The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking nominees for the United Soybean Board (Board) to succeed 19 members and five alternate members with terms that expire in December 2023. The deadline for nominations is April 23, 2023.
Nominees are needed to succeed members in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas, and to succeed alternate members in Alabama, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. Individuals appointed to the Board will serve three-year terms beginning in late 2023 and ending in 2026.
Soybean producers within the United States who own or share the ownership and risk of loss of soybean production are eligible for nomination. A soybean producer must be nominated by a qualified state soybean board and complete an application. The Secretary of Agriculture will select individuals from the nominations submitted.
A list of qualified state soybean boards, the nomination form and information about the Board are available on the AMS United Soybean Board webpage and on the Board’s website, unitedsoybean.org. For more information, contact Barbara Josselyn at 202-713-6918 or Barbara.Josselyn@usda.gov.
Since 1966, Congress has authorized the development of industry-funded research and promotion boards to provide a framework for agricultural industries to pool their resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight of 22 boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.
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.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender