NEWS
Farm Service Agency
Public Affairs Staff
1400 Independence Ave SW
Stop 0506, Room 3624-South
Washington, D.C. 20250-0506
                                                 
                              Release No. 1423.01
                                                 
                       Dann Stuart (202) 690-0474
                      dan_stuart@wdc.fsa.usda.gov


USDA ANNOUNCES PRELIMINARY FLUE-CURED TOBACCO REFERENDUM
RESULTS 

     WASHINGTON, January 24, 200l -- USDA's Farm Service
Agency announced today that preliminary results from a mail
referendum held January 8 - 12 indicate flue-cured tobacco
growers voted to continue acreage-poundage marketing quotas
for their crops for the 2001, 2002, and 2003 marketing
years.

     The results show that 9,454 of the 9,686 producers who
voted in the referendum, or 97.6 percent, voted in favor of
the quotas.  A vote of at least two-thirds in favor was
necessary to continue acreage-poundage marketing quotas. 

     In the last referendum, which was held in January
1998, 98.5 percent of the voting growers favored marketing
quotas on an acreage-poundage basis for the 1998, 1999, and
2000 marketing years.     

     Flue-cured tobacco is grown in Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. 
These are the state-by-state results:

State               Vote Cast      Percentage
                                   Favoring
                                   Quotas  
                                                                 
Alabama                 1           100.0          
Florida               136            97.8
Georgia               625            96.5
North Carolina      6,749            97.6
South Carolina        718            98.6          
Virginia            1,457            97.5

Total               9,686            97.6


     Further program information is available from Rebecca
Harrington (202)720-4281. E-mail
Rebecca_Harrington@wdc.fsa.usda.gov.  

                        #

NOTE: Farm Service Agency (FSA) news releases and media
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Page: http://www.fsa.usda.gov