USDA is seeking nominees to fill 19 member and 19 alternate member positions for the Cotton Board. The vacancies are in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri/Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee/Kentucky, Texas, Virginia, and for importers with terms ending Dec. 31, 2016.

Members and alternates members, as well as the consumer advisors, serve staggered three-year terms with no term limits.

The Cotton Research and Promotion Act provides that the Cotton Board be composed of representatives of cotton producers and importers. The representatives are selected by the secretary of agriculture from nominations submitted by certified producer organizations and certified importer organizations.

The CPOs in respective states and the CIOs will nominate two qualified persons for each member and alternate member position. The secretary selects members and alternates from the CPO and CIO nominations.

The cotton research and promotion program advances the position of cotton in the marketplace. It is funded by assessments on all domestically produced cotton and imports of foreign-produced cotton and cotton-containing products, and is authorized by the Cotton Research and Promotion Act of 1966.

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