Release No. 135-16
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2016 -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today appointed three members and three alternates to serve on the National Peanut Board. The appointees will serve three-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2017, and ending on Dec. 31, 2019.
Members selected include Greg Gill, of Walnut Ridge, Ark.; Jim Chandler, of Portales, N.M.; and Les Crall, of Weatherford, Okla.
Alternate members selected include Gregory Baltz, of Pocahontas, Ark.; Karen Jackson, of Hobbs, N.M.; and Gayle White, of Frederick, Okla.
USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides oversight of the National Peanut Board in accordance with the Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996 and the Peanut Promotion, Research and Information Order. Under the order, domestic producers pay an assessment rate of one percent of the total value of all farmers stock peanuts sold. Board members are selected by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture administer the program.
USDA encourages board membership that reflects the diversity of the individuals served by the programs. USDA encourages all eligible women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to seek nomination for a seat on the National Peanut Board.
Research and promotion programs are industry-funded, are 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.
For more information about research and promotion programs, visit www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/research-promotion. For information on the National Peanut Board, please contact Jeanette Palmer by phone: (202) 720-9915, or email: Jeanette.Palmer@ams.usda.gov.
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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