Date December 16, 2022 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that producers of south Texas onions voted to continue their marketing order program.
In a referendum held between Sep. 1 and Oct. 3, 2022, continuance of the marketing order was favored by 78.6% of Texas onion producers voting in the referendum, and by 73.7% of the volume voted in the referendum. For the marketing order to continue, two-thirds or more of producers voting, or producers representing two-thirds or more of the volume voted, needed to vote in favor of continuance.
In 2020, USDA conducted a referendum with south Texas onion producers. The results failed to reach the required level of support from voting producers to continue the marketing order. However, feedback received during the public comment period on the proposed termination of the program demonstrated support for keeping the order.
To assess the true level of producer support for the program, the Secretary of Agriculture determined that conducting a second referendum was appropriate. In lieu of the vote in favor of continuance, USDA will publish a withdrawal of the proposed rule to terminate the order.
The marketing order provides authority to the South Texas Onion Committee to establish quality regulations, pack and container requirements, and research and promotion programs for onions grown in South Texas.
More information about the marketing order regulating the handling of onions grown in south Texas is available on the AMS 959 South Texas Onions webpage, the Marketing Orders and Agreements webpage, or by contacting the Market Development Division at (202) 720-2491.
Authorized by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, marketing orders are industry-driven programs that help producers and handlers achieve marketing success by leveraging their own funds to design and execute programs that they would not be able to do individually. AMS provides oversight to 27 fruit, vegetable, and specialty crop marketing orders and agreements, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.
