US agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that he has appointed five members and five alternatives to serve on the Hass avocado board, with each serving a three-year term ending 31 October 2014.
Members appointed to the board to represent producers include Bob Schaar, Tom Sowden, Gary Woodworth, and alternate members Will Carleton, Ed Embly and Casimir Wytaniec.
Meanwhile, newly appointed members representing importers are Chris Henry and Javier Campo, as well as alternate members David Fausset and Isabel Cheba-Freeland.
'These appointees represent a cross-section of the industry, and bring a wealth of diverse perspectives and backgrounds to the board,' said Vilsack. 'I am confident that producers, importers and others in the Hass avocado supply chain will be well served by them.'
The US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides an oversight of the board in accordance with the Hass Avocado Research, Promotion, and Information Act of 2000 and the Hass Avocado Research, Promotion, and Information Order of 2002.
Under the order, domestic producers and importers pay an assessment of 2.5 cents per pound of fresh Hass avocados produced or handled in the US, or imported into the US. Funds collected are used to conduct generic promotion, research and information projects designed to maintain and expand markets for Hass avocados.
Research and promotion programs are industry driven programs funded through assessments and administered by board members selected by the Secretary of Agriculture. This allows commodity groups to conduct promotion, market and production research and new product development for the benefit of their industries. AMS monitors board operations.
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