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Show Potato Growers Hear Proposal Of Marketing Order A large delegation of potato growers from the Escalante Valley Val-ley in Iron County were among those in attendance at a meeting held In Cedar City Wednesday, March 7 at which a report of a proposed potato marketing order was heard. Five counties of southern Utah were represented at the meeting to hear a discussion of the proposal pro-posal by Donald Gibson, program pro-gram specialist from the Utah State Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service office in Salt Lake City. In addition to Iron County, producers from Beaver, Bea-ver, Garfield and Washington counties, were In attendance. Jesse S. Tuttle, Utah State ACS chairman, presided over the session ses-sion and explained to the group that the marketing proposal was prepared by a special advisory committee called by the' secretary secre-tary of Agriculture to consider ways of improving a deflated potato po-tato market brought about by an excess of potato production. Wallace SJoblom, Iron County agricultural agent, estimated that in Iron County alone acres under potato production had more than doubled In 1961. He estimated than 4000 acres were planted in potatoes In 1961 and that In the previous two years total potato acreage was only 1200. The advisory committee proposed pro-posed potato order is one of controls, con-trols, Gibson told the group, but the controls will be established on a flexible method of quality and quantity, unlike other agricultural agri-cultural controls on land usage. Naturally a system of controls also includes certain penalties for con -conformity, Gibson pointed point-ed out, and penalties are contained con-tained in the order, he said. The Information contained In the proposed order Is being presented pre-sented to producers throughout the county, Tuttle stated, and at a later date the producers will have an opportunity to express their views, for or against the order. Following a number of hearings hear-ings throughout' the country to determine a reaction to the proposed pro-posed order the secretary of Agriculture Ag-riculture will have an opportunity opportuni-ty to put the order to a test in the form of a referendum vote of producers. Should the referendum vote b ordered It would have to have a two-thirds majority, Tuttle told the group. The program Is apparently set up on a three-year basis, and should It be approved by the referendum ref-erendum vote, could go Into effect ef-fect this year, It was explained. Should the program be Initiated Initiat-ed this year controls will definitely defin-itely be on a quality basis only as the order stipulates that producers pro-ducers must be given at least 60 days' notice prior to' planting to allow quantity controls, Gibson pointed out Quantity controls will be established es-tablished on a base of production produc-tion over the past several years, it was stated. - |