindt denied USDA is planning any such changes. "If people are suggesting that we are going to make wholesale changes in pricing, we are not considering this," he said. Sindt, however, did not rule out the possiblity of implementing more minor changes in its pricing system. "We are continually monitoring the whole nationwide structure to maintain its accuracy," he said. "If we become convinced that we need to make a change, then appropriate adjustments will be made." Sindt acknowledged that concern has been voiced that USDA's price differentials between the New Orleans Gulf and interior markets are not accurate because of higher than normal barge freight rates. He said commodity operations deputy administrator Ralph Klopfenstein is currently in the midwest on a speaking tour and will meet with ASCS oficials in Kansas City next week. Sindt said a number of issues will be discussed at that meeting, including the current concern over the gulf corn premiums. He defended the USDA differentials, saying that these price margins reflect an average of prices throughout the year and that seasonal factors will normally cause prices to increase or decrease. The USDA official also said that only those counties that use the Gulf to price grain are being currently affected by the high barge freight tariffs and increased gulf prices. When asked if the USDA emergency storage program which allows grain to be stored in barges was taking up barge space and accounting for the higher freight rates, Sindt discounted the idea. He said USDA has grain left in only about 250 barges and that, under provisions of the program, these all have to be emptied by the end of March.