§7415 Permissive Terms in Orders

Summary

Orders can let the Secretary exempt very small amounts of a commodity and let the board require safeguards to prevent misuse. They can let the board set different payment and reporting schedules for different production or importing areas. They can allow research, promotion, and information programs to improve marketing at home and abroad, and those activities must follow the Secretary’s approval and budget rules. Orders can let fees be saved from assessments to keep programs running in years when fees drop, but the reserve cannot be larger than the biggest total of expected spending shown in Secretary‑approved budgets for any two fiscal years. Orders can give credits for contributions to similar state, regional, or local programs. Farmer cooperatives that do branded marketing can deduct their related costs from members’ assessments each year, but they may choose to opt out. Orders can let the board assess imported products at a similar rate and allow other actions needed to run the program that do not conflict with its purpose or rules.