USDA’s Cotton Board seeks members

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture is asking producer and importer groups to nominate candidates to serve on the Cotton Board.
   The department seeks nominees to fill eight member and eight alternate member positions for vacancies in Arizona, Georgia, Texas, and for importers with terms ending Dec. 31, 2015. In addition, a member vacancy in Alabama with a term ending Dec. 31, 2013, will be filled due to a resignation. Members and alternates members, as well as the consumer advisor, serve staggered 3-year terms with no term limits.
   For nominating information or for a list of certified producer organizations and certified importer organizations, contact Shethir M. Riva, chief of the research and promotion staff for the Agricultural Marketing Service’s Cotton and Tobacco Programs, USDA, 100 Riverside Parkway, Suite 101, Fredericksburg, Va., 22406; telephone (540) 361-2726; fax (540) 361-1199; or email at Shethir.Riva@ams.usda.gov.
   The cotton research and promotion program is designed to advance cotton in the marketplace. It is funded by assessments on all domestically produced cotton and imports of foreign-produced cotton and cotton-containing products, and is authorized by the 1966 Cotton Research and Promotion Act. AMS oversees operations of the board.