The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced today that, as required by statute, it will conduct a referendum for eligible producers and importers of Christmas trees to vote on whether to continue the Christmas Tree Promotion, Research and Information Order. The referendum will be held from May 1 through May 31, 2018.
The program will continue if it is favored by a majority of producers and importers of Christmas trees voting in the referendum. To vote in the referendum, producers and importers:
- must have produced, cut and sold more than 500 Christmas trees domestically or imported more than 500 Christmas trees from Sept. 1, 2017 through March 15, 2018; and
- must have been subject to assessments during that period
The referendum will be conducted by mail. AMS will mail ballots and voting instructions to all known eligible producers and importers before the voting period. Eligible producers or importers who do not receive a ballot by May 24, 2018, should contact referendum agent Victoria Carpenter at (202) 720-6930 or (202) 720-9915, or email VictoriaM.Carpenter@ams.usda.gov. Completed ballots must be received by the referendum agent by 4:30 p.m. ET, May 31, 2018.
AMS will provide the option for voters to return ballots electronically. More details will be provided in the ballot instructions.
More information about referendum procedures is in Subpart B of the Christmas Tree Promotion, Research, and Information Order.
Notice of the referendum was published in the Federal Register March 16, 2018.
The program was developed to strengthen the position of fresh cut Christmas trees in the marketplace, and maintain and expand markets for Christmas trees within the United States. For more information about the board, visit the Christmas Tree Promotion Board page on the AMS website or contact Victoria Carpenter. You may also mail your request to Promotion and Economics Division, Specialty Crops Program, AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW. Room 1406-S, Stop 0244, Washington, DC 20250-0244.
Since 1966, Congress has authorized 22 industry-funded research and promotion (R&P) boards to provide a framework for agricultural industries to pool their resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.
Source: USDA AMS