In March, growers will vote on a referendum to establish one for their industry.
Market orders assess a fee, which is used to collectively fund programs to benefit the industry.
If passed, Don Ament, commissioner of the Colorado Department of Agriculture, will appoint a board that will oversee the specific allocation of the funds. The Sunflower Marketing Order would raise funds through a maximum assessment of 3 cents per hundredweight of seed produced, said Ament. The funds would be used for both promotion and research for Colorado sunflower production. Ballots will be mailed on March 9, and voters will have until March 23 to return them. To vote, growers must have produced a minimum of 20 acres of commercial sunflower in any year since the 1998 growing season.