The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is asking dairy producers, dairy importers and other interested parties to nominate candidates to serve on the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board. The deadline for nominations is April 17, 2020.
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will appoint thirteen individuals to succeed members whose terms expire on Oct. 31, 2020.
USDA will accept nominations for board positions representing ten geographic regions and one importer position. Nominees for the regional positions must be dairy producers and nominees for the importer position must be a dairy importer.
The geographic regions with vacancies are: Region 1 (Alaska, Oregon and Washington); Region 3 (Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming); Region 4 (Arkansas, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas); Region 5 (Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota); Region 6 (Wisconsin); Region 7 (Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska); Region 8 (Idaho); Region 9 (Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia); Region 10 (Alabama, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia); Region 12 (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont); and an importer.
Newly appointed members will serve three-year terms beginning Nov. 1, 2020, through October 31, 2023.
To nominate an individual, please submit a copy of the nomination form and a signed background form for each nominee by April 17, 2020, to: Jill Hoover, Deputy Director, Promotion, Research and Planning Division, Dairy Program, Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Stop 0233, Room 2958-S, Washington, D.C. 20250-0233, or via email at jill.hoover@usda.gov. For nominating forms and information, visit the AMS website or call (202) 720-1069.
Since 1966, Congress has authorized industry-funded research and promotion boards to provide a framework for agricultural industries to pool resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets and conduct important research and promotion activities. The Agricultural Marketing Service provides oversight to 21 boards. The oversight ensures fiscal accountability and program integrity, and is paid for by industry assessments.
