[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 222 (Wednesday, November 18, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 64008-64013]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30672]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

7 CFR Part 930

[Docket No. FV98-930-1 PR]


Tart Cherries Grown in the States of Michigan, et al.; Final Free 
and Restricted Percentages for the 1998-99 Crop Year for Tart Cherries

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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[[Page 64009]]

SUMMARY: This proposal invites comments on the establishment of final 
free and restricted percentages for the 1998-99 crop year. The 
percentages are 60 percent free and 40 percent restricted. The 
percentages would establish the proportion of cherries from the 1998 
crop which may be handled in normal commercial outlets and are intended 
to stabilize supplies and prices, and strengthen market conditions. The 
percentages were recommended by the Cherry Industry Administrative 
Board (Board), the body which locally administers the marketing order. 
The marketing order regulates the handling of tart cherries grown in 
the States of Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Utah, 
Washington, and Wisconsin.

DATES: Comments must be received by December 3, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments 
concerning this action. Comments must be sent to the Docket Clerk, 
Fruit and Vegetable Programs, AMS, USDA, room 2525-S, P.O. Box 96456, 
Washington, DC 20090-6456; Fax: (202) 720-5698 or E-mail: 
[email protected]. All comments should reference the docket 
number and the date and page number of this issue of the Federal 
Register and will be made available for public inspection in the Office 
of the Docket Clerk during regular business hours.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia A. Petrella or Kenneth G. 
Johnson, Marketing Order Administration Branch, Fruit and Vegetable 
Programs, AMS, USDA, room 2525-S, P.O. Box 96456, Washington, DC 20090-
6456; telephone: (202) 720-2491. Small businesses may request 
information on complying with this regulation, or obtain a guide on 
complying with fruit, vegetable, and specialty crop marketing 
agreements and orders by contacting Jay Guerber, Marketing Order 
Administration Branch, Fruit and Vegetable Programs, AMS, USDA, P.O. 
Box 96456, Room 2525-S, Washington, DC 20090-6456; telephone: (202) 
720-2491; Fax: (202) 205-6632, or E-mail: Jay__N__G[email protected]. You 
may also view the marketing agreements and orders small business 
compliance guide at the following website:

