Proposed Rule2025-18232
Watermelon Research and Promotion Plan; Realignment
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Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 19, 2025
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentAgricultural Marketing Service
Abstract
This proposed rule invites comments on realigning the representation on the National Watermelon Promotion Board (Board) prescribed in the Watermelon Research and Promotion Plan (Plan) by adjusting several production districts and reducing the number of importers on the Board. This action would contribute to effective administration of the program.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 180 (Friday, September 19, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 180 (Friday, September 19, 2025)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 45155-45159]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-18232]
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Proposed Rules
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 180 / Friday, September 19, 2025 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 45155]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
7 CFR Part 1210
[Doc. No. AMS-SC-25-0008]
Watermelon Research and Promotion Plan; Realignment
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This proposed rule invites comments on realigning the
representation on the National Watermelon Promotion Board (Board)
prescribed in the Watermelon Research and Promotion Plan (Plan) by
adjusting several production districts and reducing the number of
importers on the Board. This action would contribute to effective
administration of the program.
DATES: Comments must be received by October 20, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments
concerning this proposed rule. You may send comments on this proposed
rule to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/">https://www.regulations.gov/</a>.
You can access this proposed rule and instructions for submitting
public comments by searching for the rule title. Comments may also be
mailed to the Docket Clerk, Market Development Division, Specialty
Crops Program, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA), 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 1406-S, STOP
0244, Washington, DC 20250-0237; or submitted electronically by email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#80d3cdaed5d3c4c1aecdd2d0aec1cdd3aecdc4c4c3efedede5eef4c0f5f3e4e1aee7eff6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="67342a4932342326492a353749262a34492a232324080a0a020913271214030649000811">[email protected]</span></a>. Comments should reference the
document number and the date and page number of this issue of the
Federal Register. All comments will be made available for public
inspection in the Office of the Docket Clerk during regular business
hours or can be viewed at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. Comments
submitted in response to this proposed rule will be included in the
rulemaking record and will be made available to the public. Please be
advised that comments are posted as submitted without change and the
identity of the individuals or entities submitting the comments will be
public. Do not submit confidential business information, or otherwise
proprietary, sensitive or protected information. AMS will not post or
consider comments that contain profanity, vulgarity, threats, or other
inappropriate language or like content.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexandra Caryl, Branch Chief, Mid-
Atlantic Region Branch, Market Development Division, Specialty Crop
Program, AMS, USDA, STOP 0244, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 1406-
S, Washington, DC 20250-0244; Telephone: (202) 720-8805; or Email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#16577a736e7778726477385577646f7a566365727738717960"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7c3d1019041d12180e1d523f1d0e05103c090f181d521b130a">[email protected]</span></a>, or William Hodges, Marketing Specialist, Mid-
Atlantic Region Branch, Market Development Division, Specialty Crops
Program, AMS, USDA, STOP 0244, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 1406-
S, Washington, DC 20250-0244; Telephone: (443) 571-8456; or Email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#36615f5a5a5f575b187e595251534504764345525718515940"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a1f6c8cdcdc8c0cc8fe9cec5c6c4d293e1d4d2c5c08fc6ced7">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This proposed rule affecting the Watermelon
Research and Promotion Plan (7 CFR part 1210) (Plan) is authorized by
the Watermelon Research and Promotion Act (7 U.S.C. 4901-4916) (Act).
Executive Orders 12866 and 13563
USDA is issuing this proposed rule in conformance with Executive
Orders 12866, as amended by Executive Order 13563. Executive Orders
12866 and 13563 direct agencies to assess all costs and benefits of
available regulatory alternatives and, if regulation is necessary, to
select regulatory approaches that maximize net benefits (including
potential economic, environmental, public health and safety effects,
distributive impacts, and equity). Executive Order 13563 emphasizes the
importance of quantifying both costs and benefits, reducing costs,
harmonizing rules, and promoting flexibility. This rule is not a
significant regulatory action within the meaning of Executive Order
12866. Accordingly, this action has not been reviewed by the Office of
Management and Budget under section 6 of the Executive Order 12866.
Executive Order 13175
This action was reviewed in accordance with the requirements of
Executive Order 13175, Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal
Governments, which requires agencies to consider whether their
rulemaking actions will have Tribal implications. AMS determined that
this proposed rule is unlikely to have substantial direct effects on
one or more Indian Tribes, or the relationship between the Federal
Government and Indian Tribes, or on the distribution of power and
responsibilities between the Federal Government and Indian Tribes.
