Act means the Cotton Research and Promotion Act, as amended (7 U.S.C. 2101-2118; Pub. L. 89-502, as amended).

Administrator means the Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service, or any officer or employee of USDA to whom authority has been delegated to act in the Administrator's stead.

Agricultural Marketing Service also referred to as “AMS” means the Agricultural Marketing Service of the Department.

Cotton means all Upland cotton harvested in the United States or imports of Upland cotton, including the Upland cotton content of the products derived thereof. The term cotton shall not, however, include any entry of imported cotton by an importer which has a value or weight less than the de minimis value established by the Secretary or industrial products as that term is defined by regulation.

Upland Cotton means all cultivated varieties of the species Gossypium hirsutum L.

Department means the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Deputy Administrator means the Deputy Administrator for Field Operations and also referred to as “DAFO.”

Farm Service Agency also referred to as “FSA” means the Farm Service Agency of the Department.

Importer means any person who enters, or withdraws from warehouse, cotton for consumption in the customs territory of the United States and who, during a 12-month period ending no later than 90 days prior to the conduct of the referendum, imported Upland cotton, and

the term import means any such entry.

Order means the Cotton Research and Promotion Order.

Person means any individual 18 years of age or older, or any partnership, corporation, association, or any other entity.

Producer means any person who shares in a cotton crop, or in the proceeds thereof, as an owner of the farm, cash tenant, landlord of a share tenant, share tenant, or sharecropper, that planted the cotton during the representative period.

Representative Period means the period designated by the Secretary pursuant to section 8 of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2107).

Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture or any other officer or employee of the Department of Agriculture to whom there has heretofore been delegated, or to whom there may be hereafter be delegated, the authority to act in the Secretary's stead.

State means each of the 50 states.

United States means 50 states of the United States of America.

Customs and Border Protection means the U.S. Customs and Border Protection of the Department of Homeland Security. Customs and Border Protection is also referred to as “CBP.”