http://www.ams.usda.gov/fv/moab.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This proposal is issued under marketing 
agreement and Order No. 930 (7 CFR part 930), regulating the handling 
of tart cherries produced in the States of Michigan, New York, 
Pennsylvania, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin, hereinafter 
referred to as the ``order.'' The order is effective under the 
Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, as amended (7 U.S.C. 601-
674), hereinafter referred to as the ``Act.''
    The Department of Agriculture (Department) is issuing this rule in 
conformance with Executive Order 12866.
    This proposal has been reviewed under Executive Order 12988, Civil 
Justice Reform. Under the marketing order provisions now in effect, 
final free and restricted percentages may be established for tart 
cherries handled by handlers during the crop year. This rule would 
establish final free and restricted percentages for tart cherries for 
the 1998-99 crop year, beginning July 1, 1998, through June 30, 1999. 
This rule would not preempt any State or local laws, regulations, or 
policies, unless they present an irreconcilable conflict with this 
rule.
    The Act provides that administrative proceedings must be exhausted 
before parties may file suit in court. Under section 608c(15)(A) of the 
Act, any handler subject to an order may file with the Secretary a 
petition stating that the order, any provision of the order, or any 
obligation imposed in connection with the order is not in accordance 
with law and requesting a modification of the order or to be exempt 
therefrom. Such handler is afforded the opportunity for a hearing on 
the petition. After the hearing, the Secretary would rule on the 
petition. The Act provides that the district court of the United States 
in any district in which the handler is an inhabitant, or has his or 
her principal place of business, has jurisdiction in equity to review 
the Secretary's ruling on the petition, provided an action is filed not 
later than 20 days after the date of the entry of the ruling.
    The order prescribes procedures for computing an optimum supply and 
preliminary and final percentages that establish the amount of tart 
cherries that can be marketed throughout the season. The regulations 
apply to all handlers of tart cherries that are in the regulated 
districts. Tart cherries in the free percentage category may be shipped 
immediately to any market, while restricted percentage tart cherries 
must be held by handlers in a primary or secondary reserve, or be 
diverted in accordance with Sec. 930.59 of the order and Sec. 930.159 
of the regulations, or used for exempt purposes (and obtaining 
diversion credit) under Sec. 930.62 of the order and Sec. 930.162 of 
the regulations. The regulated Districts for this season are: District 
one--Northern Michigan; District two--Central Michigan; District 
three--Southwest Michigan; District four--New York; and District 
seven--Utah. Districts five, six, eight and nine (Oregon, Pennsylvania, 
Washington, and Wisconsin, respectively) would not be regulated for the 
1998-99 season.
    The order prescribes under Sec. 930.52 that upon adoption of the 
order, those districts to be regulated shall be those districts in 
which the average annual production of cherries over the prior three 
years has exceeded 15 million pounds. A district not meeting the 15 
million pound requirement shall not be regulated in such crop year. 
Therefore, for this season, handlers in the districts of Oregon, 
Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin would not be subject to volume 
regulation. They were also not subject to volume regulation during the 
last season.
    Section 930.50(a) of the order describes procedures for computing 
an optimum supply for each crop year. The Board must meet on or about 
July 1 of each crop year, to review sales data, inventory data, current 
crop forecasts and market conditions. The optimum supply volume shall 
be calculated as 100 percent of the average sales of the prior three 
years to which is added a desirable carryout inventory not to exceed 20 
million pounds or such other amount as may be established with the 
approval of the Secretary. The optimum supply represents the desirable 
volume of tart cherries that should be available for sale in the coming 
crop year.
    The order also provides that on or about July 1 of each crop year, 
the Board is required to establish preliminary free and restricted 
percentages. These percentages are computed by deducting the carryin 
inventory from the optimum supply figure (adjusted to raw product 
equivalent--the actual weight of cherries handled to process into 
cherry products) and dividing that figure by the current year's USDA 
crop forecast. The carryin inventory figure reflects the amount of 
cherries that handlers actually have in inventory. If the resulting 
quotient is 100 percent or more, the Board should establish a 
preliminary free market tonnage percentage of 100 percent. If the 
quotient is less than 100 percent, the Board should establish a 
preliminary free market tonnage percentage equivalent to the quotient, 
rounded to the nearest whole percent, with the complement being the 
preliminary restricted percentage.
    The Board met on June 18-19, 1998, and computed, for the 1998-99 
crop year, an optimum supply of 287.4 million pounds. The Board 
recommended that the carryout figure be zero pounds. Carryout is the 
amount

[[Page 64010]]

