USDA to Conduct Vote on Continuance of Pecan Marketing Order

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will conduct a referendum among eligible pecan growers July 6 through Aug. 3, 2026, to determine their level of support for continuing their federal marketing order.

The order requires USDA to conduct a continuance referendum every five years. To be eligible to vote, growers within the production area must have produced a minimum average of 50,000 pounds of inshell pecans over the four years from Oct. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2025, or must own a minimum of 30 pecan acres within the production area.

USDA would consider termination of the order if less than two-thirds of the growers voting in the referendum, and less than two-thirds of the pecan volume represented in the referendum, vote in favor of continuance. Notice of the referendum was published in the Federal Register on June 12, 2026.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will mail ballots and voting instructions to all growers of record. Growers will also have the option to vote by electronic ballot. Eligible growers who do not receive a ballot by Jul. 14, 2026, should contact Jennie Varela at [email protected] or (863) 324-3375. Requests for ballots may also be mailed to USDA, AMS, 1124 First Street South, Winter Haven, Florida 33880.

More information about the marketing order is available on the AMS 986 Pecans webpage.

Authorized by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, marketing orders are industry-driven programs that help growers and handlers achieve marketing success by leveraging their own funds to design and execute programs that they would not be able to do individually. AMS provides oversight to fruit, vegetable, and specialty crops marketing orders and agreements, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.

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