Agricultural Marketing Service press releases

USDA Seeks Nominees for Hass Avocado Board

Trouble viewing this email? View it as a webpage . USDA Seeks Nominees for Hass Avocado Board Notice to Trade The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominees for the Hass Avocado Board. Nominees are needed to fill 10 seats for members with terms beginning Nov. 1, 2026, and ending Oct. 31, 2029. USDA seeks nominees for the following seats: Six domestic producers – three directors and three alternates Four importers – two directors and two alternates Nominees may seek nomination to the board for all open seats for which they are eligible. Applications are available at hassavocadoboard.com, or by contacting Emiliano Escobedo, Executive Director, Hass Avocado Board at (949) 341-3250 or by email at ee@hassavocadoboard.com . For additional information, contact Harrison Hodges, Marketing Specialist, USDA, at (443) 571-8456 or by email at william.hodges2@usda.gov. The current 12-member board includes seven producer members, two importer members, and three producer or importer members who serve in swing seats. Each member has an alternate. More information about the board is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Hass Avocado Board webpage. 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 21 boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

USDA Seeks Nominees for the American Egg Board

Trouble viewing this email? View it as a webpage . USDA Seeks Nominees for the American Egg Board Notice to Trade The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking nominees for the American Egg Board to fill nine member and nine alternate member vacancies. Nine members and nine alternate members will serve two-year terms beginning March 2027 and ending March 2029. One member will serve a one-year term. Area I (three member and three alternate vacancies): Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia. Area II (five member and four alternate vacancies): Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wisconsin. Area III (two member and two alternate vacancies): Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The deadline for nominations is July 20, 2026. Nomination forms, a list of the three areas, and the certified eligible operations within each area are available on the AMS American Egg Board web page. The board is composed of 18 members and 18 alternates and administers the egg research and promotion program authorized by the Egg Research and Consumer Information Act of 1974. For more information, contact Barbara Josselyn at 202-713-6918 or Barbara.Josselyn@usda.gov . 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 21 boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender

USDA Seeks Nominees for the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center

Trouble viewing this email? View it as a webpage . USDA Seeks Nominees for the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center Notice to Trade The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking nominees for two producer positions and one expert in marketing to serve three-year terms on the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center Board of Directors. Nominations are due June 29, 2026. USDA selects appointees from candidates nominated by Certified Nominating Organizations (CNO). A CNO is any certified national organization with a principal interest in the production of sheep in the United States and whose membership consists primarily of active domestic sheep producers. The center’s board of directors is comprised of seven voting members and two non-voting members. Voting members include four active U.S. sheep producers, two members with expertise in finance and management and one member with expertise in lamb or wool product marketing. Non-voting members include USDA’s Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics. The Sheep Industry Improvement Center was established as part of the 2008 Farm Bill and administers a grant program designed to improve the competitiveness of the U.S. sheep industry by strengthening and enhancing the production and marketing of sheep and sheep products. Throughout the full nomination process, the industry must conduct extensive outreach, to attract nominees that reflect the uniqueness of the industry in terms of experience, methods of production and distribution, marketing strategies, and other distinguishing factors, that will bring different perspectives and ideas to the center. For more information, contact Barbara Josselyn at 202-713-6918 or Barbara.Josselyn@usda.gov . USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender

USDA Seeks Nominees for National Watermelon Promotion Board

Trouble viewing this email? View it as a webpage . USDA Seeks Nominees for National Watermelon Promotion Board Notice to Trade The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominees for the National Watermelon Promotion Board. Nominees are needed to fill eight seats for members with terms beginning Jan. 1, 2027, and ending Dec. 31, 2029. Nominees are also needed to fill one vacant importer seat that ends on Dec. 31, 2027. Nominees are needed for the following seats: Two producer and two handler seats from District 1 (Florida) Five importer seats (including one vacant seat) The board held videoconference calls on Feb. 11, 2026, for producers and handlers from District 1 and importers to select their representatives. For more information about the videoconference meetings and to obtain nomination information, contact the National Watermelon Promotion Board’s Director of Operations, Rebekah Dossett at rdossett@watermelon.org , or Industry Affairs Manager Andrea Smith at asmith@watermelon.org , or by phone at (407) 657-0261. The board is made up of 30 industry members including 10 producers, 10 handlers, nine importers, and one public member. More information about the board is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Watermelon Promotion Board webpage or on the board’s website, www.watermelon.org . For additional information, contact USDA Marketing Specialist Harrison Hodges at William.Hodges2@usda.gov or by phone at (443) 571-8456. 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 21 boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

