The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominations for the Mushroom Council to fill three seats with terms expiring Dec. 31, 2027 and one seat whose term will expire Dec. 31, 2025. Nomination applications are due by May 1, 2024.
The Mushroom Council is seeking nominees for:
- Region 1 (All states except Calif. & Pa.) – One seat, one-year term (Jan. 1, 2025- Dec. 31, 2025)
- Region 2 (Pa.) – Two seats, three-year terms (Jan. 1, 2025- Dec. 31, 2027)
- Region 3 (Calif.) – One seat, three-year term (Jan. 1, 2025- Dec. 31, 2027)
Nominees may seek nomination to the council for all open seats for which they are eligible.
Applications are available at mushroomcouncil.com, or by contacting Cheryl Abbate, Director of Operations & Compliance, the Mushroom Council at (816) 251-4512 or by email at Cheryl@mushroomcouncil.org or Kelly M. Robertson, Marketing Specialist, USDA at (202) 720-8085 or by email at kellym.robertson@usda.gov .
The nine member council includes eight producer members and one importer member. More information about the council is available on the Mushroom Council webpage on the AMS website.
AMS policy is that diversity of the boards, councils and committees it oversees should reflect the diversity of its 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.
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 (AMS) provides oversight to 22 boards. The oversight ensures fiscal accountability and program integrity and is paid for by industry assessments.
