The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking nominees for the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board. The deadline for nominations is April 28, 2023.
From the nominees, the Secretary of Agriculture will appoint thirteen individuals to succeed members whose terms expire on October 31, 2023. Newly appointed members will serve three-year terms from November 1, 2023, through October 31, 2026. The Secretary of Agriculture will also appoint one individual to fill a vacancy, with the term ending October 31, 2024.
The USDA is seeking nominees for:
- One seat for Region 1 (Alaska, Oregon and Washington)
- One seat for Region 2 (California and Hawaii) (Vacant seat)
- One seat for Region 3 (Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming)
- Two seats for Region 4 (Arkansas, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas)
- One seat for Region 5 (Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota)
- Two seats for Region 6 (Wisconsin)
- One seat for Region 7 (Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska)
- One seat for Region 8 (Idaho)
- One seat for Region 9 (Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia)
- One seat for Region 10 (Alabama, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia)
- One seat for Region 12 (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont)
- One seat for an Importer
Nominees must be dairy producers who produce milk in the region for which they are nominated, and nominees for the importer position must be dairy importers. The 37-member board consists of 36 dairy producers from 12 regions and one dairy importer. Nomination forms are available on the AMS National Dairy Promotion and Research Board webpage. For more information, contact Jill Hoover at (202) 720-1069 or jill.hoover@usda.gov.
The Board is industry-funded and supports the marketing and promotion of dairy products. 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. AMS provides oversight to 22 boards. The oversight ensures fiscal accountability and program integrity and is paid for by industry assessments.
AMS policy is that diversity of the boards, councils and committees it oversees should reflect the diversity of their industries in terms of the experience of members, methods of production and distribution, marketing strategies, and other distinguishing factors, including but not limited to individuals from historically underserved communities, that will bring different perspectives and ideas to the table. Throughout the full nomination process, the industry must conduct extensive outreach, paying particular attention to reaching underserved communities, and consider the diversity of the population served and the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the members to serve a diverse population.
