(a) Administrator means the Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service, with power to delegate, or any officer or employee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to whom authority has been delegated or may hereafter be delegated to act in the Administrator's stead.

(b) Customs means the United States Customs and Border Protection or U.S. Customs Service, an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security.

(c) Department means the U.S. Department of Agriculture or any officer or employee of the Department to whom authority has heretofore been delegated, or to whom authority may hereafter be delegated, to act in the Secretary's stead.

(d) Eligible domestic producer means any person who domestically produces more than 500 Christmas trees annually in the United States, and who:

(1) Owns, or shares the ownership and risk of loss of the production of Christmas trees;

(2) Rents Christmas tree production land, facilities and/or equipment resulting in the ownership of all or a portion of the Christmas trees domestically produced;

(3) Owns Christmas tree production facilities and equipment but does not manage them and, as compensation, obtains the ownership of a portion of the Christmas trees domestically produced; or

(4) Is a party in a landlord-tenant relationship or a divided ownership arrangement involving totally independent entities cooperating only to domestically produce Christmas trees who share the risk of loss and receive a share of the Christmas trees domestically produced. No other acquisition of legal title to Christmas trees shall be deemed to result in persons becoming eligible domestic producers.

(e) Eligible importer means any person importing more than 500 Christmas trees annually into the United States as a principal or as an agent, broker, or consignee of any person who domestically produces or handles Christmas trees outside of the United States for sale in the United States, and who is listed as the importer of record for such Christmas trees that are identified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States by the numbers 0604.91.00.20, 0604.91.00.40, and 0604.91.00.60 during the representative period. Importation occurs when Christmas trees originating outside of the United States are released from custody by Customs and introduced into the stream of commerce in the United States. Included are persons who hold title to foreign-produced Christmas trees immediately upon release by Customs, as well as any persons who act on behalf of others, as agents or brokers, to secure the release of Christmas trees from Customs when such Christmas trees are entered or withdrawn for consumption in the United States.

(f) Christmas tree means any tree of the coniferous species, that is severed or cut from its roots and marketed as a Christmas tree for holiday use.

(g) Order means the Christmas Tree Promotion, Research, and Information Order.

(h) Person means any individual, group of individuals, partnership, corporation, association, cooperative, or any other legal entity. For the purpose of this definition, the term “partnership” includes, but is not limited to:

(1) A husband and a wife who have title to, or leasehold interest in, a Christmas tree farm as tenants in common, joint tenants, tenants by the entirety, or, under community property laws, as community property; and

(2) So-called “joint ventures” wherein one or more parties to an agreement, informal or otherwise, contributed land and others contributed capital, labor, management, or other services, or any variation of such contributions by two or more parties.

(i) Referendum agent or agent means the individual or individuals designated by the Department to conduct the referendum.

(j) Representative period means the period designated by the Department.

(j) United States or U.S. means collectively the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the territories and possessions of the United States.