[Federal Register: July 21, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 139)]
[Notices]
[Page 43559-43560]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21jy04-34]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
[No. LS-04-11]
Results of Soybean Request for Referendum
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) Request for
Referendum shows that too few soybean producers want a referendum on
the
[[Page 43560]]
Soybean Promotion and Research Order (Order) for one to be conducted.
The Request for Referendum was held from May 1, 2004, through May 28,
2004, at the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) county Farm Service
Agency offices. To trigger a referendum 66,388 soybean producers must
complete a Request for Referendum. The number of soybean producers
requesting a referendum was 3,206.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth R. Payne, Chief; Marketing
Programs Branch, Room 2638-S; Livestock and Seed Program, AMS, USDA;
STOP 0251; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW.; Washington, DC 20250-0251,
telephone number 202/720-1115, or via e-mail at Kenneth.Payne@usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Soybean Promotion, Research,
and Consumer Information Act (Act) (7 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), every 5
years the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) will give soybean
producers the opportunity to request a referendum on the Order. If the
Secretary determines that at least 10 percent of U.S. producers engaged
in growing soybeans (not in excess of one-fifth of which may be
producers in any one State) support the conduct of a referendum, the
Secretary must conduct a referendum within 1 year of that
determination. If these requirements are not met, a referendum would
not be conducted.
A notice of opportunity to Request a Soybean Referendum was
publicized in the Federal Register (69 FR 15289) on March 25, 2004. To
be eligible to participate in the Request for Referendum, producers or
the producer entity that they are authorized to represent must have
certified and provided supporting documentation showing that they or
the producer entity they represent paid on assessment sometime during
the representative period between January 1, 2002, and December 31,
2003.
According to USDA, there are 663,880 soybean producers in the
United States (see 69 FR 13458).
A total of 3,206 valid Requests for Referendum were completed by
eligible soybean producers. This number does not meet the requisite
number of 66,388. Therefore, based on the Request for Referendum
results, a referendum will not be conducted. In accordance with the
provisions of the Act, soybean producers will be provided another
opportunity to request a referendum in 5 years.
The following is the State-by-State results of the Request for
Referendum:
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Number of
valid
State requests
for
referendum
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Alabama.................................................... 0
Alaska..................................................... 0
Arizona.................................................... 0
Arkansas................................................... 19
California................................................. 0
Colorado................................................... 4
Connecticut................................................ 0
Delaware................................................... 1
Florida.................................................... 0
Georgia.................................................... 6
Hawaii..................................................... 0
Idaho...................................................... 0
Illinois................................................... 1,145
Indiana.................................................... 220
Iowa....................................................... 542
Kansas..................................................... 92
Kentucky................................................... 11
Louisiana.................................................. 2
Maine...................................................... 0
Maryland................................................... 6
Massachusetts.............................................. 0
Michigan................................................... 49
Minnesota.................................................. 258
Mississippi................................................ 4
Missouri................................................... 182
Montana.................................................... 0
Nebraska................................................... 92
Nevada..................................................... 0
New Hampshire.............................................. 0
New Jersey................................................. 1
New Mexico................................................. 0
New York................................................... 1
North Carolina............................................. 18
North Dakota............................................... 16
Ohio....................................................... 331
Oklahoma................................................... 7
Oregon..................................................... 0
Pennsylvania............................................... 20
Puerto Rico................................................ 0
Rhode Island............................................... 0
South Carolina............................................. 4
South Dakota............................................... 112
Tennessee.................................................. 9
Texas...................................................... 5
Utah....................................................... 0
Vermont.................................................... 0
Virginia................................................... 10
Washington................................................. 0
West Virginia.............................................. 11
Wisconsin.................................................. 28
Wyoming.................................................... 0
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Total.................................................... 3,206
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Authority: 7 U.S.C. 6301-6311.
Dated: July 14, 2004.
A. J. Yates,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 04-16487 Filed 7-20-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-M