The state Department of Agriculture and Markets is currently accepting nominations for the New York Dairy Promotion Order Advisory Board, with the three-year term starting May 1, 2020. The Advisory Board assists the Commissioner in the administration of the DPO and makes recommendations on dairy marketing promotion, education and research programs. All nominations must be received no later than Friday, Feb. 14, 2020.
Any individual producer who markets milk in New York may be nominated for membership on the Advisory Board. Nominations can only be made by individual New York milk producers. They must be signed by the nominating individual and submitted in writing along with the nomination form, found here. Cooperatives and other farm organizations are not authorized to nominate individual producers to the Advisory Board but may endorse producers who are nominated.
Each nomination should include the name and address of the producer who is being nominated, his or her cooperative or other organizational affiliation and other pertinent information about the producer such as herd size, market, participation in farm organizations or programs and experience in marketing activities.
Completed nomination forms will be used to evaluate the nominee’s qualifications.
Certain organizations can endorse nominees with written comments submitted to the Commissioner for Advisory Board consideration no later than Friday, March 20, 2020.
Organizations authorized to endorse include: Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.; Niagara Frontier Cooperative Milk Producers Bargaining Agency, Inc.; Rochester Cooperative Milk Producers Bargaining Agency, Inc.; New York Farm Bureau, Inc.; New York State Grange, Inc.; and Agri-Mark, Inc.
Nominations and endorsements should be emailed to Louis Canter at Louis.Canter@agriculture.ny.gov or mailed to New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Division of Milk Control and Dairy Services, Attn: Louis Canter, 10B Airline Drive, Albany, N.Y., 12235.
For more information on the DPO Advisory Board nomination process, email Louis.Canter@agriculture.ny.gov or call 518.485.1905.
The DPO Advisory Board advises the commissioner on the disposition of approximately $15 million a year in funds collected from milk producers under the producer-approved New York Dairy Promotion Order. The Board also makes recommendations on promotion and nutrition education programs, and various dairy product and research projects. The Advisory Board consists of ten New York milk producers appointed by the Commissioner who serve a three-year term. Board members do not receive a salary but are entitled to reimbursement of actual expenses. Board members must be free of any known conflicts before accepting the appointment.