To be delivered to:

 The Cranberry Marketing Committee and the Department of Agriculture

January 9, 2001

I am a cranberry grower. I am being paid below cost for the crop that I deliver to my handler. The Cranberry Marketing Order is a tool that is intended to increase this price to a profitable level.

While it is true that our problem is related to a surplus of cranberries, changes in our global economy have affected the way the marketplace is reacting to this surplus. The old laws of supply and demand in a free market no longer apply. A small number of handlers control the distribution of this fruit into the marketplace. The battle to protect their market share has lead to an artificially low price to the grower. A few large retailers dominate the retail market. This has lead to a stabilization in the retail market eliminating the handler ability to successfully sell more product at a reduced price. While the price to the grower collapses, the price to the consumer has remained relatively stable. Selling the berries below the cost of production does not help to diminish our surplus. The continuing expansion of the imported crop also has had a negative affect on our attempt to diminish surplus.

The Cranberry Marketing Order to set-aside the crop will not be successful in returning profitability to the grower without setting a minimum price for our crop.

Signature:

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Acreage:

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