Release No.: 181-16
WASHINGTON, Nov. 22, 2016 -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has appointed six members to the Softwood Lumber Board to serve 3-year terms of office beginning Jan. 1, 2017.
Newly appointed manufacturer Furman Brodie, of Florence, S.C., and re-appointed manufacturer Danny White, of Brewton, Ala., represent the U.S. South. Re-appointed manufacturer Charles W. Roady, of Bonners Ferry, Idaho, represents the U.S. West and re-appointed manufacturer Alden J. Robbins, of Searsmont, Maine, represents the Northeast and Lake States.
Re-appointed importers are Don Kayne, of B.C. Canada, representing Canada West; and Francisco Figueroa, of Santiago, Chile, representing all other importing countries.
Board members selected by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture administer the program. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides oversight of the Softwood Lumber Board in accordance with the Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996 and the Softwood Lumber Research, Promotion, Consumer Education and Industry Information Order. 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, including the forest products industry, 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 Softwood Lumber Board, contact Maureen Pello at (503) 632-8848, or email Maureen.Pello@ams.usda.gov.
For more information about research and promotion programs, visit www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/research-promotion.
Get the latest Agricultural Marketing Service news at www.ams.usda.gov/news or follow us on Twitter @USDA_AMS. You can also read about us on the USDA blog.
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