Any cotton producer organization within a cotton-producing State may request the Secretary for certification of eligibility to participate in nominating members and alternate members to represent such State on the Cotton Board. Such eligibility shall be based in addition to other available information upon a factual report submitted by the organization which shall contain information deemed relevant and specified by the Secretary for the making of such determination, including the following:
(a) Geographic territory within the State covered by the organization's active membership;
(b) Nature and size of the organization's active membership in the State, proportion of total of such active membership accounted for by farmers, a map showing the cotton-producing counties in such State in which the organization has members, the volume of cotton produced in each such county, the number of cotton producers in each such county, and the size of the organization's active cotton producer membership in each such county;
(c) The extent to which the cotton producer membership of such organization is represented in setting the organization's policies;
(d) Evidence of stability and permanency of the organization;
(e) Sources from which the organization's operating funds are derived;
(f) Functions of the organization; and
(g) The organization's ability and willingness to further the aims and objectives of the act. The primary consideration in determining the eligibility of an organization shall be whether its cotton producer membership consists of a sufficiently large number of cotton producers who produce a relatively significant volume of cotton to reasonably warrant its participation in the nomination of members for the Cotton Board. Any cotton producer organization found eligible by the Secretary under this Sec. 1205.341 will be certified by the Secretary, and the Secretary's determination as to eligibility is final. [31 FR 16758, Dec. 31, 1966. Redesignated and amended at 56 FR 64472, 64474, Dec. 10, 1991]