August 5, 2015
www.gfb.org
Vol. 33 No. 31
PECAN STAKEHOLDERS TESTIFY IN FEDERAL MARKETING ORDER HEARING Georgia pecan growers, shellers and industry leaders gave testimony in support of a proposed federal marketing order (FMO) for their crop during a three-day hearing the USDA held July 2729 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Tifton. On July 28, Garrett Ganas, chairman of the Georgia Farm Bureau Pecan Advisory Committee, testified in favor of the marketing order. “Farm Bureau supports the right of growers to vote on a national promotion program and recognizes the many benefits that can come from the program,” Ganas said. “As a small producer – I grow 150 acres and do some custom work for other growers – and as a young producer, I think this is the future of our industry. As a unified industry we can better gain funding for research and crop information. I have children and my orchard is something I’d like to pass on to them. I feel like through a national Garrett Ganas promotion program we will have better research, better promotion and better price support and we have a better chance of competing on the national market against other tree nuts.” Leaders of the U.S. pecan industry formed the American Pecan Board (APB) several years ago and have been working to establish the FMO in hopes it will increase domestic demand for pecans the same way marketing orders for almonds and pistachios have. The marketing order would affect commercial growers who own a minimum of 30 acres or annually produce a minimum of 50,000 pounds of inshell pecans. If pecan producers in the 15 states where pecans are commercially grown pass the FMO during a referendum to be held next year, the final assessment rate would be determined after the first American Pecan Council is seated. Proposed rates for three categories of pecans are: 1-2 cents/inshell pound for native and seedling varieties; 1-2 cents/inshell pound for sub-standard pecans and 2-3 cents/inshell pound for improved varieties. Based on these proposed assessment rates, if a small grower produced the minimum amount of 50,000 pounds of improved pecan varieties, the first handler to receive his crop would pay $1,500 to the FMO. If the grower produced an additional 500 pounds of sub-standard pecans, his crop would be assessed an additional $5. “That’s a pretty good example of what you would pay on the small end of production,” Ganas -continued