The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will conduct a referendum among eligible Florida avocado growers Sept. 21 through Oct. 13, 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, growers within the production area must have produced avocados during the period of April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026.
USDA would continue the marketing order if at least two-thirds of the producers voting in the referendum, or at least two-thirds of the volume represented in the referendum, vote in favor of continuance. Notice of the referendum was published in the Federal Register on Sept. 11, 2026.
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will mail ballots and voting instructions to all growers of record. Growers will also have the option to vote by electronic ballot. Eligible growers who do not receive a ballot by Sept. 29, 2026, should contact Steven Kauffman at Steven.Kauffman@usda.gov or (863) 324-3375. Requests for a ballot may also be mailed to USDA, AMS, 1124 1st Street South, Winter Haven, Florida 33880.
More information about the marketing order is available on AMS Florida Avocados 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.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.