USA: Amendments to the Marketing Order on Almonds Grown in California
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service has issued a final rule amending Marketing Order No. 981, which regulates the handling of almonds grown in California. This rule modifies the definition of almonds and shelled almonds, establishes a definition for “almond biomass,” and changes the dates when the Almond Board of California conducts elections to coincide with assessment collections and when the Board submits volume regulation recommendations to USDA. The amendments modify certain marketing order provisions to facilitate orderly administration of the program. Additionally, the amendments modernize, simplify or align language with current industry practices and definitions.