[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 7, Volume 10]
[Revised as of January 1, 2008]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 7CFR1210.321]

[Page 100-101]
 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
  CHAPTER XI--AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS AND 
      ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 
PART 1210_WATERMELON RESEARCH AND PROMOTION PLAN--Table of Contents
 
            Subpart A_Watermelon Research and Promotion Plan
 
Sec. 1210.321  Nominations and selection.

    The Secretary shall appoint the members of the Board from 
nominations to be made in the following manner:
    (a) There shall be two individuals nominated for each vacant 
position.
    (b) The Board shall issue a call for nominations by February first 
of each year in which an election is to be held. The call shall include 
at a minimum, the following information:
    (1) A list of the vacancies and qualifications as to producers and 
handlers by district and to importers nationally for which nominees may 
be submitted.
    (2) The date by which the nominees shall be submitted to the 
Secretary for consideration to be in compliance with Sec. 1210.323 of 
this subpart.
    (3) A list of those States, by district, entitled to participate in 
the nomination process.
    (4) The date, time, and location of any next scheduled meeting of 
the Board, national and State producer or handler associations, 
importers, and district conventions, if any.
    (c) Nominations for producer and handler positions that will become 
vacant shall be made by district convention in the district entitled to 
nominate. Notice of such convention shall be publicized to all producers 
and handlers within such district, and the Secretary at least ten days 
prior to said event. The notice shall have attached to it the call for 
nominations from the Board. The responsibility for convening and 
publicizing the district convention shall be that of the then members of 
the Board from that district.
    (d) Nominations for importers positions that become vacant may be 
made by mail ballot, nomination conventions, or by other means 
prescribed by the Secretary. The Board shall provide notice of such 
vacancies and the nomination process to all importers through press 
releases and any other available means as well as direct mailing to 
known importers. All importers may participate in the nomination 
process: Provided, That a person who both imports and handles 
watermelons may vote for importer members and serve as an importer 
member if that person imports 50 percent or more of the combined total 
volume of watermelons handled and imported by that person.
    (e) All producers and handlers within the district may participate 
in the convention: Provided, That a person that produces and handles 
watermelons may vote for handler members only if the producer purchased 
watermelons from other producers, in a combined total volume that is 
equal to 25 percent or more of the producer's own production; or the 
combined total volume of watermelon handled by the producer from the 
producer's own production and purchases from other producer's production 
is more than 50 percent of the producer's own production; and provided 
further, That if a producer or handler is engaged in the production or 
handling of watermelons in more than one State or district, the producer 
or handler shall participate within the State or district in which the 
producer or handler so elects in writing to the Board and such election 
shall remain controlling until revoked in writing to the Board.
    (f) The district convention chairperson shall conduct the selection 
process for the nominees in accordance with procedures to be adopted at 
each such convention, subject to requirements set in Sec. 1210.321(e).
    (1) No State in Districts 3, 4, 5, and 7 as currently constituted 
shall have more than three producers and handlers representatives 
concurrently on the Board.
    (2) Each State represented at the district convention shall have one 
vote for each producer position and one vote for each handler position 
from the District on the Board, which vote shall be determined by the 
producers and handlers from that State by majority vote. Each State 
shall further have an additional vote for each five hundred thousand 
hundredweight volume as determined by the three year average annual crop 
production summary reports of the USDA, or if such reports are not 
published, then the three year average

[[Page 101]]

of the Board assessment reports; Provided, That for the first two calls 
for nominees, the USDA Crop Production Annual Summary Reports for 1979, 
1980, and 1981 will be controlling as to any additional production 
volume votes.

[54 FR 24545, June 8, 1989, as amended at 60 FR 10798, Feb. 28, 1995]