Release No. 173-14

Contact:

Hakim Fobia (202) 690-0488

WASHINGTON, D.C. Sept. 3, 2014 -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today appointed six members and six alternates to serve on the National Peanut Board. The appointees will serve three-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2015, and ending on Dec. 31, 2017, with the exception of an Arkansas member and an alternate member who will begin immediately and end on Dec. 31, 2016.

Members include Edward E. White of Headland, Ala.; Greg Gill of Walnut, Ark.; Jeffery C. Pittman of Bascom, Fla.; Joe H. Morgan of Hattiesburg, Miss.; Daniel Ward of Clarkton, N.C.; and John R. Crumpler II of Suffolk, Va.

Alternate members include Thomas Corcoran of Eufaula, Ala.; Gregory L. Baltz of Pocahontas, Ark.; Damon Sandlin of Williston, Fla.; Don Self, Hamilton of Miss.; Raymond P. Garner, Jr. of Roanoke Rapids, N.C.; and Paul W. Rogers of Wakefield, Va.

USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides oversight of the National Peanut Board in accordance with the Commodity Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1996 and the Peanut Promotion, Research, and Information Order. Under the order, domestic producers pay an assessment at the rate of 1 percent of the total value of all farmers stock peanuts sold. The program is administered by board members who are selected by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

USDA encourages board membership that reflects the diversity of the individuals served by the programs. USDA encourages all eligible women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to seek nomination for a seat on the Peanut Board.

Research and promotion programs are industry-funded, were authorized by Congress, and date back to 1966, when Congress passed the Cotton Research and Promotion Act. Since then, Congress has authorized the establishment of 22 research and promotion boards. They empower farmers and ranchers to leverage their own resources to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets, and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight, paid for by industry assessments, which ensures fiscal responsibility, program efficiency and fair treatment of participating stakeholders.

For more information about research and promotion programs, visit www.ams.usda.gov/FVPromotion. For information on the Board, please contact Jeanette Palmer by phone: (202) 720-9915, or email: Jeanette.Palmer@ams.usda.gov.

Get the latest Agricultural Marketing Service news at www.ams.usda.gov/news or follow us on Twitter @USDA_AMS. You can also read about us on the USDA blog.

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