[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 69 (Tuesday, April 13, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 19152]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-07516]


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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. 86, No. 69 / Tuesday, April 13, 2021 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 19152]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

7 CFR Part 986

[Doc. No. AMS-SC-20-0081; SC20-986-2 CR]


Pecans Grown in the States of Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, 
California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, 
North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas; 
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 growers of pecans grown in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, 
Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, 
Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and 
Texas to determine whether they favor continuance of the marketing 
order regulating the handling of pecans produced in the production 
area.

DATES: The referendum will be conducted from June 7 through June 28, 
2021. Only current pecan growers within the production area that 
produced a minimum average of 50,000 pounds of inshell pecans over the 
four years from October 1, 2016, to September 30, 2020, or own a 
minimum of 30 pecan acres are eligible to vote in this referendum.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the marketing order may be obtained from the 
Southeast Marketing Field Office, Marketing Order and Agreement 
Division, Specialty Crops Program, AMS, USDA, 1124 First Street South, 
Winter Haven, FL 33880; Telephone: (863) 324-3375; or from the 
Marketing Order and Agreement Division, Specialty Crops Program, AMS, 
USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, STOP 0237, Washington, DC 20250-
0237; Telephone: (202) 720-2491; or on the internet: https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/ECFR?page=browse.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Abigail Campos, Marketing Specialist, 
or Christian D. Nissen, Regional Director, Southeast Marketing Field 
Office, Marketing Order and Agreement Division, Specialty Crops 
Program, AMS, USDA, 1124 First Street South, Winter Haven, FL 33880; 
Telephone: (863) 324-3375, Fax: (863) 291-8614, or Email: 
[email protected] or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Marketing Agreement and Order 
No. 986, as amended (7 CFR part 986), 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 June 7 through June 28, 
2021, among pecan growers in the fifteen-state production area. To be 
eligible to participate in the continuance referendum, a grower must 
have produced a minimum average of 50,000 pounds of inshell pecans 
during the four-year period from October 1, 2016, to September 30, 
2020, or must own a minimum of 30 pecan acres.
    USDA has determined continuance referenda are an effective means 
for determining whether growers favor the continuation of marketing 
order programs. The Order will continue in effect if two-thirds of the 
growers that cast votes, or growers representing two-thirds of the 
volume of pecans voted in the referendum, cast ballots in favor of 
continuance. In evaluating the merits of continuance versus termination 
of the order, USDA will not exclusively consider the results of the 
continuance referendum. USDA will also consider all other relevant 
information regarding the operation of the Order and relative benefits 
and disadvantages to growers, handlers, and consumers in determining 
whether continued operation of 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 ballots used in the referendum have been approved by 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and have been assigned OMB 
No. 0581-0291, Federal Marketing Order for Pecans. It has been 
estimated it will take an average of 20 minutes for each of the 
approximately 4,267 growers of pecans to cast a ballot. Participation 
is voluntary. Ballots postmarked after June 28, 2021, will not be 
included in the vote tabulation.
    Abigail Campos, Dolores Lowenstine, and Christian D. Nissen of the 
Southeast Marketing Field Office, Specialty Crops Program, AMS, USDA, 
are hereby designated as the referendum agents for 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 et seq.).
    Ballots will be mailed to all growers of record and may also be 
obtained from the referendum agents or their appointees.

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 986

    Marketing agreements, Pecans, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements.

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

Bruce Summers,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-07516 Filed 4-12-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P