This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains notices to the public of the proposed

issuance of rules and regulations. The

purpose of these notices is to give interested

persons an opportunity to participate in the

rule making prior to the adoption of the final

rules.

Proposed Rules Federal Register

4254 

Vol. 76, No. 16 

Tuesday, January 25, 2011 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

7 CFR Part 945 

[Doc. No. AMS–FV–10–0109; FV11–945–1] 

Irish Potatoes Grown in Certain 

Designated Counties in Idaho, and 

Malheur County, Oregon; Continuance 

Referendum 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Referendum order. 

SUMMARY: This document directs that a 

referendum be conducted among 

eligible producers of Irish potatoes in 

certain designated counties in Idaho, 

and Malheur County, Oregon, to 

determine whether they favor 

continuance of the marketing order 

regulating the handling of Irish potatoes 

grown in the production area. 

DATES: The referendum will be 

conducted from March 5 to March 18, 

2011. To vote in this referendum, 

producers must have produced Irish 

potatoes for the fresh market within the 

designated production area in Idaho, or 

Malheur County, Oregon, during the 

period August 1, 2009, through July 31, 

2010. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the marketing 

order may be obtained from the office of 

the referendum agents at 805 SW 

Broadway, Suite 930, Portland, OR 

97205, or the Office of the Docket Clerk, 

Marketing Order Administration 

Branch, Fruit and Vegetable Programs, 

AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence 

Avenue, SW., STOP 0237, Washington, 

DC 20250–0237. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Barry Broadbent or Gary Olson, 

Northwest Marketing Field Office, 

Marketing Order Administration 

Branch, Fruit and Vegetable Programs, 

AMS, USDA, 805 SW Broadway, Suite 

930, Portland, OR 97205; Telephone: 

(503) 326–2724, Fax: (503) 326–7440, or 

E-mail: Barry.Broadbent@ams.usda.gov 

or GaryD.Olson@ams.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant 

to Marketing Order No. 945 (7 CFR part 

945), hereinafter referred to as the 

‘‘order,’’ and the applicable provisions 

of the Agricultural Marketing 

Agreement Act of 1937, as amended (7 

U.S.C. 601–674), hereinafter referred to 

as the ‘‘Act,’’ it is hereby directed that 

a referendum be conducted to ascertain 

whether continuance of the order is 

favored by the producers. The 

referendum shall be conducted from 

March 5 to March 18, 2011, among 

eligible Irish potato producers in the 

production area. Only producers that 

were engaged in the production of Irish 

potatoes for the fresh market in Idaho, 

and Malheur County, Oregon, during 

the period of August 1, 2009, through 

July 31, 2010, may participate in the 

continuance referendum. 

USDA has determined that 

continuance referenda are an effective 

means for determining whether 

producers favor continuation of 

marketing order programs. USDA would 

consider termination of the order if less 

than two-thirds of producers voting in 

the referendum and producers of less 

than two-thirds of the volume of Irish 

potatoes represented in the referendum 

favor continuance. In evaluating the 

merits of continuance versus 

termination, USDA will not exclusively 

consider the results of the continuance 

referendum. USDA will also consider all 

other relevant information concerning 

the operation of the order and the 

relative benefits and disadvantages to 

producers, handlers, and consumers in 

order to determine whether continued 

operation of the order would tend to 

effectuate the declared policy of the Act. 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 

chapter 35), the ballot materials to be 

used in the referendum herein ordered 

have been submitted to and approved by 

the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) and have been assigned OMB 

No. 0581–0178—Vegetable and 

Specialty Crop Marketing Orders. It has 

been estimated that it will take an 

average of 20 minutes for each of the 

approximately 990 producers of Irish 

potatoes in Idaho and Malheur County, 

Oregon, to cast a ballot. Participation is 

voluntary. Ballots postmarked after 

March 18, 2011, will not be included in 

the vote tabulation. 

Barry Broadbent and Gary Olson of 

the Northwest Marketing Field Office, 

Fruit and Vegetable Programs, AMS, 

USDA, are hereby designated as the 

referendum agents of the Secretary of 

Agriculture to conduct this referendum. 

The procedure applicable to the 

referendum shall be the ‘‘Procedure for 

the Conduct of Referenda in Connection 

With Marketing Orders for Fruits, 

Vegetables, and Nuts Pursuant to the 

Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act 

of 1937, as Amended’’ (7 CFR 900.400– 

900.407). 

Ballots will be mailed to all producers 

of record and may also be obtained from 

the referendum agents, or from their 

appointees. 

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 945 

Irish potatoes, Marketing agreements, 

Reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 601–674. 

Dated: January 19, 2011. 

Rayne Pegg, 

Administrator, Agricultural Marketing 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–1424 Filed 1–24–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

7 CFR Part 989 

[Doc. No. AMS–FV–10–0090; FV10–989–3 

PR] 

Raisins Produced From Grapes Grown 

in California; Increased Assessment 

Rate 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Proposed rule. 

SUMMARY: This proposed rule would 

increase the assessment rate established 

for the Raisin Administrative Committee 

(committee) for the 2010–11 and 

subsequent crop years from $7.50 to 

$14.00 per ton of free tonnage raisins 

acquired by handlers and reserve 

tonnage raisins released or sold to 

handlers for use in free tonnage outlets. 

The committee locally administers the 

marketing order which regulates the 

handling of California raisins produced 

from grapes grown in California. 

Assessments upon raisin handlers are 

used by the committee to fund 

reasonable and necessary expenses of 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with PROPOSALS