Agricultural Marketing Service February 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This final rule suspends the Federal marketing order regulating dried prunes produced in California (Order) effective August 1, 2023, through July 31, 2030. After operating for 18 years without handling regulations, the Prune Administrative Committee (Committee) recommended the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) indefinitely suspend the Order. After reviewing the Committee's recommendation, AMS determined that regulatory suspension with a sunset provision of seven years is appropriate. This suspension period extends through the end of the 2029-2030 crop year and provides industry sufficient time to assess whether the Order's reinstatement is beneficial. If no recommendation is made by the Committee to reinstate the Order by the end of the 2029- 2030 crop year, AMS will proceed to terminate the Order.

This final rule reauthorizes the Dairy Forward Pricing Program (DFPP) in accordance with the Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024 (Extension Act), and makes two administrative changes to the provisions to include the California Federal milk marketing order in the list of eligible orders where use of a forward contract is applicable. Establishing new contracts under the DFPP was prohibited between the expiration of the program on September 30, 2023, and passage of the Extension Act on November 16, 2023. The Extension Act reauthorizes the DFPP program to allow handlers to enter into new contracts until September 30, 2024. Any forward contract entered prior to the September 30, 2024, deadline must expire by September 30, 2027.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announces that the Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) Program is available for public review and comments.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announces that soybean producers may request a referendum to determine if producers want the Secretary to conduct a referendum on the Soybean Promotion and Research Order (Order), as authorized under the Soybean Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act (Act). Participation in the Request for Referendum is voluntary. Producers should participate only if they wish to request a referendum on the program. If at least 10 percent (not in excess of one-fifth of which may be producers in any one State) of the 413,358 eligible producers, as determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), participate in the Request for Referendum, a referendum would 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 a notice in the Federal Register.

This proposed rule would implement a recommendation from the Citrus Administrative Committee (Committee) to increase the assessment rate established for the 2023-2024 fiscal year and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.015 to $0.02 per 4/5-bushel carton or equivalent for Florida citrus handled under the marketing order. The proposed assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.