USDA Announces Results of Walnut Marketing Order Referendum

Date
December 14, 2017

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that walnut growers in California have voted to amend their Federal marketing order to authorize the California Walnut Board to borrow from a commercial lending institution.

In a referendum conducted from Aug. 7 through Aug. 18, 2017, the amendment was favored by 61percent of the growers voting in the referendum, representing 68 percent of the total volume of walnuts produced by those voting.

For the amendment to pass, it must have been favored by either at least two-thirds of the growers voting in the referendum or at least two-thirds of the volume represented in the referendum.  The amendment passed because the volume requirement was met.

A notice of the referendum was published in the Federal Register on May 26, 2017.  USDA also announced the referendum in a notice to trade on June 1, 2017.  A final rule implementing the amendment will be published in a future edition of the Federal Register.

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