The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominees for the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee to fill three producer member seats, three alternate producer member seats, two handler member seats, and two alternate handler member seats, for terms beginning June 1, 2024.
Nominations for producer members and their alternates will take place at the Idaho-Malheur County Onion Growers’ Association annual meeting on Feb. 6, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. MT, at the Four Rivers Cultural Center, in Ontario, Oregon.
Nominations for handlers and their alternates will take place on March 7, 2024. Details will be released at a later date.
Eligible nominees for producer member seats and their alternates must be engaged in a proprietary capacity in the production of onions for market. Eligible nominees for handler member seats and their alternates must be handlers who place onions into the stream of commerce. The appointed members will serve two-year terms.
For nomination information, contact Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee Executive Director Candi Fitch at (209) 722-5111 or by email at candifitch@outlook.com, or USDA Marketing Specialist Joshua Wilde at (503) 679-9983 or by email at joshua.r.wilde@usda.gov.
The Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee administers the marketing order locally and consists of six producer members, four handler members, and one public member, each with an alternate. More information about the Committee is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee webpage or on the committee’s website at https://usaonions.com/.
Authorized by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, marketing orders are industry-driven programs that help producers and handlers achieve marketing success by leveraging their own funds to design and execute programs that they would not be able to do individually. AMS provides oversight to fruit, vegetable and specialty crops marketing orders and agreements to help 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, pay 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