Executive Order 12988
This proposed rule was reviewed under Executive Order 12988, Civil
Justice Reform. The Act provides that it shall not affect or preempt
any other Federal or State law authorizing promotion or research
relating to an agricultural commodity.
Under section 1650 of the Act (7 U.S.C. 4909), a person may file a
written petition with the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) if they
believe that the Plan, any provision of the Plan, or any obligation
imposed in connection with the Plan, is not in accordance with the law.
In any petition, the person may request a modification of the Plan or
an exemption from the Plan. The petitioner will have the opportunity
for a hearing on the petition. Afterwards, an Administrative Law Judge
(ALJ) will issue a decision. If the petitioner disagrees with the ALJ's
ruling, the petitioner has 30 days to appeal to the Judicial Officer,
who will issue a ruling on behalf of the Secretary. If the petitioner
disagrees with the Secretary's ruling, the petitioner may file, within
20 days, an appeal in the U.S. District Court for the district where
the petitioner resides or conducts business.
Background
This proposal invites comments on realigning the Board's
representation and procedures under the Plan. The Board administers the
Plan with oversight by USDA. The Plan is a nationally coordinated
program of research, development, advertising, and promotion designed
to strengthen watermelon's position in the marketplace and to
establish, maintain, and expand markets for watermelons. The program is
financed by assessments
[[Page 45156]]
on producers growing 10 acres or more of watermelons, handlers of
watermelons, and importers of 150,000 pounds of watermelons or more per
year. The Plan specifies that handlers are responsible for collecting
and submitting both producer and handler assessments to the Board,
reporting their handling of watermelons, and maintaining records
necessary to verify their reporting(s). Importers are responsible for
paying assessments to the Board on watermelons imported into the United
States through U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Customs).
This proposal invites comments on realigning the Board by adjusting
several production districts under the Plan for producer and handler
representation on the Board and proportionally reducing the number of
importer seats on the Board from nine to seven. This is intended to
more equally represent the average annual percentage of assessments
paid by importers. These changes were recommended by the Board after a
review of the production volume and assessments paid in each production
district, as well as the assessments paid by importers. The Plan
requires that such a review be conducted at least every five years.
These changes would help facilitate program operations, and the full
Board unanimously voted to recommend these changes to the Secretary at
their meeting on October 15, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. After
consideration of all relevant material presented, including the
information and recommendations submitted by the Committee and other
available information, AMS has determined that this rule is consistent
with and will effectuate the declared policy of the Act.
Section 1210.320(a) of the Plan specifies that the Board shall be
comprised of producers, handlers, importers, and one public
representative appointed by the Secretary. Pursuant to Sec.
1210.320(b), the Plan originally divided the United States into seven
districts of comparable production volumes of watermelons, and each
district was allocated two producer members and two handler members.
Section 1210.320(d) specifies that importer representation on the Board
shall be proportionate to the percentage of assessments paid by
importers to the Board, except that at least one representative of
importers shall serve on the Board.
The current Board is comprised of 30 members: 10 producers (two
from each district), 10 handlers (two from each district), nine
importers, and one public member.
Review of United States Districts
Section 1210.320(c) of the Plan requires the Board, at least every
five years, to review the districts to determine whether realignment is
necessary. In conducting the review, the Board must consider: (1) The
most recent three years of USDA production reports or Board assessment
reports if USDA production reports are unavailable; (2) shifts and
trends in quantities of watermelon produced, and (3) other relevant
factors. As a result of the review, the Board may recommend to USDA
that the districts be realigned.
Pursuant to Sec. 1210.501 of the Plan, the five current districts
are as follows:
District 1--The State of Florida;
District 2--The State of Georgia;
District 3--The States of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana,
Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and
Texas;
District 4--The States of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana,
Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New
Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia,
West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, DC;
District 5--The States of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado,
Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska,
Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah,
Washington, and Wyoming.
The districts listed above were recommended by the Board in 2019
and established through rulemaking by USDA in 2020 (85 FR 56471).
On September 10, 2024, the Board's Redistricting Committee met via
teleconference to conduct a review of the U.S. watermelon production
districts to determine whether realignment was necessary. The committee
reviewed production data for 2021, 2022, and 2023 from USDA's National
Agricultural Statistics Services (NASS), Vegetables Annual Summary for
2023, and Market News Reports. Due to changes in the geographical
coverage of USDA's data collection on watermelon production, Board
assessment data was used for the states for which USDA data was not
available. USDA accepts and confirms the methodology the Board used to
review production data. To protect personally identifiable information
(PII) of watermelon producers and handlers, the assessment data was
converted to a percentage of production for the average of 2021-2023.
