WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2012 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has appointed four members and seven alternates to serve on the 12-person Hass Avocado Board.
Members serving three-year terms are producers Mark Golden, Oak View, Calif.; James West Johnson, Costa Mesa, Calif.; and importers Rodrigo Lopez Campero, New Westminster, Canada; and Scott Bauwens, Temecula, Calif.
Alternate members serving three-year terms include producers Emily Greenberg, Los Angeles; Dr. Bob Holloway, San Diego; and importers Francisco Javier Medina, Michoacan, Mexico; and Michael Parr, Palmetto Bay, Fla. Importer Gahl Crane, Long Beach, Calif., will serve a two-year term as an alternate. Producer Ohannes Z. Karaoghlanian, Temecula, Calif., and importer Nils Goldschmidt-Alomar, Henderson, Nev., will serve as alternates for one year.
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides oversight of the Hass Avocado Board in accordance with the Hass Avocado Research, Promotion, and Information Act of 2000 and the Hass Avocado Research, Promotion and Information Order.
Research and promotion programs are industry-funded, authorized by Congress, and date back to 1966, when Congress passed the Cotton Research and Promotion Act. Since then, Congress has authorized the establishment of 20 research and promotion boards. They empower farmers and ranchers to leverage their own resources to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets, and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight, paid for by industry assessments, which ensures fiscal responsibility, program efficiency and fair treatment of participating stakeholders. Visit www.ams.usda.gov/FVPromotion to learn more about research and promotion programs.
#
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.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (Voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).