The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has announced that soybean producers may request a referendum to determine whether producers want the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a referendum on the Soybean Promotion and Research Order, as authorized under the Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act.

Participation in the request for referendum is voluntary. Producers should participate only if they wish to request a referendum on the program.

If at least 10%, not to exceed one-fifth of producers from any one state, of the 515,008 eligible producers determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) participate in the request for referendum, a referendum will be held within one year from that determination. If results of the request for referendum indicate that a referendum is not supported, a referendum will not be conducted. The results of the request for referendum will be published in a notice in the Federal Register.

To request referendum, soybean producers may request a referendum now through May 31.

To be eligible to participate in the request for referendum, producers must certify that they, or the producer entity they are authorized to represent, paid an assessment at any time between Jan. 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2023.

Form LS-51-1, Soybean Promotion and Research Order Request for Referendum, can be obtained from May 6 to 31, 2024, by mail, FAX, or in person from Farm Service Agency (FSA) county offices, or downloaded from https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/research- promotion/soybean. Complete forms and supporting documentation must be returned to the appropriate FSA county office:

• By FAX or in person no later than COB on May 31.
• By mail postmarked by midnight on May 31, and must be received in the FSA county office by COB on June 7.

Notice of the Request for Referendum was published in the Feb, 2, 2024, Federal Register. For more information, contact Jeana Harbison, Research and Promotion Division; Livestock and Poultry Program, AMS, USDA; STOP 0249 - Room 2092-S; 1400 Independence Ave., SW.; Washington, D.C. 20250-0249; tel. (202) 720-5705; or via the internet at https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/research-promotion/soybean.