Tales of the Red Tape #14: Old MacDonald’s Commodity Cartel

Diane Katz / June 22, 2011

Growing an herb (the legal kind) might seem pretty straightforward. Clear soil; plant seeds; water, fertilize, and harvest. Until the government gets involved, that is. Then we have the likes of Marketing Order No. 985 (7 CFR part 985), as amended.

Just as with almonds, apricots, avocados, cherries (both sweet and tart), citrus (from Florida and Texas), cranberries, dates, grapes, hazelnuts, kiwis, nectarines, olives, onions (from Idaho, eastern Oregon, southern Texas and Walla Walla), peaches, pears (from Oregon and Washington), pistachios, plums, prunes (from California and Washington), potatoes (from Idaho, eastern Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado, Virginia and North Carolina), raisins, tomatoes, walnuts, and wheat, to name but a few, the federal government actually oversees the precise amount of spearmint oil (!) available for sale every year in various locales. (more…)