Elections remain open for several board positions for the Almond Board of California. Government Affairs Analyst Bunnie Ibrahim said growers have a week left to make their vote count and it’s important to have the board represent the views of the industry.
From the Almond Board of California:
Voting will begin Jan. 26 to select two independent grower member and alternate positions and two independent handler member and alternate positions. These positions will serve as directors for the Almond Board of California (ABC) with the terms beginning on March 1, 2018.
Candidates for the independent grower position are:
Position One, Member (One year term): Position One, Alternate:
Mike Mason, Wasco (incumbent) Brad Klump, Escalon (incumbent)
Position Three, Member (Three year term): Position Three, Alternate:
Holly King, Bakersfield (incumbent) Caleb Gervase, Escalon (incumbent)
Dave DeFrank, Fresno (petitioner)
Candidates for the independent handler positions are:
Position Two, Member (Three-year term): Position Two, Alternate:
Todd Meyer, Chico (incumbent) Dexter Long, Ballico (incumbent)
Position Three, Member (One-year term): Position Three, Alternate:
Micah Zeff, Modesto (incumbent) Dinesh Bajaj, Chico (incumbent)
Ballots and instructions have been mailed to all independent growers whose names are on file with ABC. The Almond Board must receive ballots by Feb. 15, 2018 for them to be counted. If an independent grower does not receive a ballot, one may be obtained by contacting Bunnie Ibrahim at (209) 343-3228.
As a governing body for the industry, the ABC Board of Directors is comprised of five handler and five grower representatives who set policy and recommend budgets in several major areas including: production research, public relations and advertising, nutrition research, statistical reporting, quality control and food safety.