An ill-timed effort to create a checkoff program for the Christmas tree industry has produced a legislative backlash that threatens the operation of the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC). On Nov. 8, a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) establishing a "national research and promotion program for Christmas trees" to strengthen and expand markets for fresh-cut U.S. Christmas trees was published in the Federal Register. The effort provided for an assessment of 15 cents per tree - similar to self-assessments that other industries use to fund their checkoff programs.
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