The USDA has published a proposed rule that would increase the assessment rate for onions produced within the Walla Walla sweet onion marketing order.
This proposed rule would increase the assessment rate for Walla Walla sweet onions handled under the marketing order from 15 cents per 50-pound bag or equivalent — the rate that was established for the 2020 and subsequent fiscal periods — to 20 cents per 50-pound bag or equivalent for the 2023 and subsequent fiscal periods.
The proposed increase would implement a recommendation from the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Marketing Committee, the Federal Register notice said.
The proposed rule is issued under Marketing Agreement and Order No. 956, regulating the handling of sweet onions grown in the Walla Walla Valley of southeast Washington and northeast Oregon, the notice said. The committee locally administers the order and is comprised of producers and handlers of Walla Walla sweet onions operating within the area of production, along with a public member, according to the USDA.
Background
The committee met Dec. 5, 2022, and unanimously recommended 2023 fiscal period expenditures of $70,400 and an assessment rate of 20 cents per 50-pound bag or the equivalent of Walla Walla sweet onions handled for the 2023 fiscal period. In comparison, last year’s budgeted expenditures were $85,270, the notice said.
The committee projects handler receipts of 262,500 50-pound bags or the equivalent of assessable Walla Walla sweet onions for the 2023 fiscal period, which is 16,150 50-pound bags or equivalent more than was projected for the 2022 fiscal period.
Major expenditures recommended by the committee for the 2023 fiscal period include $43,400 for administrative expenses, $17,000 for promotions, $5,000 for research and $5,000 for committee travel.
The expected 262,500 50-pound bags or the equivalent of Walla Walla sweet onions from the 2023 crop would generate $52,500 in assessment revenue at the proposed assessment rate. The remaining $17,900 needed to cover budgeted expenditures would come from reserve funds carried over from previous fiscal periods.
Comments on the proposed rule must be received by July 17, according to the USDA, and can be directed to MarketingOrderComment@usda.gov.
