Release No. 212-14

Contact:

Hakim Fobia (202) 690-0488

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2014 -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack appointed 13 members to serve on the National Watermelon Promotion Board. All of the appointees’ terms will begin Jan. 1, 2015, and end Dec. 31, 2017.

New members include: Katelyn Kelly Miller of Punta Gorda, Fla.; Matthew Singletary of Alva, Fla.; James F. Shepherd of Naples, Fla.; Lee Wroten of Bartow, Fla.; Zachary Fawcett of McAllen, Texas; Rolando Rosales of Boca Raton, Fla.; Ramon Murillo of Nogales, Ariz.; Mario W. Cardenas of Boca Raton, Fla.; and Rob Richards of McAllen, Texas.

Re-appointed members include: John Gee of Temecula, Calif.; Raul Paez of Nogales, Ariz.; Gabriel Hinojosa of Mission, Texas; and Richard M. De Los Santos of Austin, Texas.

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides oversight of the Watermelon Board in accordance with the Watermelon Research and Promotion Act of 1985 and the Watermelon Research and Promotion Plan. The Plan includes watermelon handlers, producers growing 10 acres or more of watermelons, and importers who import 150,000 pounds of watermelons or more per year. Producers and handlers each pay an assessment rate of 3 cents per hundredweight, and importers pay 6 cents per hundredweight. The program is administered by board members who are selected by the 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 Watermelon 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 more information on the Watermelon Board, please contact Tarun Harit by phone: (202) 720-9915, or e-mail: Tarun.Harit@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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