[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 7, Volume 7]
[Revised as of January 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 7CFR711.21]

[Page 59-60]
 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
                            CHAPTER VII--FARM
                SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 
PART 711--MARKETING QUOTA REVIEW REGULATIONS--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 711.21  Conduct of hearing.

    (a) Open to public. Except as otherwise provided in Secs. 711.1 to 
711.50, each hearing shall take place before the entire review committee 
and shall be presided over by the chairman of such committee. The 
hearing shall be open to the public and shall be conducted in a fair and 
impartial manner and in such a way as to afford the applicant, members 
of the appropriate county and community committees, and appropriate 
officers and agents of the Department of Agriculture, and all persons 
appearing on behalf of such parties, reasonable opportunity to give and 
produce evidence relevant to the quota being reviewed.
    (b) Consolidation of hearings. Wherever practicable, two or more 
applications relating to the same commodity and the same farm shall be 
consolidated by the review committee on its own motion or at the request 
of the State executive director and heard at the same time on the same 
record. In any case involving two or more farms resulting from 
reconstitution by division of a parent farm, the hearing shall be 
consolidated.
    (c) Representation. The applicant and the Secretary may be 
represented at the hearing. The county committee shall be present or 
represented at the hearing.
    (d) Order of procedure. At the commencement of the hearing, the 
chairman of the review committee shall read or cause to be read the 
pertinent portions of the application for review. The written answer of 
the county committee shall be submitted and shall be made a part of the 
record of the hearing. If the applicant asserts and shows to the 
satisfaction of the review committee that he has not been informed of 
the county committee's position in time to afford him adequate 
opportunity to prepare and present his case, the review committee shall 
continue the hearing, without notice other than announcement thereof at 
the hearing, for such period of time as will afford the applicant 
reasonable opportunity to meet the issues of fact and law involved. 
After answer by the county committee and following such continuance, if 
any, as may be granted by the review committee, evidence shall be 
received with respect to the matters relevant to the quota under review 
in such order as the chairman of the review committee shall prescribe. 
The review committee may take official notice of relevant publications 
of the Department of Agriculture and regulations of the Secretary.
    (e) Submission of evidence. The burden of proof shall be upon the 
applicant as to all issues of fact raised by him. Each witness shall 
testify under oath or affirmation administered by the member of the 
review committee who is presiding at the hearing. The review committee 
shall confine the evidence to pertinent matters and shall exclude 
irrelevant, immaterial, or unduly repetitious evidence. Interested 
persons shall be permitted to present oral and documentary evidence, to 
submit rebuttal evidence and to conduct such cross-examination as may be 
required for a full and true disclosure of the facts. The hearing shall 
be concluded within such reasonable time as may be determined by the 
review committee.
    (f) Transcript of testimony. The review committee shall provide for 
the taking of such notes including but not limited to stenographic 
reports or recordings at the hearing as will enable it to make

[[Page 60]]

a summary of the proceedings and the testimony received at the hearing. 
The testimony received at the hearing shall be reported verbatim by a 
representative of a private firm under an existing Departmental contract 
for such services if the review committee, the State Executive Director, 
or the applicant, requests such transcript be made. If such transcript 
is so requested, the State Executive Director shall advise the Deputy 
Administrator, State and County Operations, prior to the hearing date 
who will then arrange for the service. A copy of such transcript shall 
be furnished to each of the following: The review committee, the State 
Executive Director, and the Regional Attorney, Office of the General 
Counsel, United States Department of Agriculture. The applicant or his 
representative may obtain a copy from the firm at his own expense.
    (g) Written arguments and proposed findings. The review committee 
shall permit the applicant, the members of the appropriate county and 
community committees, and appropriate officers and agents of the 
Department of Agriculture to file written arguments and proposed 
findings of fact and conclusions, based on the evidence adduced at the 
hearing, for the consideration of the review committee within such 
reasonable time after the conclusion of the hearing as may be prescribed 
by the review committee. Such written arguments and proposed findings 
shall be filed in triplicate with the clerk and an additional copy 
thereof shall be provided to the other party.

[35 FR 15355, Oct. 2, 1970, as amended by Amdt. 5, 38 FR 16989, June 28, 
1973]