Release No. 087-16
WASHINGTON, April 22, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing that producers of raisins from grapes grown in California have voted to amend their federal marketing order.
In a referendum conducted from March 9 through March 23, 2016, voters favored both amendments proposed by the Raisin Administrative Committee (Committee), which is responsible for local administration of the marketing order. These amendments will authorize the Committee to:
- Borrow from a commercial lending institution; and
- Establish a monetary reserve fund equal to no more than one year’s fiscal expenses.
Both of the amendments were passed by 94 percent of the producers voting and by 93 percent of the volume represented, which exceeds the required two-thirds approval of the producers voting in the referendum or two-thirds of the volume represented in the referendum.
Notice of the referendum was published in the March 7, 2016 Federal Register, and ballots were mailed to all known eligible producers and cooperative associations. A final rule implementing these amendments will be published in a future issue of the Federal Register.
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