Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue recently announced the appointment of producers and industry representatives to serve on the Peanut Standards Board. All appointees will serve the remainder of three-year terms ending June 30, 2020.
Those in the High Plains Journal readership area are James Richard Chandler, a Portales, New Mexico, producer, and industry representative John Edward Bennett of Mars Chocolate, Waco, Texas.
“The Peanut Standards Board was established to help USDA manage quality and handling practices for an industry that produces more than $1 billion worth of peanuts each year with a supply chain that impacts jobs on and off the farm,” said Perdue. “These appointees bring experience that will serve this industry well.”
The 18-member board was authorized under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002. One-third of the board members are appointed each year. More information about the board and USDA’s partnership with the peanut industry is available on the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service’s Peanut Standards Board page or by contacting the AMS Marketing Order and Agreement Division at 863-324-3375.