On February 12, 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced amendments to the federal marketing order regulating the handling of walnuts grown in California.
These amendments authorize the California Walnut Board to provide credit for market promotion expenses paid by handlers against their annual assessments due under the program. The amendments were approved in a referendum conducted November 30 through December 11, 2020. They were favored by 80.57% of the growers voting, representing 82.81% of the total volume of walnuts. To gain approval, the amendments needed support of at least two-thirds of the growers voting in the referendum or at least two-thirds of the volume of walnuts grown by those voting in the referendum. A final rule amending the marketing order will be published in the Federal Register.
This authority will allow for handlers to receive a credit-back for eligible marketing expenditures of 70 cents for every dollar in spend. This important authority is one of the ways the CWB is modernizing the Order to make it work harder for industry, using every possible tool available to spur new investment in new product development/marketing initiatives to continue growing walnut consumption.
More details can be found here: https://www.ams.usda.gov/content/usda-announces-results-walnut-marketing-order-referendum-0
