Agricultural Marketing Service June 27, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This rule revises the requirements regarding credit for promotion and advertising activities under the administrative rules and regulations of the California almond marketing order (order). The order regulates the handling of almonds grown in California and is administered locally by the Almond Board of California (Board). The order is funded through the collection of assessments from almond handlers. Under the order, handlers may receive credit towards their assessment obligation for certain expenditures for marketing promotion activities, including paid advertising. This rule revises the requirements regarding the activities for which handlers may receive such credit. The changes will expand the credit allowed for certain promotional activities, and help to clarify and simplify the current regulations.

This rule decreases the assessment rate established for the Washington Apricot Marketing Committee (Committee) for the 2005-2006 and subsequent fiscal periods from $2.50 per ton to $1.00 per ton of fresh apricots handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of apricots grown in designated counties in Washington. Authorization to assess apricot handlers enables the Committee to incur expenses that are reasonable and necessary to administer the program. The fiscal period begins April 1 and ends March 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended or terminated.

This document proposes to adopt as a final rule, order language contained in the interim final rule published in the Federal Register on March 1, 2005, concerning pooling provisions of the Arizona-Las Vegas Federal milk order. This document also sets forth the final decision of the Department and is subject to approval by producers. Specifically, the final decision adopts an amendment that would continue to amend the Producer milk provision which will eliminate the ability to simultaneously pool the same milk on the Arizona-Las Vegas milk order and any State-operated milk order that has marketwide pooling. Other proposals considered at the hearing regarding producer-handlers were addressed in a separate partial recommended decision issued on April 7, 2005.