Sam Jones-Ellard (202) 617-7212Samuel.Jones@ams.usda.gov
WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2011 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture is asking fluid milk processors and other interested parties to nominate candidates for the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board.
The Secretary of Agriculture will appoint five individual board members from the list of nominees to succeed the members whose terms expire June 30, 2012. Appointed members will serve 3-year terms from July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2015. Additionally, the Secretary will appoint one member to fill a vacancy in Region 4, with a term expiring June 30, 2013; and one member to fill a vacancy in Region 8, with a term expiring June 30, 2014.
USDA will accept nominations for board representation in seven geographic regions and two at-large positions. Nominees for the seven regional positions must be active owners or employees of a fluid milk processor. At least one at-large position must be a member from the general public. The other at-large position may be either a fluid milk processor or a member from the general public. The geographic regions are: Region 3 (Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the District of Columbia); Region 4 (Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina); Region 6 (Ohio and West Virginia); Region 8 (Illinois and Indiana); Region 9 (Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee); Region 12 (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah); and Region 15 (Southern California).
The board was established by the Fluid Milk Promotion Act of 1990, as amended, to develop and administer a coordinated program of advertising and education to promote fluid milk products. Of the board's 20 members, 15 represent geographic regions and five are at-large members. The at-large members must include at least three fluid milk processors and at least one member from the general public. Currently, there are four at-large processor members and one member from the general public serving on the board.
The national fluid milk program is financed by a mandatory 20-cent per hundredweight assessment on fluid milk processors who process and market commercially in consumer-type packages more than 3 million pounds of fluid milk products per month in the contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia, excluding those fluid milk products delivered directly to consumer residences.
USDA welcomes membership on industry boards that reflects the diversity of the individuals served by the programs. USDA encourages all eligible women, minorities and persons with disabilities to seek nomination for a seat on the board.
Fluid milk processors and interested parties may submit nominations for regions in which they are located or market fluid milk and for at-large members. To nominate an individual, please submit a copy of the nomination form and a signed background form for each nominee by Oct. 31, 2011, to: Whitney Rick, Director, Promotion, Research and Planning Division, Dairy Programs, AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Stop 0233, Room 2958-S, Washington, D.C. 20250-0233 or via email at whitney.rick@ams.usda.gov. To obtain forms or additional information, call (202) 720-6909. Blank forms are available on the Dairy Promotion and Research Branch’s website at http://www.ams.usda.gov/Dairy.
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