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HEARINGS SET FOR CRANBERRY MARKETING ORDER PROPOSALS WASHINGTON, April 25, 2002 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture will hold a series of public hearings on proposals to amend the federal marketing order for cranberries grown in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and Long Island in the State of New York. The hearings will be held in four locations in the production area beginning May 20. The sessions are scheduled as follows: May 20, 9 a.m.- Sheraton Inn, 180 Water Street, Plymouth, Mass. The hearing will continue the next day if needed at the same location at 9 a.m. May 23, 9 a.m. - Bangor Motor Inn Banquet and Conference Center, Hogan Road, Bangor, Maine. June 3, 9 a.m. - Hotel Mead and Conference Center, 451 East Grand Ave., Wisconsin Rapids, Wisc. The hearing will continue the next day if needed at the same location at 9 a.m. June 6, 9 a.m. - Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal Building, 1220 SW 3rd Ave., Room 322, Portland, Ore. Proposals were submitted by the Cranberry Marketing Committee, which administers the order locally, and by Stephen L. Lacey on behalf of Clement Pappas and Co. Inc. and Cliffstar Corp. The Wisconsin Cranberry Cooperative and Doanne Andresen submitted additional proposals in response to a press release issued by USDA inviting such proposals. The committee's proposals would: (1) increase committee membership and incorporate a swing position whereby the group (either independent or cooperative) that sells more than 50 percent of the total volume sold is assigned an additional seat; (2) revise the formula for calculating sales histories under the producer allotment program; (3) allow growers to transfer allotment during a year of volume regulation; (4) require the committee to recommend producer allotment by March 1 each year; (5) update and streamline the withholding volume regulations; (6) authorize implementation of producer allotment and withholding volume regulations in the same year; (7) add Maine, Delaware and the entire State of New York to the production area; (8) add authority for paid advertising; and (9) make other administrative changes intended to improve the operations and functioning of the program. Stephen Lacey's proposals would: (1) require committee member disclosure of non-regulated cranberry production; (2) alter the way nominations of cooperative members on the committee are conducted by requiring cooperative nominees to be selected through an election process administered by the committee; (3) incorporate a handler marketing pool under the producer allotment program; and (4) modify the withholding volume regulations by allowing growers to be compensated under the buy-back provisions if any funds are returned to the handler by the committee. The Wisconsin Cranberry Cooperative proposals would: (1) recognize that more than one cooperative marketing association exists and allow all cooperatives the right to be represented on the committee; (2) establish a nomination process for cooperative marketing associations; (3) expand the noncompetive outlets for excess cranberries; and (4) establish a limit on foreign markets eligible for shipments of excess berries as foreign markets with a total annual consumption of less than the equivalent of 20,000 barrels of cranberries and/or cranberry products. Doanne Andresen's proposal would authorize an exemption from order provisions for the first 1000 barrels of cranberries produced by each grower. Finally, USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, which oversees the marketing order, is proposing that the industry authorize AMS to make any necessary changes to the order to conform with amendments that may result from the hearing. If evidence submitted at the hearing favors these proposals, and if USDA agrees that the amendments would improve the order's operation, cranberry growers and processors will vote on them at a later date. The proposals and the hearing notice will be published in the May 1 Federal Register. Copies may be obtained from Kathy Finn, AMS Fruit and Vegetable Programs, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, USDA Stop 0237, Washington, D.C. 20250-0237; tel. (202) 720-2491 or fax (202) 720-8938. The notice will also be available at www.ams.usda.gov/fv/moab.html
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