USDA to hold vote on Florida Citrus Marketing Order

September 24, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will conduct a referendum among eligible Florida citrus producers Oct. 19 through Nov. 9, 2026, to determine their level of support for continuing their federal marketing order.

The order requires USDA to conduct a continuance referendum every six years. To be eligible to vote, producers within the production area must have produced citrus during the period of Aug. 1, 2025, through July 31, 2026.

USDA would consider termination of the marketing order if less than two-thirds of the producers voting in the referendum, and less than two thirds of the citrus volume represented in the referendum, vote in favor of continuance. Notice of the referendum was published in the Federal Register on Sept. 18, 2026.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will mail ballots and voting instructions to all producers of record. Producers will also have the option to vote by electronic ballot. Eligible producers who do not receive a ballot by Oct. 26, 2026, should contact Jennie Varela at Jennie.Varela@usda.gov or (863) 324-3375. Requests for a ballot may also be mailed to USDA, AMS, 1124 First Street South, Winter Haven, FL 33880.

More information about the marketing order is available on Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Florida Citrus webpage.

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 provides oversight to fruit vegetable and specialty crops marketing orders and agreements, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.