The combined data organized by proposed districts is shown in Table 1
below.
Table 1--State Percentages of U.S. Watermelon Production, Based on USDA
and Board Assessment Data (3-Year Averages, 2021-2023), Organized by
Proposed Board Districts
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
District 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FL............................................................. 23.6
------------------------------------------------------------------------
District 2
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GA............................................................. 14.8
Other States \1\............................................... 2.9
--------
Dist. 2 Total.............................................. 17.6
------------------------------------------------------------------------
District 3
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TX............................................................. 9.6
NC............................................................. 5.6
MO............................................................. 3.6
Other States \2\............................................... 0.9
--------
Dist. 3 Total.............................................. 19.7
------------------------------------------------------------------------
District 4 \3\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
IN............................................................. 9.2
DE............................................................. 3.3
Other States \4\............................................... 8.1
--------
Dist. 4 Total.............................................. 20.6
------------------------------------------------------------------------
District 5 \5\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CA............................................................. 11.5
AZ............................................................. 3.7
Other States \6\............................................... 3.3
--------
Dist. 5 Total.............................................. 18.5
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ District 2 ``Other States'' data: SC, AL.
\2\ District 3 ``Other States'' data: TN, OK, AR, MS, LA.
\3\ District 4 states with no production data: CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT,
WI, WV, DC.
\4\ District 4 ``Other States'' data: MI, MD, IL, NY, VA, KY, PA, OH,
NJ.
\5\ District 5 states with no production data: AK, IA, KS, MT, ND, NV,
SD, UT, WY.
\6\ District 5 ``Other States'' data: WA, OR, ID, NM, CO, HI, NE, MN.
On October 15, 2024, the Board reviewed the above data and
recommended the realignment of the U.S. production districts as
follows:
District 1--The State of Florida (no change);
District 2--The States of Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina
(added Alabama and South Carolina from District 3);
District 3--The States of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas (Alabama and
South Carolina moved to District 2, Missouri added from District 5);
District 4--The States of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana,
Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New
Jersey,
[[Page 45157]]
New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West
Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, DC (no change);
District 5--The States of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado,
Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New
Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and
Wyoming (Missouri moved to District 3).
Section 1210.501 of the Plan is proposed to be revised accordingly.
Review of Imports
Section 1210.320(e) of the Plan requires USDA to evaluate the
average annual percentage of assessments paid by importers during the
three-year period preceding the date of the evaluation and adjust, to
the extent practicable, the number of importer representatives on the
Board.
Table 2 below shows domestic and import assessment data for
watermelons for the years 2021, 2022, and 2023 based on the Board's
financial audits from those years. USDA concurs with the methodology
the Board used to determine the percentage of U.S. and import
assessments borne by the industry.
Table 2--U.S. and Import Assessment Data for 2021-2023
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Domestic (U.S.) Import
Year assessments assessments Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021................................................... $2,059,432 $1,168,351 $3,227,783
2022................................................... 1,964,250 1,127,491 3,091,741
2023................................................... 2,092,995 1,195,653 3,288,648
3-Year Average......................................... 2,038,892 1,163,831 3,202,723
Percent of Total....................................... 64 percent 36 percent .................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Based on this data, the three-year average annual import
assessments for watermelons for 2021-2023 was $1,163,831, approximately
36 percent of the Board's assessment income. To make the number of
importers on the Board proportionate to the assessments paid, the
number of importers should decrease from nine to seven members.
The current Board is made up of 45 percent importers. This is
calculated by dividing the nine importers by 20 domestic members (ten
handlers and ten producers). Imports equated to about 36 percent of the
average total assessments received by the Board between 2021 to 2023
($1,163,831.44/$3,202,723.84 = 36.3%). Implementing the recommendation
to reduce the importer representation to seven members would result in
them making up 35 percent of the total Board makeup. This is calculated
by dividing the seven importers proposed by the 20 domestic members,
which is closely aligned with the percentage of assessments paid by the
group, at 36 percent.
To clearly document the change in Board membership for producers,
handlers, and importers, Sec. 1210.502 of the Plan would be revised to
reflect its new composition.
