USDA Seeks Nominees for the Far West Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominees for the Far West Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee to fill three producer member seats and three alternate member seats whose terms will begin Jan. 1, 2025. Nominations must be made during the nomination meetings being held in each district.<_o3a_p>

Nomination Meetings:<_o3a_p>

District 1<_o3a_p>

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• Sept. 23 at 3 p.m. at 3690 S. Wapato Rd., Toppenish, Washington.<_o3a_p>
• Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. at Snipes Mountain, 905 Yakima Valley Highway, Sunnyside, Washington.<_o3a_p>

District 2<_o3a_p>

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• Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. at Jakers Grill, 3268 E. Pine Ave., Meridian, Idaho.<_o3a_p>

Eligible nominees must be engaged in a proprietary capacity in the production of Far West spearmint oil within the district for which selected. Appointed members will each serve a two-year term.<_o3a_p>

For nomination information, contact Far West Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee Manager Shane Johnson at (509) 585-5460 or at [email protected] or USDA Marketing Specialist Joshua Wilde at (503) 679-9983 or at [email protected].<_o3a_p>

The marketing order authorizes research and promotion programs and volume control regulations for spearmint oil produced in the Far West, as defined by the marketing order. The Far West Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee administers the order locally and consists of seven producer members, one public member and their alternates. More information about the committee is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) Far West Spearmint Oil webpage or on the Committee's website at http://www.farwestspearmint.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>