The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced the suspension of the assessment collection and reporting requirement provisions of the Cranberry Marketing Order which regulates the handling of cranberries grown in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and Long Island, New York.

Starting today, handlers are not required to submit assessments to the committee on cranberries handled during the 2023-24 crop year or reports, including those on acquisitions and inventory. During the suspension period, the Cranberry Marketing Committee, which locally administers the order, will use its financial reserves to fund promotion and other authorized activities.

This action follows the results of the referendum the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) conducted June 9-30, 2023, showing producers did not support continuing the marketing order. AMS will conduct rulemaking and invite comments in the coming months to determine stakeholder and public support for terminating the cranberry marketing order.

More information about the marketing order is available on the 929 Cranberries webpage on the AMS website. Information about federal marketing orders is available on AMS’s Marketing Orders and Agreements webpage or by contacting the Market Development Division at (202) 720-8085.

Authorized by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, marketing orders are industry-driven programs that help producers 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’s oversight of fruit, vegetable and specialty crop marketing orders helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.