of fruit required to be carried into the succeeding crop year and is 
set by the Board after considering market circumstances and needs. This 
figure can range from zero to a maximum of 20 million pounds. The Board 
calculated preliminary free and restricted percentages as follows: The 
USDA estimate of the crop was 292.5 million pounds; a 46 million pound 
carryin added to that equaled a total available supply of 338.5 million 
pounds. The carryin figure reflects the amount of cherries that 
handlers actually have in inventory. The optimum supply was subtracted 
from the total estimated available supply resulting in a surplus of 
51.1 million pounds of tart cherries. An adjustment for changed 
economic conditions of 37.0 million pounds was added to the surplus, 
pursuant to section 930.50 of the order. This adjustment is discussed 
later in this document. After the adjustment, the resulting total 
surplus is 125.1 million pounds of tart cherries. The surplus was 
divided by the production in the regulated districts (258 million 
pounds) and resulted in 66 percent free and 34 percent restricted for 
the 1998-99 crop year. The Board recommended these percentages by a 15 
to 2 vote, with one abstention. Those Board members voting against the 
recommendation disagreed with the computation of the carryin figure 
because they thought that the figure should also include the amount in 
the inventory reserve. Record evidence received during the promulgation 
of the order indicated that the carryin figure reflects the amount of 
cherries that handlers actually have in inventory (not in the primary 
or secondary reserve). The Board recommended the percentages and 
announced them to the industry as required by the order.
    The preliminary percentages were based on the USDA production 
estimate and the following supply and demand information for the 1998-
99 crop year:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             In millions
                                                              of pounds 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Optimum Supply Formula:                                                 
  (1) Average sales of the prior three years..............         287.4
  (2) Less carryout.......................................           0  
  (3) Optimum Supply calculated by the Board at the June                
   meeting................................................         287.4
Preliminary Percentages:                                                
  (4) Less carryin as of July 1, 1998.....................          46.0
  (5) Tonnage requirement for current crop year...........         241.4
  (6) USDA crop estimate..................................         292.5
  (7) Surplus (item 6 minus item 5).......................          51.1
  (8) Economic adjustment to surplus......................          37.0
  (9) Adjusted surplus (item 7 plus item 8)...............          88.1
  (10) USDA crop estimate for regulated districts.........         258.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                                                        
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     Percentages                       Free   Restricted
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(11) Preliminary percentages (item 9 divided by item                    
 10) x 100..........................................     66           34
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Between July 1 and September 15 of each crop year, the Board may 
modify the preliminary free and restricted percentages by announcing 
interim free and restricted percentages to adjust to the actual pack 
occurring in the industry.
    Section 930.50(d) of the order requires the Board to meet no later 
than September 15 to recommend final free and restricted percentages to 
the Secretary for approval. The Board met on September 10-11, 1998, and 
recommended final free and restricted percentages of 60 and 40, 
respectively. The Board recommended that the interim percentages and 
final percentages be the same percentages. At that time, the Board had 
available actual production amounts to review and made the necessary 
adjustments to the percentages.
    The Secretary establishes final free and restricted percentages 
through an informal rulemaking process. These percentages would make 
available the tart cherries necessary to achieve the optimum supply 
figure calculated earlier by the industry. The difference between any 
final free market tonnage percentage designated by the Secretary and 
100 percent is the final restricted percentage.
    The Board used a revised optimum supply figure for its final free 
and restricted percentage calculations. The figure is 288.6 million 
pounds instead of the 287.4 million pound figure used in June. This is 
because the 3-year average sales figure used at the June meeting by 
necessity required an estimate of June 1998 sales. The 3-year average 
sales figure used in the final calculations reflects actual sales 
through the 1997-98 crop year.
    The optimum supply, therefore is 288.6 million pounds. The actual 
production recorded by the Board was 339.9 million pounds, which is a 
47.4 million pound increase from the USDA crop estimate of 292.5 
million pounds. The increase in the crop is due to very favorable 
growing conditions in portions of the State of Michigan this season. 
For the current crop year, 305.3 million pounds of tart cherries were 
produced in the regulated districts.
    A 38.8 million pound carryin (actual carryin as opposed to the 46 
million pounds originally estimated) was subtracted from the optimum 
supply of 288.6 million pounds, which yields a tonnage requirement for 
the current crop year of 249.8 million pounds. Subtracted from the 
actual production in all districts of 339.9 million pounds reported by 
the Board is the tonnage required for the current crop year (249.8 
million pounds) which results in a 90.1 million pound surplus. An 
adjustment for changed economic conditions of 31.4 million pounds was 
added to the surplus, pursuant to section 930.50 of the order. This 
adjustment is discussed later in this document. After the adjustment, 
the resulting total surplus is 121.5 million pounds of tart cherries. 
The total surplus of 121.5 million pounds is divided by the 305.3 
million pound volume of tart cherries produced in the regulated 
districts. This results in a 40 percent restricted percentage and a 
corresponding 60 percent free percentage for the regulated districts.
    The final percentages are based on the Board's reported production 
figures and the following supply and demand information for the 1998-99 
crop year:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             In millions
                                                              of pounds 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Optimum Supply Formula:                                                 
  (1) Average sales of the prior three years..............         288.6
  (2) Less carryout.......................................           0  
  (3) Optimum Supply calculated by the Board at the                     
   September meeting......................................         288.6
Final Percentages:                                                      
  (4) Less carryin as of July 1, 1998.....................          38.8
  (5) Tonnage required current crop year..................         249.8
  (6) Board reported production...........................         339.9
  (7) Surplus (item 6 minus item 5).......................          90.1
  (8) Economic adjustment to surplus......................          31.4
  (9) Adjusted surplus (item 7 plus item 8)...............         121.5
  (10) Production in regulated districts..................         305.3
------------------------------------------------------------------------


