The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seeks nominations of domestic cotton producers from Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas, and importers of cotton and cotton-containing products for positions on the Cotton Board. The producers and importers will fill positions for 13 members and 13 alternates. USDA will appoint members and alternates to serve three-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2021, to Dec. 31, 2023. The mission of Research and Promotion (R&P) programs is to expand, maintain and develop markets for individual commodities in the United States and abroad. This mission is an important contributor to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) overall vision related to “providing economic opportunity through innovation and helping rural America thrive and promote agriculture production that better nourishes Americans while helping to feed others throughout the world.” Through the guidance of the R&P board members, appointed by Secretary Perdue, these programs execute a variety of activities benefitting agriculture. Consequently, the input and decision making provided by the board members is the foundation for success of these R&P programs.
Certified producer organizations (CPOs) and certified importer organizations (CIOs) will hold caucuses to nominate two qualified persons for each open position in their respective industry segment. Producer caucuses are scheduled as follows and all times are local times:
- Arkansas: Wednesday, July 8 at noon
- California: Wednesday, July 15 at 10 a.m.
- Louisiana: Thursday, July 16 at 10 a.m.
- Mississippi: Friday, July 10 at noon
- North Carolina: Monday, July 20 at 3:20 p.m.
- Texas: Wednesday, July 22 at 10 a.m.
For nominating and caucus information, including organizations seeking certification and a list of CPOs and CIOs, contact Cotton Research and Promotion at (540) 361-2726 or CottonRP@usda.gov.
More information is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service Cotton Board webpage or on the board’s website at www.cottonboard.org.