USDA Seeks Nominees for the Cherry Industry Administrative Board

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominees for the Cherry Industry Administrative Board to fill seats for three growers, one handler and one at-large member, and their respective alternates. Nominations for member seats will be accepted from Nov. 5 through Dec. 3, 2024. The nominations for alternate seats will be accepted from Jan. 7 through Feb. 4, 2025. The appointed members and alternates will serve three-year terms beginning July 1, 2025.<_o3a_p>

To be eligible to serve as a member, each grower must be a producer, or an officer or employee of a producer who owns, or leases, an operation that grows tart cherries in the production area. Each handler on the board must be a handler, or an officer or employee of a handler, who owns, or leases, and operates a cherry processing facility in the district for which nominated. At-large members may be either a grower or handler.<_o3a_p>

For nomination information, contact the Executive Director Heather Weber at (517) 669-1070 or [email protected] or USDA Marketing Specialist Steven Kauffman at (863) 324-3375 or [email protected].<_o3a_p>

The marketing order authorizes marketing and production research, promotional activities, and volume control provisions to balance supply with demand. The board administers the order locally and will consist of seven grower members, eight handler members, three at-large members, and one public member and their alternates for the 2025-26 crop year. More information about the board is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) 930 Tart Cherries webpage or on the Board's website at https://www.cherryboard.org.<_o3a_p>

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.<_o3a_p>

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, paying 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.<_o3a_p>

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender<_o3a_p>