Feb 16, 2021

Blueberry council seeks nominations for regional, alternate positions

The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council is seeking nominees to fill regional member and alternate positions. Potential nominees are required to complete a USHBC nomination application and forward their application to the USHBC office no later than March 5, 2021.

Nominations are to be received directly from growers in each of the four regions. Nomination applications will be mailed directly to growers throughout the United States. Applications are also available online at ushbc.org, can be requested by contacting the USHBC office at (916) 983-0111 or by emailing ​[email protected]​. Eligible producer nominees are those who produced 2,000 pounds or more of highbush (cultivated) blueberries in the United States during the period of Jan. 1, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2020.

Once the nomination period is closed, a ballot will be prepared for each region, listing all nominees for that specific region. Regional ballots will then be mailed to growers on April 26, 2021. The voting period will be open for 35 days and close on May 30, 2021.

Those receiving the most votes for each producer seat will be recommended to the Secretary of Agriculture as regional council members. Those who earn the second most votes for each position will be recommended as the regional alternate. The names of those who receive the third and fourth most votes will be sent on to the secretary for consideration. Council members and alternates will serve a term of three years beginning January 1, 2022. Members can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms.

The USHBC Industry Relations Committee will also be accepting nominees to be considered by the committee for the Importer #1 (1 member position), Exporter #1* (1 member position) and Public Member (1 member position) and their alternates on the council, also due March 5, 2021. Nominees for these positions are also being sought for the three-year term that begins on January 1, 2022.

More information on the nomination process for these positions is available here.

*This position represents producers that ship blueberries into the US from the largest foreign blueberry production area (currently Chile).

Nominations Open for 2 Vacant Council Positions

Additionally, nominations are now open for two USHBC alternate vacancies: Handler Alternate and Importer #4 Alternate.

The selected nominees would serve partial terms of office which expire Dec. 31, 2022. Nominations are due March 5.

You can apply online at ushbc.org, or get additional information by contacting the USHBC office at (916) 983-0111 or emailing ​[email protected]​.