WINTON – Bill Earley, Director of the Farm Service Agency in Hertford County, urges tobacco producers to vote in the referendum by mail ballot no later than January 9 to determine whether acreage-poundage marketing quotas and price support will continue for the next three flue-cured crops.

According to Earley, if two-thirds or more of the flue-cured tobacco producers vote &uot;yes,&uot; quotas and price support will continue for 2004, 2005 and 2006 crops.

Ballots have been mailed to those producers eligible to vote in the referendum.

To be eligible to vote, producers must have shared in the risk of producing tobacco in 2003. Owners who cash-rent their crop are not eligible.

Notices showing the 2004 quota and allotment have also been mailed to individual farm operators.