The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it will conduct a referendum among Washington sweet cherry producers Feb. 5-26, 2024, to determine their level of support for continuing their federal marketing order.
The marketing order requires that a continuance referendum be held every six years. To be eligible to vote, producers must have produced sweet cherries within the designated production area during the period of April 1, 2022, through March 31, 2023.
USDA would consider termination of the marketing order if less than two-thirds of growers voting in the referendum, or growers of less than two-thirds of the volume of Washington sweet cherries represented in the referendum, favor continuance of the program. Notice of the referendum was published in the Federal Register on Dec. 8, 2023.
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will mail ballots and voting instructions to all growers of record. Eligible growers who do not receive a ballot by Feb. 5, 2024, should contact Virginia Tjemsland at virginia.l.tjemsland@usda.gov or (971) 416-6472. Requests for a ballot may also be mailed to USDA, AMS, 1220 SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 305, Portland, Oregon 97204.
More information about the marketing order regulating the handling of sweet cherries grown in Washington is available on the AMS 923 Sweet Cherry marketing order webpage, the Marketing Orders and Agreements webpage, or by contacting the Market Development Division at (202) 720-8085.
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 and agreements, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.
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