------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     Percentages                       Free   Restricted
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(11) Final Percentages (item 9 divided by item 10) x                    
 100................................................     60           40
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    As previously mentioned, the Board recommended an economic 
adjustment be made in computing both the

[[Page 64011]]

preliminary and final percentages for the 1998-99 crop year. This is 
authorized under Sec. 930.50. These subsections provide that in its 
deliberations of volume regulation recommendations, the Board consider, 
among other things, the expected demand conditions for cherries in 
different market segments and an analysis of economic factors having 
bearing on the marketing cherries. Based on these considerations, the 
Board may modify its marketing policy calculations to reflect changes 
in economic conditions.
    The order provides that the 3-year average of all sales be used in 
determining the optimum supply of cherries. In recent seasons, however, 
sales to export markets have risen dramatically. In 1997, export sales 
of 61.1 million pounds were 379 percent of 1994 sales (16.1 million 
pounds). The increase in export sales to those destinations exempt from 
volume regulation (countries other than Canada, Japan, and Mexico) was 
even greater, rising from 12.2 million pounds to 48.7 million pounds. 
Export sales to countries other than Canada, Japan and Mexico were 
exempt from volume regulations as a way for the tart cherry industry to 
find and expand new markets for their products. Including this volume 
of sales in the optimum supply formula, however, results in an 
overestimate of the volume of tart cherries that can be profitably 
marketed in unrestricted markets. Thus, the Board recommended adjusting 
its estimate of surplus cherries by adding exempt export sales.
    By recommending this marketing policy modification, the Board 
believes that it will provide stability to the marketplace and the 
industry will be in a better situation for future years since new 
markets will have been developed. Board members were of the opinion 
that, if this adjustment is not made, growers could be paid less than 
their production costs, because handlers would suffer financial losses 
that would probably be passed on. Handlers would have to meet their 
reserve obligations by other means. In addition, the value of cherries 
already in inventory could be depressed due to the overabundant supply 
of available cherries, a result inconsistent with the intent of the 
order and the Act.
    The Department's ``Guidelines for Fruit, Vegetable, and Specialty 
Crop Marketing Orders'' specify that 110 percent of recent years' sales 
should be made available to primary markets each season before 
recommendations for volume regulation are approved. This goal would be 
met by the establishment of a preliminary percentage which releases 100 
percent of the optimum supply and the additional release of tart 
cherries provided under Sec. 930.50(g). This release of tonnage, equal 
to 10 percent of the average sales of the prior three years sales, is 
made available to handlers each season. The Board recommended that such 
release shall be made available to handlers the first week of December 
and the first week of May. Handlers can decide how much of the 10 
percent release they would like to receive during the December and May 
release dates. Once released, such cherries are released for free use 
by such handler. Approximately 29 million pounds would be made 
available to handlers this season in accordance with Department 
Guidelines. This release would be made available to every handler and 
released to such handler in proportion to its percentage of the total 
regulated crop handled. If such handler does not take such handler's 
proportionate amount, such amount shall remain in the inventory 
reserve.

