The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominations for the National Watermelon Promotion Board to fill 13 member seats whose terms begin on Jan. 1, 2025, and end Dec. 31, 2027.
The National Watermelon Promotion Board is seeking nominees for:
- Two producer and two handler seats from District 2
- Two producer and two handler seats from District 3
- Five importer seats
District 2 consists of Georgia. District 3 consists of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
The board will hold teleconference calls on February 14, 2024, for Districts 2 and 3 for producers, handlers, and importers to select their representatives. For more information about the teleconference meetings and to obtain nomination information, contact the National Watermelon Promotion Board’s Director of Operations, Rebekah Dossett, or Industry Affairs Manager Andrea Smith at asmith@watermelon.org or by phone at (407) 657-0261.
The board is made up of 30 industry members including 10 producers, 10 handlers, nine importers, and one public member. More information about the board is available on the National Watermelon Promotion Board webpage on the AMS website or on the board’s website, www.watermelon.org. For additional information, contact USDA Marketing Specialist Harrison Hodges at William.Hodges2@usda.gov or by phone at (443) 571-8456.
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.
