Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Appoints Peanut Standards Board Members

Date
Wednesday, September 21, 2016 - 11:00am

Release No. 144-16

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2016 -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the appointment of three producers and three industry representatives to serve on the Peanut Standards Board. All will serve three-year terms of office ending June 30, 2019.

Secretary Vilsack appointed the following members:

  • producer Dwight Stansel, of Wellborn, Fla., and industry representative John T. Gray III affiliated with Williston Peanut Inc., of Williston, Fla., to represent the Southeast Region;
  • producer Mark Boardman, of Lamesa, Texas, and industry representative William M. Brown affiliated with J.M. Smucker Company LLC, of Orrville, Ohio to represent the Southwest Region; and
  • producer Paul W. Rogers Jr., of Wakefield, Va., and industry representative Darlene M. Cowart affiliated with Birdsong Peanuts, of Suffolk, Va., to represent the Virginia-North Carolina Region.

The Peanut Standards Board is comprised of 18 members who represent the Southeast Region, which includes Alabama, Georgia and Florida; the Southwest Region, which includes Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico; and the Virginia-North Carolina Region. One-third of the board members are appointed each year.

The Peanut Standards Board is authorized under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002. USDA consults with the board to establish or change quality and handling standards for domestically produced and imported peanuts.

For more information about the board and USDA’s partnership with the peanut industry, visit www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/peanut-standards-board or contact the Marketing Order and Agreement Division by phone: (863) 324-3375.

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