The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing a rule to establish the free and restricted percentages of tart cherries that handlers may purchase from, or handle on behalf of, growers during the 2023-24 crop year. The proposed rule would apply to tart cherries grown in Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.
This action would set the free percentage of tart cherries at 94% and restricted percentage at 6%. The free percentage represents the proportion of the crop that may ship to any market. The restricted percentage of cherries represents the proportion that must be held in reserve, diverted in the orchard or at the processing plant, or used in secondary markets. The Cherry Industry Administrative Board recommended this action to balance expected supply and demand for the 2023-24 crop year.
The proposed rule for this action was published in the Federal Register on April 19, 2024. Written comments are due by May 20, 2024. All comments on the proposed rule submitted by the deadline will be made available for public review and will be considered before publication of a final rule.
More information about the marketing order regulating the handling of tart cherries is available on the 930 Tart Cherries webpage on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) website.
Authorized by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, marketing orders are industry-driven programs that help producers and handlers achieve marketing success by leveraging their own funds to design and execute programs that they would not be able to do individually. AMS provides oversight to fruit vegetable and specialty crops marketing orders to ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.
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