The Regulatory Flexibility Act and Effects on Small Businesses

    The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has considered the 
economic impact of this action on small entities and has prepared this 
initial regulatory flexibility analysis. The Regulatory Flexibility Act 
(RFA) would allow AMS to certify that regulations do not have a 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. 
However, as a matter of general policy, AMS' Fruit and Vegetable 
Programs (Programs) no longer opt for such certification, but rather 
perform regulatory flexibility analyses for any rulemaking that would 
generate the interest of a significant number of small entities. 
Performing such analyses shifts the Programs' efforts from determining 
whether regulatory flexibility analyses are required to the 
consideration of regulatory options and economic or regulatory impacts.
    The purpose of the RFA is to fit regulatory actions to the scale of 
business subject to such actions in order that small businesses will 
not be unduly or disproportionately burdened. Marketing orders issued 
pursuant to the Act, and rules issued thereunder, are unique in that 
they are brought about through group action of essentially small 
entities acting on their own behalf. Thus, both statutes have small 
entity orientation and compatibility.
    There are approximately 40 handlers of tart cherries who are 
subject to regulation under the tart cherry marketing order and 
approximately 1,400 producers of tart cherries in the regulated area. 
Small agricultural service firms, which includes handlers, have been 
defined by the Small Business Administration (13 CFR 121.601) as those 
having annual receipts of less than $5,000,000, and small agricultural 
producers are defined as those having annual receipts of less than 
$500,000.
    Board and subcommittee meetings are widely publicized in advance 
and are held in a location central to the production area. The meetings 
are open to all industry members (including small business entities) 
and other interested persons--who are encouraged to participate in the 
deliberations and voice their opinions on topics under discussion. 
Thus, Board recommendations can be considered to represent the 
interests of small business entities in the industry.
    The principal demand for tart cherries is in the form of processed 
products. Tart cherries are dried, frozen, canned, juiced and pureed. 
During the period 1993/94 through 1997/98, approximately 89 percent of 
the U.S. tart cherry crop, or 281.1 million pounds, was processed 
annually. Of the 281.1 million pounds of tart cherries processed, 63 
percent was frozen, 25 percent canned and 4 percent utilized for juice. 
The remaining 8 percent was dried or assembled into juice packs.
    Based on National Agricultural Statistics Service data, acreage in 
the United States devoted to tart cherry production has been trending 
downward. In the ten-year period, 1987/88 through 1997/98, tart cherry 
area decreased from 50,050 acres, to less than 40,000 acres. In 1997/
98, approximately 88 percent of domestic tart cherry acreage is located 
in four States: Michigan, New York, Utah and Wisconsin. Michigan leads 
the nation in tart cherry acreage with 67 percent of the total. 
Michigan produces about 78 percent of the U.S. tart cherry crop each 
year. In 1997/98, tart cherry acreage in Michigan decreased to 26,800 
from 27,300 in the previous year.
    In crop years 1987/88 through 1997/98, tart cherry production 
ranged from a high of 359 million pounds in 1987/88 to a low of 189.9 
million pounds in 1991/92. The price per pound to tart cherry growers 
ranged from a low of 7.3 cents in 1987 to a high of 46.4 cents in 1991. 
These problems of wide supply and price fluctuation in the tart cherry 
industry are national in scope and impact. Growers testified during the 
order promulgation process that the prices which they received often 
did not come close to covering the costs of production. They also 
testified that production costs for most growers range

[[Page 64012]]

