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

35409 

Vol. 86, No. 126 

Tuesday, July 6, 2021 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

7 CFR Part 986 

[Doc. No. AMS–SC–20–0081; SC20–986–2 

CR] 

Pecans Grown in the States of 

Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, 

California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, 

Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North 

Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, 

South Carolina, and Texas; 

Continuance Referendum; Reopening 

of Voting Period 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Referendum order; amendment 

to referendum order. 

SUMMARY: This document reopens the 

voting period for the referendum being 

conducted among eligible growers of 

pecans grown in the states of Alabama, 

Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, 

Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, 

Mississippi, North Carolina, New 

Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and 

Texas to determine whether they favor 

continuance of the marketing order 

regulating the handling of pecans 

produced in the production area. The 

voting period has been reopened for an 

additional 25 days from June 29, 2021, 

to July 23, 2021. 

DATES: The voting period for the 

referendum will be reopened from June 

29 through July 23, 2021. Only current 

pecan growers within the production 

area that produced a minimum average 

of 50,000 pounds of inshell pecans over 

the four years from October 1, 2016, to 

September 30, 2020, or own a minimum 

of 30 pecan acres are eligible to vote in 

this referendum. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the marketing 

order may be obtained from the 

Southeast Marketing Field Office, 

Marketing Order and Agreement 

Division, Specialty Crops Program, 

AMS, USDA, 1124 First Street South, 

Winter Haven, FL 33880; Telephone: 

(863) 324–3375; or from the Marketing 

Order and Agreement Division, 

Specialty Crops Program, AMS, USDA, 

1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 

0237, Washington, DC 20250–0237; 

Telephone: (202) 720–2491; or on the 

internet: https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/

text-idx?SID=cf046522bce89ba62d7

5961df4db8b6d&mc=true&node=pt7.8.

986&rgn=div5. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Abigail Campos, Marketing Specialist, 

or Christian D. Nissen, Regional 

Director, Southeast Marketing Field 

Office, Marketing Order and Agreement 

Division, Specialty Crops Program, 

AMS, USDA, 1124 First Street South, 

Winter Haven, FL 33880; Telephone: 

(863) 324–3375, Fax: (863) 291–8614, or 

Email: Abigail.Campos@usda.gov or 

Christian.Nissen@usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant 

to Marketing Agreement and Order No. 

986, as amended (7 CFR part 986), 

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 

growers. 

A referendum order was published in 

the Federal Register on April 13, 2021 

(86 FR 19152). The referendum order 

specified that the voting period would 

be from June 7, 2021, through June 28, 

2021. USDA has received requests from 

industry members to extend the voting 

period as not all eligible growers had 

received ballots and needed additional 

time to request one prior to the end of 

the voting period. Therefore, to facilitate 

full grower participation in the 

referendum, USDA is reopening the 

voting period from June 29 through July 

23, 2021. During this time, USDA will 

continue to mail ballots to eligible 

voters who request a ballot. All ballots 

received during the previous voting 

period and the reopened voting period 

will be accepted. Voters who have 

already submitted a ballot need to take 

no further action. 

To be eligible to participate in the 

continuance referendum, a grower must 

have produced a minimum average of 

50,000 pounds of inshell pecans during 

the four-year period from October 1, 

2016, to September 30, 2020 or must 

own a minimum of 30 pecan acres. 

USDA has determined continuance 

referenda are an effective means for 

determining whether growers favor the 

continuation of marketing order 

programs. The Order will continue in 

effect if two-thirds of the growers that 

cast votes, or growers representing twothirds of the volume of pecans voted in 

the referendum, cast ballots in favor of 

continuance. In evaluating the merits of 

continuance versus termination, USDA 

will 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 ballots used in the 

referendum have been approved by the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) and have been assigned OMB 

No. 0581–0291, Federal Marketing 

Order for Pecans. It has been estimated 

it will take an average of 20 minutes for 

each of the approximately 4,270 growers 

of pecans to cast a ballot. Participation 

is voluntary. Ballots postmarked after 

July 23, 2021, will not be included in 

the vote tabulation. 

Abigail Campos, Dolores Lowenstine, 

and Christian D. Nissen of the Southeast 

Marketing Field Office, Specialty Crops 

Program, AMS, USDA, are hereby 

designated as the referendum agents for 

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 et seq.). 

Ballots may be obtained from the 

referendum agents or their appointees at 

the previously mentioned contact 

information. 

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 986 

Marketing agreements, Pecans, 

Reporting and recordkeeping 

requirements. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 601–674. 

Erin Morris, 

Associate Administrator, Agricultural 

Marketing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–14280 Filed 7–2–21; 8:45 am] 

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