USDA Seeks Nominees for the Far West Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee

Date
September 20, 2023

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominees for the Far West Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee to fill four producer member seats and four alternate member seats whose terms will begin January 1, 2024. Nominations must be made during the nomination meetings being held in each district.

Nomination Meetings:

District 1

  • September 27, 2023, at 7 p.m. at The Grill at Sage Hills in Warden, Washington.
  • September 28, 2023, at 3 p.m. at 3690 S. Wapato Rd in Toppenish, Washington.

District 2

  • October 2, 2023, at 7 p.m. at Jakers Grill in Meridian, Idaho.
  • October 3, 2023, at noon at Golden Spike Burgers in Corinne, Utah.

District 3

  • September 29, 2023, at noon at Ixtapa Mexican Restaurant in Hermiston, Oregon.

Eligible nominees must be engaged in a proprietary capacity in the production of far West spearmint oil within the district for which selected. The appointed members will serve two-year terms.

For nomination information, contact Far West Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee Manager Shane Johnson at (509) 585-5460 or by email at ShaneJ@agmgt.com or USDA Marketing Specialist Joshua Wilde at (503) 679-9983 or by email at Joshua.R.Wilde@USDA.gov.

The marketing order authorizes research and promotion programs and volume control regulations for spearmint oil produced in the far West, as defined by the marketing order. The Far West Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee administers the order locally and consists of seven producer members and their alternates and one public member and an alternate. More information about the committee is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) Far West Spearmint Oil webpage or on the Committee’s website at http://www.farwestspearmint.org/.

Authorized by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, marketing orders are industry-driven programs that help producers and handlers achieve marketing success by leveraging their own funds to design and execute programs that they would not be able to do individually.  AMS provides oversight to fruit, vegetable and specialty crops marketing orders and agreements to help 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.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender