ODA recruiting for commodity positions, May 9

The Oregon Department of Agriculture is seeking applicants to fill 68 open positions on the state’s 23 agricultural and commercial fisheries commodity commissions. The deadline for applications is May 18, 2018. Applications will be accepted after the deadline for unfilled positions filled. The Commissioner Application and Qualification forms and a list of all openings may be seen at oda.direct/commissions Scroll to Resources for the application forms. Most appointments are for a three-year term beginning July 1, 2018. Some commissions have openings for four-year terms. Several of the appointments will be for less than three years since they will fill unexpired terms. Applicants for producer or handler positions on any commodity commission must be a US citizen, an Oregon resident, and have paid or collected the assessment for that particular commodity for at least three years, or four years in some cases. Several of the vacant positions are for public members. A public member must also be a US citizen, an Oregon resident, and have an active interest in improving economic conditions for that commodity. A public member cannot be directly associated with the production or handling of the specific commodity they seek to serve. ODA has nine public member positions open on these commissions involving the Coast: Dungeness Crab.  ODA Director Alexis Taylor appoints commissioners to make decisions about how producer assessments are spent on promotion, education, and research projects funded by each commodity commission. She is seeking applicants who represent the diversity among Oregon farmers, processors and commercial fisheries. For public members, consumers of the commodity who have the interest and time to serve will be the best fit.  The following Oregon commodity commissions are seeking applicants for appointment: •    Oregon Albacore Commission– 1 producer, 1 handler; • Oregon Dairy Products Commission– 1 Southern Oregon producer (Coos, Curry,     Douglas, Josephine, Klamath), 1 Eastern Oregon producer (Baker, Crook, Deschutes, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Hood River, Jefferson, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco); • Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission– 1 producer, 1 handler, 1 public member; • Oregon Potato Commission– 1 Southeast Oregon producer (Harney, Malheur), 1 Southern Oregon producer (Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake); • Oregon Salmon Commission– 2 producers; • Oregon Trawl Commission– 2 producers, 1 handler. For further information on qualifications, contact: Kris Anderson at 503-872-6604 or 503-970-3260.