USDA Seeks Nominees for the American Lamb Board

Trouble viewing this email? View it as a webpage . USDA Seeks Nominees for the American Lamb Board Notice to Trade The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking nominees for the American Lamb Board to succeed four members with terms that expire in early 2027. One producer with 100 or less lamb One producer with more than 500 lambs One feeder with less than 5,000 lambs One first handler One seedstock producer Any U.S. producer, feeder, or first handler who owns or purchases lambs may be considered for nomination. The deadline for nominations is June 23, 2026. Either the producer with 100 or less lambs or the producer with more than 500 lambs must be from Region I, east of the Mississippi River. The feeder with less than 5,000 lamb can be from either Region I or Region II. Producers, feeders, first handlers, and seedstock producers must be nominated by certified nominating organizations and submit a completed application. The Secretary of Agriculture will select individuals from the nominations submitted. The 13-member board was established to maintain and expand the market for sheep and sheep products. A list of certified nominating organizations, the nomination form, and information about the Lamb Board are available on the AMS American Lamb Board web page and on the boards website, lambresourcecenter.com . For more information, contact Barbara Josselyn at 202-713-6918 or Barbara.Josselyn@usda.gov . Since 1966, Congress has authorized 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 21 boards. Oversight ensures fiscal accountability and program integrity and is paid for by industry assessments. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

USDA Seeks Nominees for National Peanut Board

Trouble viewing this email? View it as a webpage . USDA Seeks Nominees for National Peanut Board Notice to Trade The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominees for the National Peanut Board. Nominees are needed to replace one producer member and one alternate for Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Virginia. Appointed members will serve three-year terms to succeed members whose terms of office end on Dec. 31, 2026. Members and alternates are nominated by producers or producer groups within their respective states. For more information about state nomination meetings and the application process, contact Maria Mehok, Senior Vice President of Finance and Compliance, Chief Operating Officer National Peanut Board, at (678) 424-5750 or at mymehok@nationalpeanutboard.org. You may also contact Vickie Carpenter, Marketing Specialist, USDA, at (202) 400-1865 or at VictoriaM.Carpenter@usda.gov. The 12-member board includes 11 members and their alternates representing the primary peanut-producing states and one at-large member and their alternate who represent the minor peanut-producing states. More information about the board is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) National Peanut Board webpage or on the National Peanut Board’s website at www.nationalpeanutboard.org . AMS policy is that the boards, councils and committees it oversees should reflect their industries in terms of the experience of members, methods of production and distribution, marketing strategies, and other distinguishing factors, that will bring different perspectives and ideas to the table. Throughout the full nomination process, the industry must conduct extensive outreach to attract candidates with skills and abilities that serve their industry needs. 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 21 boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

USDA Seeks Nominees for the United Sorghum Checkoff Program Board

Trouble viewing this email? View it as a webpage . USDA Seeks Nominees for the United Sorghum Checkoff Program Board Notice to Trade The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking nominees for the United Sorghum Checkoff Program Board to succeed five members with terms expiring in December 2026. Nominees are needed to succeed five members representing two at large members, one representing Kansas, one new representing from South Dakota (due to recent reapportionment), and one representing Texas. The deadline for nominations is June 1, 2026. Sorghum producers within the United States who own or share in the ownership and risk of loss of sorghum production are eligible for nomination. A sorghum producer must be nominated by a certified producer organization and submit a completed application. The Secretary of Agriculture will select individuals from the nominations submitted. The 13-member Sorghum Board was established to maintain and expand the market for sorghum. A list of certified producer organizations, nomination form, and information about the Sorghum Board are available on the AMS United Sorghum Checkoff Program web page and on the board’s website, www.sorghumcheckoff.com . For more information, contact Barbara Josselyn at (202) 713-6918 or Barbara.Josselyn@usda.gov . Since 1966, Congress has authorized 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 21 boards. Oversight ensures fiscal accountability and program integrity and is paid for by industry assessments. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

USDA Seeks Nominees for American Pecan Promotion Board

Trouble viewing this email? View it as a webpage . USDA Seeks Nominees for American Pecan Promotion Board Notice to Trade The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seeks nominees for the American Pecan Promotion Board. Nominees are needed to fill six seats with terms beginning Oct. 1, 2026, and ending Sept. 30, 2029. USDA seeks nominees for the following seats: Four Western producer seats Two importer seats The Western Region consists of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, plus any states in the U.S. whose land mass is in the Mountain or Pacific Time zones, plus any U.S. territories in the Pacific Ocean. The board is made up of 17 industry members including 10 producers and seven importers. To serve on the board, producers and importers must have produced or imported more than 50,000 pounds of inshell pecans (25,000 pounds of shelled pecans), on average, for four fiscal periods. Producers who produce pecans in more than one region may seek nomination only in the region in which they produce the majority of their pecans. More information about the board is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) American Pecan Promotion Board webpage or on the board’s website at www.eatpecans.com. For nomination information, contact the American Pecan Promotion Board at industry@eatpecans.com or (817) 985-3034 or USDA Marketing Specialist Sarah Richardson at Sarah.Richardson@usda.gov or (202) 720-8085. Since 1966, Congress has authorized industry-funded research and promotion boards to provide a framework for agricultural industries to pool resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets and conduct important research and promotion activities. The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides oversight to 21 boards. The oversight ensures fiscal accountability and program integrity and is paid for by industry assessments. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