Initial Regulatory Flexibility Act Analysis and Paperwork Reduction Act
Pursuant to requirements set forth in the Regulatory Flexibility
Act (RFA) (5 U.S.C. 601-612), AMS has considered the economic impact of
this action on the small producers, handlers, and importers that would
be affected by this proposed rule. The purpose of the RFA is to fit
regulatory action to scale on businesses subject to such action so that
small businesses will not be disproportionately burdened. The following
analysis was conducted using the most recent data at the time of
writing.
Domestic producers of less than 10 acres of watermelons are exempt
from this program. Importers of less than 150,000 pounds of watermelons
per year are also exempt. According to the Board, there are
approximately 429 producers, 121 first handlers, and 183 importers who
are subject to the provisions of the Plan.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) defines, in 13 CFR part
121, small agricultural producers of watermelons as those having annual
receipts equal to or less than $3.75 million [NAICS code 111219--Other
Vegetable (except Potato) and Melon Farming] and small agricultural
service firms (handlers and importers) as those having annual receipts
equal to or less than $34.0 million [NAICS code 115114--Postharvest
Crop Activities (except Cotton Ginning)]. Under these definitions, the
majority of the producers, handlers, and importers that would be
affected by this proposed rule would be considered small entities. This
conclusion is based on the following computations and data, using the
Board assessment rate at the time of six cents per hundredweight. As of
January 22, 2025, the assessment rate increased to nine cents per
hundredweight following rulemaking (89 FR 104394).
For 2023, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reported
a season average producer price per pound of $0.214. The Board
estimated the freight on board (FOB) price to be $0.284 for both
importers and handlers in 2023. The Board reported that 2023
assessments received from domestic entities totaled $2.247 million,
with equal proportions of $1.1235 million coming from producers and
handlers. Dividing $1.1235 million by half of the previous assessment
rate of $0.06 per hundredweight, as producers and handlers evenly split
the assessment, yields an estimate of total producer pounds assessed of
3,745.0 million ($1.1235 million divided by $0.0003 per pound).
Dividing the total pounds assessed quantity by 429 producers yields an
average assessed pounds per producer estimate of 8.73 million.
Multiplying the annual assessed pounds per producer estimate of 8.73
million pounds by the 2023 NASS season average producer price per pound
of $0.214 yields an average annual watermelon sales receipts per
producer estimate of $1.87 million. This is well below the SBA small
producer size threshold of $3.75 million.
With an equal proportion of annual domestic assessments coming from
handlers, the total handler pounds assessed is also 3,745.0 million.
Dividing total handler pounds assessed by 121 handlers yields an
average assessed pounds per handler estimate of 30.95 million pounds.
Multiplying this estimate of annual assessed pounds per handler of
30.95 million pounds by the season average handler price per pound of
$0.284, provided by the Board, yields an estimate of average annual
watermelon sales receipts per handler of $8.79 million. This is well
below the SBA small handler size threshold of $34.0 million.
The Board reported that assessments received from importers totaled
$1.196 million in 2023. Dividing $1.196 million by the previous
assessment rate of $0.06
[[Page 45158]]
per hundredweight ($0.0006 per pound) yields an estimate of total
importer pounds assessed of 1,993.3 million. Dividing the total pounds
assessed by the number of importers, 183, yields an average assessed
pounds per importer estimate of 10.89 million. Multiplying this
estimate of annual assessed pounds per importer of 10.89 million pounds
by the season average importer price per pound of $0.284 yields an
estimate of average annual watermelon sales receipts per importer of
$3.09 million. This is well below the SBA small importer size threshold
of $34.0 million. Assuming normal distributions, the majority of
producers, handlers, and importers would be classified as small
businesses according to SBA size standards.
This proposal invites comments on revising sections 1210.501 and
1210.502 of the Plan to realign U.S. production districts. The Plan
divides the United States into five districts of comparable production
volumes of watermelons, and each district is allocated two producer
members and two handler members. Further, importer representation on
the Board must be, to the extent practicable, proportionate to the
percentage of assessments paid by importers, except there must be at
least one importer on the Board.
At least every five years, the Board is required to evaluate, based
on the preceding three-year period, the average production in each
production district and the average annual percentage of assessments
paid by importers. The Board conducted this review in 2024 and
recommended realigning several districts to align with production
trends. Authority for these changes is provided in Sec. 1210.320 of
the Plan. After consideration of all relevant material presented,
including the information and recommendations submitted by the
Committee and other available information, AMS has determined that this
rule is consistent with and will effectuate the declared policy of the
Act.
