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Robert B. Hiller, III Hiller Cranberry Company
Dear Grower: The Cranberry Marketing Committee (CMC) will be meeting in Washington, D.C., on February 5, 2001, as I'm sure you are all aware. Several items on the agenda at this meeting could have a direct impact on your plans for your 2001 crop. The CMC Amendment Subcommittee has been meeting throughout the year and has identified certain issues that were deemed inequitable during the 2000 volume regulation process. These issues include the need to:
After many meetings and conference calls, the Amendment Subcommittee has proposed an informal rule. I would like to commend the members of this subcommittee for their tireless and diligent work on these proposed amendments. This was not an easy job. Their informal rule, a copy of which I have enclosed for your review, was published in the Federal Register on January 12, 2001. If the rule is enacted, it will take effect for the 2001 crop year. The other agenda item, and I am sure the most important one to all of us growers, is the discussion of the need for volume regulation of the 2001 crop. While this has already been the subject of many debates and many proposals, the real discussions will begin on February 5. As your independent representative on the CMC, I would like you to know my thoughts on this subject. It is clear in everyone's mind that there is indeed a surplus that directly impacts grower returns. As of this date, we do not have any numbers regarding the 2000 crop, sales, and the impact of the USDA purchase of one million barrels of fruit. While I am sure that these numbers will not dramatically reduce the surplus, it will definitely have an effect on the degree of volume regulation that will be necessary for the 2001 crop year. I believe that we must tackle the surplus problem now to bring those of us who are growers back to pricing levels that ensure our economic survival. However, the entire industry must come together to achieve this result. We must devise a plan that ensures that growers and handlers alike are treated with fairness, and that any possibility of price gouging is eliminated. If this is to be achieved, we must become creative, work together, and still stay within the parameters of the Marketing Order. This will be no easy task. It will undoubtedly consist of combining some of the proposals that are currently being circulated with some that have yet to be identified. These are difficult times for us all, but I want to assure you that as your representative on the CMC, as a handler, and as a grower, I am prepared to take whatever time is required to get something that works for all of us. If you have any questions regarding this, please do not hesitate to contact me at 508-763-5257 or at [email protected].
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