Appointments have been named to the National Watermelon Promotion Board, the American Egg Board and the National Potato Promotion Board. Information on each of these groups and their appointees is listed below.
National Watermelon Promotion Board
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has appointed 13 members to the National Watermelon Promotion Board. Twelve members will serve three-year terms, which began on Jan. 1, 2017, and will end on Dec. 31, 2019. The new member for District 6 will complete a two-year term beginning immediately.
Newly appointed members are Cody Smith of Bruceville, Ind., for District 4; John Prukop of Bishop, Texas, for District 6; and Jeremy Holden of Canutillo, Texas for District 7.
Reappointed members for District 4 are Autumn Freeman of Oaktown, Ind.; Sarah Frey-Tally of Keenes, Ill.; and Ed McClellan of Ann Arbor, Mich.
Reappointed members for District 5 are Kevin Antongiovanni of Bakersfield, Calif.; Arthur Saikhon of El Centro, Calif.; Josh Knox of El Dorado Hills, Calif.; and Joseph Paul Gomes of Manteca, Calif.
Reappointed members for District 7 are Chuck Botsford of Lake Oswego, Ore.; John Morrow of Deming, N.M.; and David Mayhue of Fayetteville, Ark.
Board members selected by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture administer the program. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides oversight of the National Watermelon Promotion Board in accordance with the Watermelon Research and Promotion Act and the Watermelon Research and Promotion Plan. USDA encourages board membership that reflects the diversity of the individuals served by the programs.
Since 1966, Congress has authorized the establishment of 22 research and promotion boards that are industry-funded and empower agricultural industries with a framework to pool resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets, and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal responsibility, program efficiency and fair treatment of participating stakeholders.
For information on the Board, please contact Tarun Harit by phone at (202) 720-9915, or email Tarun.Harit@ams.usda.gov.
For more information about research and promotion programs, visit www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/research-promotion.
American Egg Board Appointments
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has appointed eight members and nine alternates to the American Egg Board for the 2017-2018 term. All appointees will serve 2-year terms.
Appointed members and alternates, by areas, are:
North Atlantic States – John Puglisi, Howell, N.J., member; Elliot Gibber, New York, N.Y., alternate; and Lake Wagner, Bristol, Va., alternate.
South Atlantic States – Scott Horton, Flowery Branch, Ga., member; and Robert M. Saverance, Lamar, S.C., alternate.
East North Central States – Steve Herbruck, Grand Rapids, Mich., member; Thomas Hertzfeld II, Whitehouse, Ohio, member; Lisa Timmerman, Fort Recovery, Ohio, alternate; and Ronald L. Gross, Saint Henry, Ohio, alternate.
West North Central States – Robert L. Krouse, North Manchester, Ind., member; Ben Thompson, Pearl City, Ill., member; Mindy Creighton Truex, Warsaw, Ind., alternate; and Mike Elliott, Eden Prairie, Minn., alternate.
South Central States – Bob Johnson, Wayzata, Minn., member; and Bruce Dooyema, Sioux Center, Iowa, alternate.
Western States – Roy Patterson, Lewistown, Texas, member; and David Elbel, College Station, Texas, alternate.
The Secretary did not appoint a member to fill a seat from the North Atlantic States. As a result, the Secretary directed USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to obtain additional nominations from the North Atlantic States. According to the Egg Research and Promotion Order, if the Secretary chooses not to make appointments from the slate of candidates presented, current board members and alternates continue to serve until their successor is appointed. AMS will solicit nominations soon from nominating organizations in the North Atlantic States.
Composed of 18 members and 18 alternates representing six areas, the board administers an egg research and promotion program authorized by the Egg Research and Consumer Information Act of 1974. Terms on the board are staggered so that half of the membership is appointed each year in order to provide continuity in policy. The Secretary selects appointees from egg producers nominated by organizations representing the egg industry.
Since 1966, Congress has authorized the establishment of 22 industry-funded research and promotion boards. They empower farmers and ranchers to leverage their own resources to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets, and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight, paid for by industry assessments, which ensures fiscal accountability and program integrity for participating stakeholders.
National Potato Promotion Board
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack appointed 39 members to the National Potato Promotion Board. Each representative will serve a 3-year term of office beginning March 1, 2017.
Newly appointed members representing producers are: Jaclyn Green, of Edison, Calif.; Sheldon Rockey, of Center, Colo.; Bryan R. Jones, of Elkton, Fla.; Aaron Hepworth, of Burley, Idaho; LaVel Stoker, of Burley, Idaho; Kevin Searle, of Shelley, Idaho; Jennifer Borowicz, of Argyle, Minn.; James R. Allen, of Alliance, Neb.; Tom Enander, of Grenora, N.D.; Martin Myers, of Boardman, Ore.; Tim Gonzalez, of Springlake, Texas; Kyle Barclay, of Kennewick, Wash.; Melissa Bedlington-Kleindel, of Lynden, Wash.; Travis Meacham, of Moses Lake, Wash.; Shelley R. Olsen, of Othello, Wash.; Chad Sullivan, of Pasco, Wash.; Tyler Tschirky, of Pasco, Wash.; Melva J. Calloway, of Quincy, Wash.; Erin Baginski, of Antigo, Wis.; and Keith Wolter, of Antigo, Wis.
The following producers are reappointed to the board: Kael Koompin, of American Falls, Idaho; Thomas Kress, of American Falls, Idaho; Jerry Tominaga, of Heyburn, Idaho; Dwight Little II, of Newdale, Idaho; Bob Conger, of Rexburg, Idaho; Katie Floming, of Savanna, Ill.; Brandon Berce, of Saint Agatha, Maine; Jay LaJoie, of Van Buren, Maine; Casey Weldon Hoverson, of Larimore, N.D.; William Sheldon, of Ray, N.D.; Kerry Anthony Heilig, of Moses Lake, Wash.; Gerald Greenwalt, of Quincy, Wash.; Brandon Schaapman, of Quincy, Wash.; Mike Madsen, of Tri-Cities, Wash.; Eric William Schroeder, of Antigo, Wis.; and Mark S. Finnessy, of Plover, Wis.
Newly appointed importers are Edward Barnhill, of Burlington, Mass.; and Vernon Thomas, of Florenceville, NB Canada. Sanjiv Kakkar, of Hamilton, N.J. is reappointed as an importer.
Board members selected by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture administer the program. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides oversight of the National Potato Promotion Board in accordance with the Potato Research and Promotion Act and the Potato Research and Promotion Plan. USDA encourages board membership that reflects the diversity of the individuals served by the programs.
Since 1996, Congress has authorized the establishment of 22 research and promotion boards that are industry-funded and empower agricultural industries with a framework to pool resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets, and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal responsibility, program efficiency and fair treatment of participating stakeholders.
For more information about the National Potato Promotion Board, which operates as Potatoes USA, contact Hakim Fobia at (202) 720-4835, or email Hakim.Fobia@ams.usda.gov.