Release No.: 169-15
WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking nominations for the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council.
The Council is composed of 20 members and 20 alternates. There are five member seats and five alternate seats that need to be filled on the Council as follows: one handler member and one alternate; three importer members and three alternates; and one exporter/foreign producer and alternate representing Canada. Selected nominees would serve for a three-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2017.
The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council meets periodically to review marketing and research activities that benefit the industry. The national program is industry-funded and supports the marketing and promotion of highbush blueberries. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) oversees board activities.
Nominations for the handler, importer, and exporter seats are due to the Council by Jan. 28, 2016. Visit www.blueberry.org for a copy of the application, or contact Mark Villata, U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council Executive Director by phone: (916) 983-0111 or e-mail: mvillata@ushbc.org. You may also contact Maureen Pello, USDA Marketing Specialist, by phone: (503) 632-8848 or e-mail: maureen.pello@ams.usda.gov.
USDA encourages board membership that reflects the diversity of the individuals served by the programs. All eligible women, minorities and persons with disabilities are invited to seek nomination for a seat on the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council.
Research and promotion programs are industry-funded, were 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 22 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.
Get the latest Agricultural Marketing Service news at http://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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