[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 139 (Wednesday, July 21, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43559-43560]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-16487]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[No. LS-04-11]


Results of Soybean Request for Referendum

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) Request for 
Referendum shows that too few soybean producers want a referendum on 
the

[[Page 43560]]

Soybean Promotion and Research Order (Order) for one to be conducted. 
The Request for Referendum was held from May 1, 2004, through May 28, 
2004, at the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) county Farm Service 
Agency offices. To trigger a referendum 66,388 soybean producers must 
complete a Request for Referendum. The number of soybean producers 
requesting a referendum was 3,206.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth R. Payne, Chief; Marketing 
Programs Branch, Room 2638-S; Livestock and Seed Program, AMS, USDA; 
STOP 0251; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW.; Washington, DC 20250-0251, 
telephone number 202/720-1115, or via e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Soybean Promotion, Research, 
and Consumer Information Act (Act) (7 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), every 5 
years the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) will give soybean 
producers the opportunity to request a referendum on the Order. If the 
Secretary determines that at least 10 percent of U.S. producers engaged 
in growing soybeans (not in excess of one-fifth of which may be 
producers in any one State) support the conduct of a referendum, the 
Secretary must conduct a referendum within 1 year of that 
determination. If these requirements are not met, a referendum would 
not be conducted.
    A notice of opportunity to Request a Soybean Referendum was 
publicized in the Federal Register (69 FR 15289) on March 25, 2004. To 
be eligible to participate in the Request for Referendum, producers or 
the producer entity that they are authorized to represent must have 
certified and provided supporting documentation showing that they or 
the producer entity they represent paid on assessment sometime during 
the representative period between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 
2003.
    According to USDA, there are 663,880 soybean producers in the 
United States (see 69 FR 13458).
    A total of 3,206 valid Requests for Referendum were completed by 
eligible soybean producers. This number does not meet the requisite 
number of 66,388. Therefore, based on the Request for Referendum 
results, a referendum will not be conducted. In accordance with the 
provisions of the Act, soybean producers will be provided another 
opportunity to request a referendum in 5 years.
    The following is the State-by-State results of the Request for 
Referendum:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Number of
                                                                valid
                           State                               requests
                                                                 for
                                                              referendum
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alabama....................................................            0
Alaska.....................................................            0
Arizona....................................................            0
Arkansas...................................................           19
California.................................................            0
Colorado...................................................            4
Connecticut................................................            0
Delaware...................................................            1
Florida....................................................            0
Georgia....................................................            6
Hawaii.....................................................            0
Idaho......................................................            0
Illinois...................................................        1,145
Indiana....................................................          220
Iowa.......................................................          542
Kansas.....................................................           92
Kentucky...................................................           11
Louisiana..................................................            2
Maine......................................................            0
Maryland...................................................            6
Massachusetts..............................................            0
Michigan...................................................           49
Minnesota..................................................          258
Mississippi................................................            4
Missouri...................................................          182
Montana....................................................            0
Nebraska...................................................           92
Nevada.....................................................            0
New Hampshire..............................................            0
New Jersey.................................................            1
New Mexico.................................................            0
New York...................................................            1
North Carolina.............................................           18
North Dakota...............................................           16
Ohio.......................................................          331
Oklahoma...................................................            7
Oregon.....................................................            0
Pennsylvania...............................................           20
Puerto Rico................................................            0
Rhode Island...............................................            0
South Carolina.............................................            4
South Dakota...............................................          112
Tennessee..................................................            9
Texas......................................................            5
Utah.......................................................            0
Vermont....................................................            0
Virginia...................................................           10
Washington.................................................            0
West Virginia..............................................           11
Wisconsin..................................................           28
Wyoming....................................................            0
                                                            ------------
  Total....................................................        3,206
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    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 6301-6311.

    Dated: July 14, 2004.
A. J. Yates,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 04-16487 Filed 7-20-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-M