WASHINGTON – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has appointed 13 members to the National Watermelon Promotion Board. Twelve members will serve three-year terms, which began on Jan. 1, 2017, and will end on Dec. 31, 2019. The new member for District 6 will complete a two-year term beginning immediately.
Newly appointed members are Cody Smith of Bruceville, Ind., for District 4; John Prukop of Bishop, Texas, for District 6; and Jeremy Holden of Canutillo, Texas for District 7.
Reappointed members for District 4 are Autumn Freeman of Oaktown, Ind.; Sarah Frey-Tally of Keenes, Ill.; and Ed McClellan of Ann Arbor, Mich.
Reappointed members for District 5 are Kevin Antongiovanni of Bakersfield, Calif.; Arthur Saikhon of El Centro, Calif.; Josh Knox of El Dorado Hills, Calif.; and Joseph Paul Gomes of Manteca, Calif.
Reappointed members for District 7 are Chuck Botsford of Lake Oswego, Ore.; John Morrow of Deming, N.M.; and David Mayhue of Fayetteville, Ark.
Board members selected by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture administer the program. USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides oversight of the National Watermelon Promotion Board in accordance with the Watermelon Research and Promotion Act and the Watermelon Research and Promotion Plan. USDA encourages board membership that reflects the diversity of the individuals served by the programs.
Since 1966, Congress has authorized the establishment of 22 research and promotion boards that are industry-funded and empower agricultural industries with a framework to pool resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets, and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal responsibility, program efficiency and fair treatment of participating stakeholders.
For information on the Board, please contact Tarun Harit by phone at (202) 720-9915, or email Tarun.Harit@ams.usda.gov.
For more information about research and promotion programs, visit www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/research-promotion.
Get the latest Agricultural Marketing Service news at www.ams.usda.gov/news or follow us on Twitter @USDA_AMS. You can also read about us on the USDA blog.
Source: USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)
