FV-60 Producers Referendum Ballot (Spearmint Oil) (Amendment &

FAR WEST SPEARMINT OIL BALLOT
UNITED STAlES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultw"alMarketing Service
Fruit and Vegetable Programs
Northwest Marketing Field Office
1220 SW 3RD AVE SlE 385
POR1LAND OR 97204-2807

TO FAR WEST SPEARMINT OIL PRODUCERS:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is conducting a referendum to determine whether spearmint oil
producers in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and that portion of Nevada north of the 37thparallel and that
portion of Utah west of the liith meridian favor continuance of Federal Marketing Order No. 985. As a
consequence, an order directing that a referendum be held was published in the Federal Register on
A Producer Referendum Ballot is on the reverse side of this page. Also enclosed are:
I) Voting Instructions and Rules Governing Producer Eligibility to Vote;
2) News Release issued on the Referendum; and
3) Copy of the Referendum Order dated
The voting period for the referendum is
ballots postmarked later than
strict confidence.

, Referendum Agent
Phone: (503) 326-2724

through

. Please vote promptly because

, cannot be opened or counted. Each ballot will be held in

VOTING INSTRUCTIONS AND RULES GOVERNING PRODUCER ELIGmILITY

TO VOTE

I.

VOTING PERIOD:

II.

REPRESENTATIVE PERIOD:

m.

PRODUCTION AREA: States of Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and that portion of Nevada north of
the 37thparallel and that portion of Utah west of the 111thmeridian.

IV.

PERSONS ELIGffiLE TO VOTE: Any person who is currently a spearmint oil producer in the
production area and produced such spearmint oil during the representative period

through

through
through

, is entitledto cast oneballot. Each separate business unit, partnership, LLC,

family enterprise, corporation, association, estate, or firm is entitled to one vote.
"Producer" means any individual, partnership, LLC, corporation, association, institution, estate, or
other business unit who:

·
·
·

V.

Owns and farms land resulting in ownership of the spearmint oil produced thereon;
Rents and farms land resulting in ownership of all or a portion of the spearmint oil produced
thereon; or
Owns land ITomwhich, as rental for such land, ownership is obtained of a portion of the
spearmint oil produced thereon. (A lien holder, cash landlord, or person having only a financial
interest in the spearmint oil crop is not eligible to vote.)

HOW TO VOTE:
A. Indicate your vote by placing an "X" in the appropriate box.
B. Certify your spearmint oil production by listing the volume in pounds that you produced, the
number of acres in production, and the county or counties in which such spearmint oil was
produced during the representative period
through
. If you are renting
on a share-crop basis, you should show only that part of the crop represented by your share.
C. List the handlers that handled your spearmint oil, the pounds, and affiliation (co-op or
independent).
D. Print or type your name, phone number, business name, and address.
E. Proxy voting is not authorized. Ifballot is cast by an officer or employee of a partnership, LLC,
corporation, association or other business unit, check box to indicate your business designation,
and sign to indicate authority to vote. If partnership or joint venture, list names of partners.
F. Sign below the certification. Incomplete or unsigned ballots cannot be counted. Fold your ballot
so the Referendum Agent's address is displayed, seal with tape and mail to Referendum Agent,
USDA-AMS-FV-NWMFO, 1220 SW 3RD AVB STE 385, PORTLAND, OR 97204-2807. For
further information, please call (503) 326-2724.

Ballots must be postmarked by

.

OMB No. 0581-0178

REPRODUCE LOCALLY. Include Connnumber and date on all reproductions.

PRODUCER REFERENDUM BALLOT
Marketing Order NO. 985: Regulating the Handling
of Spearmint Oil Produced in the Far West
Please read the enclosed VOTING INSTRUCTIONS AND RULES GOVERNING PRODUCER ELIGIBILI1Y
TO VOTE before completing this ballot.
This referendum is being held to determine producer support for the federal marketing order regulating the
handling of spearmint oil grown in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and that portion of Nevada north of the 37th
parallel and that portion of Utah west of the lllth meridian. The Secretary of Agriculture will consider
termination of this order if less than two-thirds of those voting and less than two-thirds of the volume
represented in the referendum favor continuance.
A.

Do you favor continuance of Marketing Order No. 985, regulating the handling of spearmint oil
grown in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and that portion of Nevada north of the 37thparallel and that
portion of Utah west of the lllth meridian?

DNO

DYES

PRODUCER ELIGIBILITY STATEMENT
B.

I hereby certify that I am currently a producer of spearmint oil within the production area and that
during the representative period
, through
, I produced for market:
In

on
Pounds

Acres

County(ies)

c.

Name ofHandler(s) that
Handled your Spearmint Oil

Pounds

Affiliation
(co-op or independent)

D.

Phone Number

Producer's Name
Name of Business
Mailing Address
State

City

E.

Zip

If this ballot is cast by an officer or employee of a partnership, LLC, corporation, association or other
business unit, my signature below further certifies that I am duly authorized to vote on behalf of the
producing entity name on this ballot and that I will submit evidence of such authority at the request of
an Agent of the Secretary.

D Partnership D LLC D Corporation D Association D Other
Title

Signature*

IfPartnersbip

F.

or Joint Venture, list name(s).

I hereby certify that the information I provided on this ballot is accurate and correct to the best
of my knowledge.

Signature*

Title

*Your signature certifies that you have the authority to take such action and will submit supplementary evidence of such authority
at the request of an agent of the Secretary of Agriculture. The infonnation provided in tbis ballot is required to determine voter
eligibility and vote of spearmint oil producers. Falsification of infonnation on tbis govermnent document may result in a fine of
not more than $10,000 or imprisonment of not more than five (5) years, or both (18 U.S.C. 1001).
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to a collection ofinfonnation unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for tbis
infonnation collection is 0581-0178. The time required to complete tbis infonnation collection is estimated to average 20 minutes
per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data
needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) probibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color,
national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation,
genetic infonnation, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance
program (Not all probibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for
communication of program infonnation (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202)
720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400
Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is
an equal opportunity provider and employer.

FV-60 (12/06)

FAR WEST SPEARMINT OIL BALLOT
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT
Agricultural Marketing Service
Fruit and Vegetable Programs
Northwest Marketing Field Office
1220 SW 3RD A VB S1E 385
PORTLAND OR 97204-2807

OF AGRICULTIJRE

Referendum Agent
USDA-AMS-F&V-NWMFO
1220 SW 3RD AVE STE 385
PORTLAND OR 97204-2807

FAR WEST
SPEARMINT OIL
BALLOT