The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking nominations for the National Peanut Board to fill seats for six members and alternates whose three-year terms of office will expire on Dec. 31, 2022 and for the at-large member and alternate seat positions whose terms will expire Dec. 31, 2024. Nominations must be submitted to USDA by May 2, 2022.
Nominees are needed to fill one member and one alternate seat each, for the states of Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The board is also seeking nominees to fill the remaining term for the vacant at-large member and alternate positions that expire Dec. 31, 2024.
For more information about state nomination meetings and the application process, contact Maria Mehok, vice president of finance and compliance, National Peanut Board, at (678) 424-5750 or mymehok@nationalpeanutboard.org. You may also contact Vickie Carpenter, marketing specialist, USDA at (202) 720-2930 or VictoriaM.Carpenter@usda.gov.
The board is composed of 12 producer members and their alternates: 11 members and their alternates represent the primary peanut-producing states and one at-large member and alternate who represent the minor peanut-producing states. More information about the board is available on the National Peanut Board web page.
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.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender