The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominees to fill three producer member seats and one importer seat for the Mushroom Council. Nominations for these seats are due to the council by May 1, 2023.
The council will hold an election to select nominees for consideration by USDA to fill two seats representing U.S. producers in Region 1, one seat representing U.S. producers in Region 2, and one importer seat in Region 4. The appointed individuals will succeed members whose terms expire on Dec. 31, 2023.
Region 1: All states including the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico except for Pennsylvania and California. (one 3-year term and one 2-year term)
Region 2: Pennsylvania (one 3-year term)
Region 4: Imports (one 3-year term)
To obtain a nomination application, contact Mushroom Council President and CEO Bart Minor or Operations Manager Cheryl Abbate at (816) 251-4514, or by email at Bart@mushroomcouncil.org or at Cheryl@mushroomcouncil.org. You may also contact USDA Marketing Specialist Jeanette Palmer at (202)720-5976 or by email at Jeanette.Palmer@usda.gov.
The nine-member council is comprised of eight producers and one importer. More information about the council is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) Mushroom Council webpage on the and on the council’s 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.
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