Texas onion industry wraps up first-ever marketing campaign freshplaza.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from freshplaza.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
March 17, 2021
Earlier this year Texans were told that their onion marketing order would remain in place at least through this season, but last week the South Texas Onion Committee was surprised with sudden news that the marketing order was immediately being suspended. Now it seems things have changed once again and the USDA will be reinstating both the domestic and international regulations associated with the south Texas onions Federal Marketing Order.
AMS is initiating a rulemaking process to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on a proposed rule to terminate the marketing order. In order to provide for a smooth transition and because the Texas onion season has already started, the requirement for grading and certification services performed by the Federal and Federal-State Inspection Service remain in effect until the rulemaking process concludes, said Sonia N. Jimenez, deputy administrator for Specialty Crops Program.
USDA announces suspension of South Texas Onion marketing order provisions
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced suspension of the South Texas Onion marketing order provisions. This action is a result of a referendum held by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service concerning continuance of the marketing order.
In the referendum, held Sept. 21 through Oct. 13, 2020, 57% of south Texas onion producers, representing 53% of the volume produced by those voting, favored continuing the marketing order. For the marketing order to continue, two-thirds or more of producers voting, or producers representing the production of two-thirds or more of the volume produced, needed to vote in favor of continuance.
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March 11, 2021
The South Texas Onion Committee was dumbstruck at 3:30 p.m. on March 9. A USDA Agricultural Marketing Service representative in Florida, the liaison to the South Texas Onion Committee, called Dante Galeazzi with sudden news that the marketing order was immediately being suspended.
Galeazzi, who is the executive manager of the South Texas Onion Committee, told The Produce News on March 10 that he and other Texas onion leaders met with the AMS via Zoom in January. The Texans were told that their onion marketing order would remain in place at least through this season. The future of the marketing order would be reviewed before the 2022 Texas onion season.
USDA suspends South Texas Onion marketing order – Produce Blue Book producebluebook.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from producebluebook.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.