[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 68 (Wednesday, April 9, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 19501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-07980]
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Proposed Rules
Federal Register
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This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 68 / Wednesday, April 9, 2014 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 19501]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
7 CFR Part 920
[Doc. No. AMS-FV-14-0020; FV14-920-1 CR]
Kiwifruit Grown in California; Continuance Referendum
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Referendum order.
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SUMMARY: This document directs that a referendum be conducted among
eligible California kiwifruit growers to determine whether they favor
continuance of the marketing order regulating the handling of kiwifruit
grown in California.
DATES: The referendum will be conducted from May 15 through May 30,
2014. To vote in this referendum, growers must have produced kiwifruit
in California during the period August 1, 2012, through July 31, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the marketing order may be obtained from the
California Marketing Field Office, Marketing Order and Agreement
Division, Fruit and Vegetable Program, AMS, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, 2202 Monterey Street, Suite 102B, Fresno, California
93721-3129, or the Office of the Docket Clerk, Marketing Order and
Agreement Division, Fruit and Vegetable Program, AMS, USDA, 1400
Independence Avenue SW., STOP 0237, Washington, DC 20250-0237, or
Internet: http://www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathie Notoro, Marketing Specialist,
or Martin Engeler, Regional Director, California Marketing Field
Office, Marketing Order and Agreement Division, Fruit and Vegetable
Program, AMS, USDA; Telephone: (559) 487-5901, Fax: (559) 487-5906, or
Email: [email protected] or [email protected],
respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Marketing Order No. 920, as
amended (7 CFR part 920), hereinafter referred to as the ``order,'' and
the applicable provisions of the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act
of 1937, as amended (7 U.S.C. 601-674), hereinafter referred to as the
``Act,'' it is hereby directed that a referendum be conducted to
ascertain whether continuance of the order is favored by growers. The
referendum shall be conducted from May 15 through May 30, 2014, among
eligible California kiwifruit growers. Only current growers that were
also engaged in the production of kiwifruit in California during the
period of August 1, 2012, through July 31, 2013, may participate in the
continuance referendum.
USDA has determined that continuance referenda are an effective
means for determining whether growers favor the continuation of
marketing order programs. USDA would consider termination of the order
if more than fifty percent of the growers voting in the referendum and
growers of more than fifty percent of the volume of California
kiwifruit represented in the referendum favor termination of their
program. In evaluating the merits of continuance versus termination,
USDA will consider the results of the continuance referendum and other
relevant information regarding operation of the order. USDA will also
consider the order's relative benefits and disadvantages to growers,
handlers, and consumers to determine whether continuing the order would
tend to effectuate the declared policy of the Act.
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
Chapter 35), the ballot materials used in the referendum herein ordered
have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), under
OMB No. 0581-0189, Generic Fruit Crops. It has been estimated that it
will take an average of 20 minutes for each of the approximately 173
growers of California kiwifruit to cast a ballot. Participation is
voluntary. Ballots postmarked after May 30, 2014, will not be included
in the vote tabulation.
Kathie Notoro and Rose Aguayo of the California Marketing Field
Office, Fruit and Vegetable Program, AMS, USDA, are hereby designated
as the referendum agents of the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct
this referendum. The procedure applicable to the referendum shall be
the ``Procedure for the Conduct of Referenda in Connection With
Marketing Orders for Fruits, Vegetables, and Nuts Pursuant to the
Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, as Amended'' (7 CFR
900.400-900.407).
Ballots will be mailed to all growers of record and may also be
obtained from the referendum agents or from their appointees.
List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 920
Marketing agreements, Nuts, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Kiwifruit.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 601-674.
Dated: April 4, 2014.
Rex A. Barnes,
Associate Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-07980 Filed 4-8-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P