USDA Announces Appointments to the American Pecan Promotion Board

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the appointment of seven members to serve on the American Pecan Promotion Board. Six appointees will serve three-year terms, effective Oct. 1, 2023, through Sep. 30, 2026. One appointee will serve the remainder of a vacant position, effective immediately, and expires on Sep. 30, 2024.

Appointed members serving three-year terms expiring Sep. 30, 2026, are:

• Phillip Arnold, Fairacres, New Mexico (Western Region)
• Brycen J. Salopek, Las Cruces, New Mexico (Western Region)
• Larry Salopek, Bowie, Arizona (Western Region)
• Deborah E. Walden-Ralls, Sahuarita, Arizona (Western Region)
• Steve Zaffarano, Stockton, California (Importer)
• Romulo Garza, San Antonio, Texas (Importer)

The appointed member serving a vacant term, expiring Sep. 30, 2024:

• Larry Don Womack, Deleon, Texas (Central Region)

The American Pecan Promotion Board has 17 members, including 10 domestic manufacturers and seven importers. Members can serve up to two consecutive three-year terms.

More information about the board is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) American Pecan Promotion Board webpage or the board’s website at www.eatpecans.com.

Since 1966, Congress has authorized the development of industry-funded research and promotion boards to provide a framework for agricultural industries to pool their resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets, and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight of 22 boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.

AMS policy is that the diversity of the boards, councils, and committees it oversees should reflect the diversity of their industries in terms of the experience of members, methods of production and distribution, marketing strategies, and other distinguishing factors, including but not limited to individuals from historically underserved communities, that will bring different perspectives and ideas to the table. Throughout the full nomination process, the industry must conduct extensive outreach, paying particular attention to reaching underserved communities, and consider the diversity of the population served and the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the members to serve a diverse population.