The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the appointment of three members to serve on the Mushroom Council. Two appointees will serve three-year terms from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2025; and one appointee will serve a one-year term beginning immediately and expiring on December 31, 2023.
Members appointed are:
- Region 1: Michael Stephan, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Region 2: Keith M. Silfee, Robesonia, Pennsylvania
- Region 4: Kim Marks, Ontario, Canada
The nine-member council is comprised of eight domestic growers and one importer. The members represent four regions: three domestic growers are from states other than California and Pennsylvania (Region 1), four domestic growers are from Pennsylvania (Region 2), one domestic grower is from California (Region 3), and one importer who represents all importers (Region 4). Council members are nominated by their peers and are appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture.
More information about the council, including a roster of members, is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Mushroom Council webpage and on the council’s website at www.mushroomcouncil.com.
Since 1966, Congress has authorized the development of industry-funded research and promotion boards to provide a framework for agricultural industries to pool their resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight of 22 boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.
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.
