Agricultural Marketing Service July 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This rule decreases the assessment rate established for the Citrus Administrative Committee (Committee) for the 2007-08 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.008 to $0.0072 per 4/5 bushel carton of oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and tangelos handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and tangelos grown in Florida. Assessments upon Florida citrus handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal period begins August 1 and ends July 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

This rule amends, on an interim basis, the term of office provision of the Mango Promotion, Research, and Information Order (Order) so that the term of office and term limit for the two wholesaler and/or retailer positions of the National Mango Board (Board) be the same as that of other members. Specifically, the amendment modifies the term of office from one year to three years, and modifies the term limit for these positions from a maximum of three consecutive one-year terms to a maximum of two consecutive three-year terms in order to conform to the requirements of the Commodity Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1996 Act.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is revising the voluntary United States Standards for Grades of Mangos. Specifically, AMS is revising the standards to allow for longer, up to an inch, attached stem lengths. The revisions would bring the standards for mangos in line with current marketing practices, thereby improving their usefulness in serving the industry.

This rule decreases the assessment rate established for the Washington-Oregon Fresh Prune Marketing Committee (Committee) for the 2007-2008 and subsequent fiscal periods from $1.75 to $1.00 per ton of prunes handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order, which regulates the handling of fresh prunes grown in designated counties in Washington and in Umatilla County, Oregon. Assessments upon fresh prune handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal period began April 1 and ends March 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

This final rule terminates the Federal marketing order (order) for papayas grown in Hawaii, and the rules and regulations established under the order. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) previously determined the order should be terminated due to the results of a referendum in which growers indicated a lack of support for the continuation of the order. However, USDA postponed the termination until licensing agreements regarding development and use of transgenic papaya varieties could be resolved. Sufficient time has elapsed for the industry to resolve any outstanding licensing issues. Therefore, USDA is proceeding with the termination of the order.

This decision proposes amendments to Marketing Order No. 984, which regulates the handling of walnuts grown in California (order), and provides growers with the opportunity to vote in a referendum to determine if they favor the changes. The amendments were proposed by the Walnut Marketing Board (Board), which is responsible for local administration of the order. The amendments would: change the marketing year; include ``pack'' as a handler function; restructure the Board and revise nomination procedures; rename the Board and add authority to change Board composition; modify Board meeting and voting procedures; add authority for marketing promotion and paid advertising; add authority to accept voluntary financial contributions and to carry over excess assessment funds; broaden the scope of the quality control provisions and add the authority to recommend different regulations for different market destinations; add authority for the Board to appoint more than one inspection service; replace outdated order language with current industry terminology; and other related amendments. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposed three additional amendments: To establish tenure limitations for Board members, to require that continuance referenda be conducted on a periodic basis to ascertain producer support for the order, and to make any necessary conforming changes. The proposed amendments are intended to improve the operation and functioning of the marketing order program.

This document summarizes the results of an Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) review of the Soybean Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Program under the criteria contained in section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA). Based upon its review, AMS has determined that the Soybean Research and Promotion Order (Order) should be continued without change.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim final rule suspending the container regulations prescribed under the Washington apricot marketing order. This rule continues in effect the action that indefinitely extended the temporary 2006 season container regulation suspension. The marketing order regulates the handling of fresh apricots grown in designated counties in the State of Washington, and is administered locally by the Washington Apricot Marketing Committee (Committee). This relaxation in the regulatory requirements allows handlers to pack and ship apricots in any size, shape, or type of container, thus providing the apricot industry with increased marketing flexibility.

This rule increases the assessment rate established for the California Desert Grape Administrative Committee (committee) for the 2007 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.0175 to $0.0200 per 18-pound lug of grapes handled. The committee locally administers the marketing order, which regulates the handling of grapes grown in a designated area of southeastern California. Assessments upon desert grape handlers are used by the committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal period began January 1 and ends December 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget, for an extension of, and revision to a currently approved information collection for the National Research, Promotion, and Consumer Information Programs.