WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing that pecan growers have voted to establish a Federal marketing order for pecans grown in 15 states.
In a referendum conducted March 9 through March 30, 2016, a majority of producers favored implementation of the marketing order. Of those voting, 77 percent of the producers representing 88 percent of the volume supported the marketing order. The marketing order will authorize data collection; research and promotion activities; and regulation of grade, size, quality, pack and containers for pecans grown in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas.
A council of 17 growers and shellers (handlers) will be nominated by the industry and appointed by the Secretary to administer the marketing order with oversight by AMS. The program will be financed by assessments collected from pecan handlers.
Notice of the referendum was published in the Federal Register on Feb. 29, 2016, and ballots were mailed to all known eligible producers. A final rule implementing the marketing order will be published in a future issue of the Federal Register.
Source: USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
