News from New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets

For more information contact: Jessica Chittenden, 518-457-3136

Commissioner Calls For Dairy Promotion Board Nominations

ALBANY, NY (03/11/2008; 0951)(readMedia)-- New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker today called for nominations for the New York Dairy Promotion Advisory Board, which administers the Dairy Promotion Order and evaluates dairy marketing promotion programs. All nominations must be received no later than April 1, 2008.

The Advisory Board consists of ten New York milk producers appointed by the Commissioner who serve a three-year term, commencing May 1, 2008. Board members do not receive a salary, but are entitled to reimbursement of actual expenses.

Any individual producer marketing milk in New York may be nominated for membership on the Advisory Board. Nominations can only be made by individual New York milk producers and must be submitted in writing and signed by the individual producer making the nomination. Cooperatives and other farm organizations are not authorized to nominate individual producers to the Advisory Board, but may endorse producers who are nominated.

Authorized organizations can endorse nominees for the Advisory Board by submitting to the Commissioner, no later than April 8, 2008, a resolution of the Board of Directors or other governing body endorsing the nominations of not less than two of its members whose nominations have been received.

Organizations that are authorized to endorse nominations are: Dairylea Cooperative, Inc.; 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.

Each nomination which is submitted for the Advisory Board should clearly set forth the name and address of the producer who is being nominated and his or her cooperative or other organizational affiliation. Other information about the producer such as herd size, market, participation in farm organizations or programs, and experience in marketing activities are helpful in evaluating the nominee’s qualifications to serve on the Advisory Board.

Nominations by individual producers and endorsements by the designated cooperative and other farm organizations should be sent no later than April 1, 2008 for nominations and April 8, 2008 for endorsements to:

New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Division of Milk Control and Dairy Services Attn: Ed Johnston 10B Airline Drive Albany, NY 12235

For further information on the New York State Dairy Promotion Advisory Board nomination process, please contact the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Division of Milk Control and Dairy Services at 518-457-4142.

-30-