Pecan growers in 15 states nationwide will vote from March 9-30 on creating a checkoff program that would raise up to $8 million a year for research and promotion of the nut crop, according to a notice to appear today in the Federal Register.
A council of 17 growers and shellers would oversee the program if it is approved. The program would be funded through assessments on pecan handlers of 1-2 cents per pound for native or seedling pecans and substandard classified pecans, and 2-3 cents per pound for improved classified pecans.
A trade group, the American Pecan Board, has campaigned since 2013 for a checkoff program. It says a marketing order would allow collection of data on production and stock, lead to uniform quality standards for pecans, and reduce volatility in the market. ” As an industry, we leave the door wide open for increased competition from other organized tree nut groups,” says the group.
Voting in the referendum will be growers in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas.
Two decades ago, growers voted by a landslide margin to end a pecan checkoff in a referendum that would have quadrupled the assessment to 2 cents per pound.