The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominations for the Popcorn Board to fill two processor board seats whose terms will begin Jan. 1, 2024. Nominations are due to the board by May 1, 2023.
Eligible nominees must process over four million pounds of popcorn annually. The appointed members will serve three-year terms.
For election and nomination information, contact Popcorn Board Administrator Genny Bertalmio at (312) 673-4883 or by email at gbertalmio@popcorn.org; or USDA Marketing Specialist George Webster at (202) 365-4172 or by email at George.Webster@usda.gov.
The five-member Popcorn Board is industry-funded and supports the marketing and promotion of popcorn. Additional information is available on the AMS Popcorn Board webpage or on the board’s website at popcorn.org.
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. AMS provides oversight to 22 boards. The oversight ensures fiscal accountability and program integrity and is paid for by industry assessments.
AMS policy is that diversity of the boards, councils and committees it oversees should reflect the diversity of their 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.
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