The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that U.S. producers and importers of Christmas trees voted to continue their federal research and promotion program. In a referendum held by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) May 1 through May 31, 2018, 51 percent of producers and importers voting in the referendum favored continuation of the program.
To participate in the referendum, producers and importers must have produced or imported more than 500 Christmas trees from September 1, 2017 through March 15, 2018. A majority of producers and importers voting in the referendum had to approve the program for it to continue.
The order establishing the program required USDA to conduct a referendum not later than three years after assessments first began to determine whether eligible producers and importers favor continuing the program. A referendum must be held every seven years after the first referendum and may also be conducted at the request of the Christmas Tree Promotion Board, at the request of 10 percent or more of persons eligible to vote in a referendum, or at any time as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture.
USDA will conduct another referendum in approximately one year.
The program was developed to expand the market and uses of fresh-cut Christmas trees in the United States. The Board has administered the program since 2015. More information about the Christmas tree program is available on the Christmas Tree Promotion Board page of the AMS website or the Promotion Board's website.
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