The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominations for the National Watermelon Promotion Board to fill four new importer seats. The new seats will increase membership from 37 to 41. USDA will appoint individuals to serve terms from Jan. 1, 2019 to Dec. 31, 2021.
A nomination teleconference meeting will be held Wednesday, June 13, 2018, at 2 p.m. ET. Individuals who wish to participate should call (866) 588-5525 and use Access Code: 6518808280. For a nomination form, contact Director of Operations and Industry Affairs Rebekah Dossett or Industry Affairs Manager Andrea Smith at (407) 657-0261.
Individuals wishing to vote by proxy should provide signed, dated statements, including the proxy voter’s printed name, address, telephone number, identity as an importer and the name of the individual authorized to cast the proxy vote no later than noon ET, June 13, 2018, to USDA Marketing Specialist Stacy Jones King at Stacy.JonesKing@ams.usda.gov or fax (202) 205-2800.
The board is currently composed of 14 producers, 14 handlers, eight importers and one public member. More information is available on the National Watermelon Promotion Board website or on the AMS National Watermelon Promotion Board page.
The National Watermelon Promotion Board is industry-funded and supports the marketing and promotion of fresh watermelon. Since 1966, Congress has authorized 22 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. The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides oversight, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.
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