Raisins Produced From Grapes Grown in California; Order Amending Marketing Order No. 989
Key claim: USDA has finalized changes to the California raisin marketing order that shrink the industry’s governing committee from 47 to 21 seats, drop district and cooperative-bargaining seats, and let the committee take voluntary contributions and own intellectual property.
Abstract
(Rule · Agriculture Department, Agricultural Marketing Service) This final rule amends Marketing Order No. 989, which regulates the handling of raisins produced from grapes grown in California. The Department of Agriculture approves and adopts amendments proposed by the Raisin Administrative Committee (Committee) after due consideration of a public hearing record, and after California raisin producers voted in favor of such amendments in a referendum. This rule reduces the Committee membership size from 47 to 21, removes producer district representation and adds an unaffiliated producer member seat, eliminates the designated cooperative bargaining association member seat, and lowers quorum requirements from 25 to 14; removes the requirement for separate member and alternate member position nominations for independent and small cooperative producers; removes factor 4 and part of factor 5 for establishing marketing policy and adds language clarifying the quality of reconditioned raisins; and adds authority to accept voluntary contributions and language regarding ownership of intellectual property. In addition, this action makes necessary changes to the marketing order to conform to the amendments adopted.
Why this matters
Marketing orders set the governance structures that California raisin growers, handlers, and cooperatives use to coordinate on volume, research, and promotion, so a smaller committee with new financial and IP authorities reshapes who sets industry rules and how they are funded. The amendment leaves core producer-handler regulation intact but reduces direct district and cooperative representation, which affects how growers’ interests are channeled into AMS decisions.