USDA Names Members to the United States Potato Board

DENVER (January 13, 2014)-On Monday, January 7, 2014, United States Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack appointed/reappointed 38 grower members to serve on the United States Potato Board (USPB) for three-year terms beginning March 1, 2014, and ending February 28, 2017.

In 2012, the USDA challenged the USPB to develop a plan to communicate all USPB programs and opportunities to all growers in the United States, and specifically to solicit interest in USPB membership and representation from minor producing states, or states previously represented by assigned proxy states on the USPB. Some of these states had previously been represented, but had since lost their own direct representation on the USPB due, predominantly, to years of steady industry attrition in these production regions.

The complete list of newly appointed USPB members are: ÊBrandon Berce, St. Agatha, Maine; Brandon Boorman, Quincy, Washington; Adam Bula, Antigo, Wisconsin; Robert Conger, St. Anthony, Idaho; Brett Dixon, Bakersfield, California; Mark Finnessy, Amherst, Wisconsin; Gerald Greenwalt, Quincy, Washington; Myron Hawley, Ferndale, Washington; Kerry Heilig, Moses Lake, Washington; Casey Hoverson, Manuel, North Dakota; Kael Koompin and Thomas Kress, both from American Falls, Idaho; Jay LaJoie, Van Buren, Maine; Dwight Little, II, Newdale, Idaho; Michael Madsen, Hermiston, Oregon; Tim May, Imperial, Nebraska; Katie Neumiller-Floming, Thomas, Illinois; Prim Parker, Elkton, Florida; Brandon Schaapman, Quincy, Washington; Eric Schroeder, Deerbrook, Wisconsin; William Sheldon, Ray, North Dakota; Tyler Sorenson, Kennewick, Washington; and Jerry Tominaga, Rupert, Idaho.

Members reappointed to the USPB are: John Barrett, Springlake, Texas; Kenneth Burback, Center, Colorado; Rex Calloway, Quincy, Washington; Daniel Chin, Klamath Falls, Oregon; Justin Dagen, Karlstad, Minnesota; Jody Easterday, Pasco, Washington; Steve Elfering, Idaho Falls, Idaho; Karlene Hardy, Oakley, Idaho; Carl Hoverson, Larimore, North Dakota; Richard Kantner, Freeland, Wisconsin; Raymond Matsuura, Blackfoot, Idaho; Michael Pink, Mesa, Washington; and Craig Searle, Burley, Idaho.

Importer Sanjiv Kakkar, Lawrenceville, New Jersey, was also named to the board along with public member appointee Jennifer Phillips, Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Authorized under the 1971 Potato Research and Promotion Act, the National Potato Promotion Board (dba United States Potato Board) is composed of growers, importers and a public member appointed by the Secretary. Grower members are nominated at state and local grower meetings and by mail ballot. Each state is entitled to at least one producer member, and additional members are allotted on the basis of the volume of production. Importer members are nominated by importers, and the number of members-up to a maximum of five-is related to the volume of imports.

USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides board oversight, which ensures fiscal responsibility, program efficiency and fair treatment of participating stakeholders, in accordance with the 1971 Potato Research and Promotion Act. The program is administered by board members, who are selected by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

Research and promotion programs are industry-funded, authorized by Congress and date back to 1966. Since then, Congress has authorized the establishment of 20 research and promotion boards. They empower farmers and ranchers, establishing a framework for them to pool resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets, and conduct important research and promotion activities.

For more information about research and promotion programs, visit Hwww.ams.usda.gov/FVPromotion.

For more information on the USPB as the nation's potato marketing organization, positioned as the "catalyst for positive change," and the central organizing force in implementing programs that will increase demand for potatoes, please visit www.uspotatoes.com.