AMS No. 093-13

Peter Wood (202) 720-6179

WASHINGTON, June 10, 2013 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced 14 appointments to the Plant Variety Protection Board. Each appointee will serve a 2-year term.

“These appointees represent a cross section of the farm community and the plant seed varietal industry. I am confident that farmers, growers and producers will be well served by them," said Vilsack.

Stevan Madjarac and Dana Rewoldt are the newly appointed members representing the seed industry sector while Patrick Kole and Corinne Marshall were reappointed.

The newly appointed members representing farmers are Harry Collins, Hezekiah Gibson, and Wendell Shauman. The reappointed farmer is Salomon Montano.

Representing the Public/University sector are new members Joonhyung Cho, Danielle Conway and Larry Teuber with June Blalock, Leticia Cabrera and Jonathan Egilla being reappointed to the board.

The Plant Variety Protection Act, enacted in December of 1970 and amended in 1994, provides legal protection in the form of intellectual property rights to developers of new varieties of plants. The Act also calls for a Plant Variety Protection Board of 14 members to be appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture. The board has the following duties: (1) advise the Secretary concerning the adoption of rules and regulations to facilitate the proper administration of the Act; (2) make advisory decisions for the Secretary on appeals concerning decisions on applications by the Plant Variety Protection Office and on requests for emergency public-interest compulsory licenses; and (3) advise the Secretary on any other matters under the rules and regulations.

The appointed board will hold their first teleconference meeting on July 31, 2013, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET.

The Secretary selects the appointees nominated by farmers' associations, trade associations in the seed industry, professional associations representing expertise in seed technology, plant breeding, and variety development, public and private research, and development institutions and the USDA.

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