Release No.: 061-15

Contact:

Greg Rosenthal, (202) 720-2739

WASHINGTON, April 20, 2015 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it will hold three public outreach meetings throughout California in May 2015 to provide a forum to review proposals USDA received for the establishment of a Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) for California.

All meetings will begin at 9 a.m. (Pacific Time) at the following locations:

Tuesday, May 5, 2015 California State University, Chico

Bell Memorial Student Union, Room 203

Corner of West 2nd and Chestnut Streets,

Chico, CA 95927

Wednesday, May 6, 2015 Piccadilly Inn Airport

5115 E. McKinley Avenue, Fresno, CA 93727

Thursday, May 7, 2015 Los Angeles County Farm Bureau

41228 12th Street West, Palmdale, CA 93551

On February 5, 2015, USDA received a proposal requesting the establishment of a California FMMO. USDA requested additional proposals by April 10, 2015, and received three, which can be viewed, along with the original proposal, on the FMMO California information website.

USDA will explain the FMMO rulemaking process during the outreach meetings and give proposal sponsors the opportunity to explain the technical details of their submissions. The merits of the proposals will not be discussed. USDA welcomes all interested parties to attend any or all of the meetings.

After the meetings, sponsors of proposals received by the deadline will be given an opportunity to submit modified proposals. Once all proposals have been analyzed, including those modified, USDA will determine whether a hearing will be held. If a hearing is to be held, USDA will publish a Notice of Hearing in the Federal Register at least 30 days before the start of the hearing.

Attendees may RSVP and view meeting agendas at the FMMO California outreach website. Those requiring reasonable accommodations for participation in the meetings should contact Diane Hirsch by e-mail at dhirsch@fmmaseattle.com or by phone at (425) 487-6009.