Agricultural Marketing Service March 4, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Dried Prunes Produced in California; Increased Assessment Rate
Document Number: 2014-04691
Type: Rule
Date: 2014-03-04
Agency: Agricultural Marketing Service, Department of Agriculture
This rule increases the assessment rate established for the Prune Marketing Committee (Committee) for the 2013-14 and subsequent crop years from $0.22 to $0.28 per ton of salable dried prunes handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order, which regulates the handling of dried prunes grown in California. Assessments upon dried prune handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The crop year begins August 1 and ends July 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.
Soybean Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Program: Amendment of Procedures and Notification of Request for Referendum
Document Number: 2014-04690
Type: Rule
Date: 2014-03-04
Agency: Agricultural Marketing Service, Department of Agriculture
This interim final rule would amend the procedures to Request a Referendum by removing the specific number of soybean producers eligible to request a referendum under the Soybean Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information program, commonly known as the Soybean Checkoff Program. The number of soybean producers will be replaced with language that allows the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to update this number based on information provided by USDA. Additionally, this action would remove specific USDA and Farm Service Agency (FSA) Web site and office addresses and replace them with more flexible language. These changes will enable AMS to announce future Requests for Referendum without engaging in additional notice-and-comment rulemaking. This rule also serves as AMS' official notice that soybean producers may request a referendum to determine if producers want a referendum on the Soybean Promotion and Research Order (Order), as authorized under the Soybean Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act (Act). If at least 10 percent (not in excess of one- fifth of which may be producers in any one State) of eligible producers, as determined by USDA, participate in the Request for Referendum, a referendum will be held within 1 year from that determination. If results of the Request for Referendum indicate that a referendum is not supported, a referendum would not be conducted. The results of the Request for Referendum will be published in the Federal Register.
Kiwifruit Grown in California and Imported Kiwifruit; Relaxation of Minimum Grade Requirement
Document Number: 2014-04689
Type: Rule
Date: 2014-03-04
Agency: Agricultural Marketing Service, Department of Agriculture
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that relaxed the minimum grade requirement under the marketing order for kiwifruit grown in California (order), and for kiwifruit imported into the United States that are shipped to the fresh market, by increasing the tolerance of kiwifruit which is ``badly misshapen'' from 7 percent to 16 percent. This change is intended to facilitate the packing of fruit to meet the minimum grade requirement of ``KAC No. 1,'' and reduce costs associated with re-sorting and repacking this grade of fruit.
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