Wheat Commission to Conduct Grower Elections

Taylor Hillman General

wheat field
In July and August, the California Wheat Commission will conduct district elections for the positions of commissioner and alternate commissioner for three Commission grower districts.

The wheat grower districts are: District 1 – Del Norte, Humboldt, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Trinity counties; District 4 – Alameda, Alpine, Calaveras, Contra Costa, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties; and District 7 – Inyo, Kings and Tulare counties.

A qualified candidate is defined as any person who is engaged within this state in the business of producing wheat for market during any of the preceding three marketing seasons, and who resides or farms in the district. Interested individuals may obtain a nomination petition via the Commission’s website in the News/Info section or by calling the Wheat Commission office at (530) 661-1292. To be included on the ballot, completed nomination petitions must be returned to the Commission no later than July 13, 2015.

Involvement in the California Wheat Commission enables producers to help determine the Commission’s program and budget priorities. The Commission is also active in several national organizations, giving commissioners a direct role in major industry issues. The term of office for commissioners and alternates is three years.

Wheat growers voted to establish the California Wheat Commission in 1983, expressly to develop and maintain domestic and international markets for California wheat and support research that improves California wheat quality and marketability. The Commission, operating under the California Food and Agriculture Code, is funded by assessments paid by wheat growers and is guided by a board which includes nine wheat producers, two handlers, two at-large members and one public member — each with alternates.