USDA Seeks Nominees for the United Soybean Board

Trouble viewing this email? View it as a webpage . USDA Seeks Nominees for the United Soybean Board Notice to Trade The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking nominees for the United Soybean Board for 22 members and three alternates with terms that expire in December 2026. The nominees will represent the following states and regions. Member Seats: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Alternates Seats: Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas. The deadline for nominations is May 29, 2026. Individuals appointed to the board will serve three-year terms beginning in December 2026. Soybean producers in the United States who own or share ownership and risk of loss in soybean production are eligible for nomination. To be nominated, a soybean producer must be endorsed by a qualified state soybean board and complete a background application. The Secretary of Agriculture will select individuals from the submitted nominations. A list of qualified state soybean boards, nomination form, and information about the board are available on the AMS United Soybean Board web page and on the board’s website, unitedsoybean.org . For more information, contact Barbara Josselyn at 202-713-6918 or Barbara.Josselyn@usda.gov . 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 21 boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

USDA Announces $100.9 Million in Grant Funding Available for Projects to Support the Specialty Crop Industry

Trouble viewing this email? View it as a webpage . USDA Announces $ 100.9 Million in Grant Funding Available for Projects to Support the Specialty Crop Industry Notice to Trade The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced a total of $100.9 million in grant funding available through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) and Specialty Crop Multi-State Program (SCMP) . This year, SCBGP has $86.6 million in funding available for innovative projects designed to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through marketing, education, and research. Funds are distributed to U.S. states and territories based on a formula that considers both specialty crop acreage and production value. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is accepting SCBGP applications until June 8, 2026. Eligible SCBGP applicants are agricultural agencies or departments of agriculture in the 50 States, District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Participating states and territories will subaward funding to locally led projects to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, including fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, floriculture, and nursery crops. Those interested in applying for a subaward should apply directly through their state departments of agriculture. A list of state contacts is available on the SCBGP website. USDA also has $14.3 million available through SCMP to fund collaborative multi-state partnerships to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. SCMP awards competitive grants to participating state departments of agriculture as well as local governments, Indian tribes, institutions of higher education, or nonprofit organizations residing in nonparticipating states. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is accepting applications until October 16, 2026. SCMP supports projects that address food safety, plant pests and disease, research, crop-specific common issues, and marketing and promotion for specialty crops including fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops (including floriculture). State departments must partner with organizations located in at least two different states to qualify. Partner organizations include specialty crop producer associations and groups, state agencies, Tribal governments, universities, nonprofits, and other stakeholder groups and organizations. Application Information SCBGP applications must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 8, 2026, and SCMP by 11:59 p.m. ET on October 16, 2026. Any grant application submitted after the due date will not be considered unless the applicant provides documentation of an extenuating circumstance that prevented their timely submission of the grant application. More information is available in the AMS’ Late Applications, Denials and/or Appeals Procedures Policy . Both programs are funded through P.L. 119-21, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. For more information about grant eligibility, visit the SCBGP website or contact the SCBGP Team at scblockgrants@usda.gov for SCBGP inquiries, and the SCMP website or contact the SCMP Team at SAGPgrants@usda.gov for SCMP inquiries. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender

USDA Launches National Feeder and Stocker Cattle Dashboard

Trouble viewing this email? View it as a webpage . USDA Launches National Feeder and Stocker Cattle Dashboard Notice to Trade The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today launched the National Feeder and Stocker Cattle dashboard . This is the fourth launch of a new dashboard as part of ongoing efforts to make USDA’s Market News information more user-friendly. Farmers and ranchers now have instant access to dynamic, visualized data, with price movements, volume changes, and market comparisons all in an easy-to-read format. AMS previously published the Livestock Auction, LMR Cattle, and Cattle Contract Library dashboards, and will continue to deliver tools to support producers as they make marketing decisions for their products. With the new National Feeder and Stocker Cattle dashboard users can create customizable filters to refine their view by date, sale type, region, class, and weight, giving them the flexibility to focus on the data that matters most to their operation. This interactive tool will replace the text and pdf reports currently posted on the AMS Market News website while also expanding processing, consumer transparency, and markets for farmers and ranchers. For more information on the dashboard and its use, please view the linked video . If you have questions about the new dashboard, please contact Lonnie Peetz, Officer in Charge with the Livestock, Poultry, and Grain Market News Division, at (816) 341-2106 or Lonnie.Peetz@usda.gov . USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender

USDA Announces Appointments of Members to Nine Research and Promotion Boards

Trouble viewing this email? View it as a webpage . USDA Announces Appointments of Members to Nine Research and Promotion Boards Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the appointments of members to nine Research and Promotion Boards. Announcements: - National Dairy Promotion and Research Board - Hass Avocado Board - National Honey Board - National Peanut Board - National Watermelon Promotion Board - National Potato Promotion Board - National Sorghum Board - American Egg Board - U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council National research and promotions programs help industries expand domestic and foreign markets for their commodities by conducting production research, marketing research and development, consumer education and information, advertising, promotion, marketing and crisis management. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides oversight of 21 boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.