[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 227 (Friday, November 25, 2016)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 85167]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-28256]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

7 CFR Part 927

[Doc. No. AMS-SC-16-0090; SC16-927-1 CR]


Pears Grown in Oregon and Washington; 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 Oregon and Washington pear growers to determine whether they 
favor continuance of the marketing order regulating the handling of 
pears grown in Oregon and Washington.

DATES: The referendum will be conducted from February 15 through March 
1, 2017. Only current growers of pears within the designated production 
area in Oregon and Washington that have grown pears during the period 
July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016, are eligible to vote in this 
referendum.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the marketing order may be obtained from the 
Northwest Marketing Field Office, Marketing Order and Agreement 
Division, Specialty Crops Program, AMS, USDA; Telephone: (503) 326-
2724; the Office of the Docket Clerk, Marketing Order and Agreement 
Division, Specialty Crops Program, AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue 
SW., STOP 0237, Washington, DC 20250-0237; or Internet: http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=1aaabcfe0d44b8af50dc165366358d74&mc=true&node=pt7.8.927&rgn=div5
.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Teresa Hutchinson or Gary D. Olson, 
Northwest Marketing Field Office, Marketing Order and Agreement 
Division, Specialty Crops Program, AMS, USDA; Telephone: (503) 326-
2724, Fax: (503) 326-7440, or Email: [email protected] or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Marketing Order No. 927 (7 CFR 
part 927), 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 February 15 through March 1, 2017, among eligible Oregon 
and Washington pear growers. Only current growers that were also 
engaged in the production of pears in Oregon or Washington during the 
period of July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016, 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 less than two-thirds of the growers voting in the referendum and 
growers of less than two-thirds of the volume of Oregon and Washington 
pears represented in the referendum favor continuance of their program. 
In evaluating the merits of continuance versus termination, USDA will 
not exclusively consider the results of the continuance referendum. 
USDA will also consider all other relevant information regarding 
operation of the order and 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 submitted to and approved by the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) and have been assigned 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 1600 Oregon-Washington pear growers to 
cast a ballot. Participation is voluntary. Ballots postmarked after 
March 1, 2017, will not be included in the vote tabulation.
    Teresa Hutchinson and Gary D. Olson of the Northwest Marketing 
Field Office, Specialty Crops 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 927

    Marketing agreements, Pears, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements.

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

    Dated: November 18, 2016.
Bruce Summers,
Associate Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-28256 Filed 11-23-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-02-P