between 20 and 22 cents per pound, which is well above average prices 
received during 1993-1995.
    The industry has demonstrated a need for an order during the 
promulgation process of the marketing order because large variations in 
annual tart cherry supplies tend to lead to fluctuations in prices and 
disorderly marketing. As a result of these fluctuations in supply and 
price, growers realize less income. The industry chose a volume control 
marketing order to even out these wide variations in supply and improve 
returns to growers. During the promulgation process, proponents 
testified that small growers and processors would have the most to gain 
from implementation of a marketing order because many such growers and 
handlers had been going out of business due to low tart cherry prices. 
They also testified that, since an order would help increase grower 
returns, this should increase the buffer between business success and 
failure because small growers and handlers tend to be less capitalized 
than larger growers and handlers.
    In discussing the possibility of marketing percentages for the 
1998-99 crop year, the Board considered the following factors contained 
in the marketing policy: (1) The estimated total production of tart 
cherries; (2) the estimated size of the crop to be handled; (3) the 
expected general quality of such cherry production; (4) the expected 
carryover as of July 1 of canned and frozen cherries and other cherry 
products; (5) the expected demand conditions for cherries in different 
market segments; (6) supplies of competing commodities; (7) an analysis 
of economic factors having a bearing on the marketing of cherries; (8) 
the estimated tonnage held by handlers in primary or secondary 
inventory reserves; and (9) any estimated release of primary or 
secondary inventory reserve cherries during the crop year.
    The Board's review of the factors resulted in the computation and 
announcement in June 1998 of preliminary free and restricted 
percentages and in the final and free and restricted percentages 
proposed in this rule (60 percent free and 40 percent restricted).
    The Board discussed the demand for tart cherries is inelastic at 
high and low levels of production. At the extremes, different factors 
become operational. The order's promulgation record stated that in very 
short crops there is limited but sufficient exclusive demand for 
cherries that can cause processor prices to double and grower prices to 
triple. In the event of large crops, there seems to be no price low 
enough to expand tart cherry sales in the marketplace sufficient to 
market the crops.
    In considering alternatives, the Board discussed not having volume 
regulation this season. Board members stated that no volume regulation 
would be detrimental to the tart cherry industry. Returns to growers 
would not even cover their production costs for this season. Growers 
would continue to go out of business since many would not receive any 
money for their crop.
    The Board discussed the fact that the general quality of the crop 
for this season is fair to good. Alternative products used by food 
processing and preparation establishments instead of cherries are 
apples and blueberries which can be substituted for cherries if 
cherries cannot be sold at consistent prices.
    As mentioned earlier, the Department's ``Guidelines for Fruit, 
Vegetable, and Specialty Crop Marketing Orders'' specify that 110 
percent of recent years' sales should be made available to primary 
markets each season before recommendations for volume regulation are 
approved. The quantity available under this rule is 110 percent of the 
quantity shipped in the prior three years.
    The free and restricted percentages proposed to be established by 
this rule release the optimum supply and apply uniformly to all 
regulated handlers in the industry, regardless of size. There are no 
known additional costs incurred by small handlers that are not incurred 
by large handlers. The stabilizing effects of the percentages impact 
all handlers positively by helping them maintain and expand markets, 
despite seasonal supply fluctuations. Likewise, price stability 
positively impacts all producers by allowing them to better anticipate 
the revenues their tart cherries will generate.
    The Department has not identified any relevant Federal rules that 
duplicate, overlap, or conflict with this regulation.
    While the level of benefits of this rulemaking is difficult to 
quantify, the stabilizing effects of the volume regulations impact both 
small and large handlers positively by helping them maintain markets 
even though tart cherry supplies fluctuate widely from season to 
season.
    In compliance with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
regulations (5 CFR part 1320) which implement the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13), the information collection and 
recordkeeping requirements have been previously approved by OMB and 
assigned OMB Number 0581-0177.
    There are some reporting, recordkeeping and other compliance 
requirements under the marketing order. The reporting and recordkeeping 
burdens are necessary for compliance purposes and for developing 
statistical data for maintenance of the program. The forms require 
information which is readily available from handler records and which 
can be provided without data processing equipment or trained 
statistical staff. As with other, similar marketing order programs, 
reports and forms are periodically studied to reduce or eliminate 
duplicate information collection burdens by industry and public sector 
agencies. This rule does not change those requirements.
    A 15-day comment period is provided to allow interested persons to 
respond to this proposal. Fifteen days is deemed appropriate because 
this rule needs to be in place as soon as possible to achieve its 
intended purpose of making the optimum supply quantity computed by the 
Board available to handlers marketing 1998-99 crop year cherries. All 
written comments timely received will be considered before a final 
determination is made on this matter.

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 930

    Marketing agreements, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, 
Tart cherries.

    For the reasons set forth in the preamble, 7 CFR part 930 is 
proposed to be amended as follows:

PART 930--TART CHERRIES GROWN IN THE STATES OF MICHIGAN, NEW YORK, 
PENNSYLVANIA, OREGON, UTAH, WASHINGTON, AND WISCONSIN

    1. The authority citation for 7 CFR part 930 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 601-674.

    2. Subpart--Supplementary Regulations is added, consisting of 
Sec. 930.251, to read as follows:

Subpart--Supplementary Regulations

    Note: This section will not appear in the annual Code of Federal 
Regulations.


Sec. 930.251  Final free and restricted percentages for the 1998-99 
crop year.

    The final percentages for tart cherries handled by handlers during 
the crop year beginning on July 1, 1998, which shall be free and 
restricted, respectively, are designated as follows: Free percentage, 
60 percent and restricted percentage, 40 percent.


[[Page 64013]]


    Dated: November 9, 1998.
Robert C. Keeney,
Deputy Administrator, Fruit and Vegetable Programs.
[FR Doc. 98-30672 Filed 11-17-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P