Regarding the economic impact of the proposed rule on affected
entities, neither the realignment of production districts nor the
reduction in Board importer membership imposes any additional costs on
industry members. The recommended changes are necessary to improve the
Board's ability to ensure both a quorum at Board meetings and a
sufficient number of potential nominees. Further, the accompanying
reduction of importer seats from nine to seven provides for the
equitable representation of producers, handlers and importers on the
Board.
Regarding alternatives, the Board considered three scenarios in
realigning the districts. Scenario 1 proposed the following changes:
Scenario 1:
District 1--Remove the Florida counties of: Alachua, Baker, Bay,
Bradford, Calhoun, Clay, Columbia, Duval, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsen,
Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty,
Madison, Nassau, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor,
Union Wakulla, Walton, and Washington.
District 2--Added Alabama, South Carolina, and the Florida counties
of: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Clay, Columbia, Duval,
Escambia, Franklin, Gadsen, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson,
Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Nassau, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, St.
Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Wakulla, Walton, and Washington.
District 3--Alabama and South Carolina were moved to District 2,
Missouri added from District 5.
District 4--No changes proposed.
District 5--Missouri moved to District 3.
Scenario 2 proposed the following changes:
Scenario 2:
District 1--The State of Florida (no change);
District 2--The States of Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina
(added Alabama and South Carolina from District 3);
District 3--The States of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas (Alabama and
South Carolina moved to District 2, Missouri added from District 5);
District 4--The States of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana,
Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New
Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia,
West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, DC (no change);
District 5--The States of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado,
Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New
Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and
Wyoming (Missouri moved to District 3).
In addition to realigning Districts 2, 3, and 5, Scenario 2
proposes to reduce the number of importers on the Board from nine to
seven.
Scenario 3 proposed the following changes:
Scenario 3:
District 1--No changes proposed.
District 2--Added Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
District 3--Amended to include Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois,
Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and
Wisconsin.
District 4--Amended to include Alaska, Arizona, California,
Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico,
North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington,
and Wyoming.
Ultimately the Board recommended Scenario 2. In accordance with
section 1210.320, the Board recommended the alignment proposed in
Scenario 2 as described in this proposed rule because it would: (1)
provide for a most proportional geographical representation on the
Board for producers and handlers; (2) limit producer or handler
vacancies on the Board; (3) increase the pool of candidates to be
considered for appointment to the Board by the Secretary; and (4) make
the number of importers on the Board more proportionate to the share of
assessments paid.
This proposed rule would not impose additional recordkeeping
requirements on first handlers, producers, or importers of watermelons.
Producers of fewer than 10 acres of watermelon and importers of less
than 150,000 pounds of watermelon annually are exempt. There are no
Federal rules that duplicate, overlap, or conflict with this proposed
rule. In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
regulation (5 CFR part 1320) which implements the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the information collection and
recordkeeping requirements that are imposed by the Plan have been
approved previously under OMB control number 0581-0093. This proposed
rule would not result in a change to the information collection and
recordkeeping requirements previously approved.
AMS performed this Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
regarding the impact of this proposed amendment to the Plan on small
entities and invites comments concerning potential effects of this
amendment on small businesses.
After consideration of all relevant material presented, including
the information and recommendations submitted by the Committee and
other available information, AMS has determined that this rule is
consistent with and will effectuate the declared policy of the Act.
[[Page 45159]]
A 30-day comment period is provided to allow interested persons to
respond to this proposal. All written comments received in response to
this proposed rule by the date specified will be considered prior to
finalizing this action.
List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 1210
Administrative practice and procedure, Advertising, Agricultural
research, Consumer protection, Marketing agreements, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements, Watermelon.
For the reasons set forth in the preamble, the Agricultural
Marketing Service proposes to amend 7 CFR part 1210 as follows:
PART 1210--WATERMELON RESEARCH AND PROMOTION PLAN
0
1. The authority citation for part 1210 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 4901-4916 and 7 U.S.C. 7401.
Subpart C--Rules and Regulations
0
2. Section 1210.501 is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 1210.501 Realignment of districts.
In accordance with Sec. 1210.320(c) of the Plan, the districts
shall be as follows:
(a) * * *
(b) District 2--The States of Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina.
(c) District 3--The States of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.
(d) * * *
(g) District 5--The States of Alaska, Arizona, California,
Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska,
Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah,
Washington, and Wyoming.
0
3. Section 1210.502 is revised to read as follows:
Sec. 1210.502 Board members.
The Board consists of 10 producers, 10 handlers, seven importers,
and one public member appointed by the Secretary.
Erin Morris,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-18232 Filed 9-18-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
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