California Ag Network

Tag: ABC Board of Directors

  • Overwhelming Grower Support to Continue Almond Board of California

    The Almond Board of California is pleased to announce that California almond growers voted to continue their almond federal marketing order program for five more years.

    Voting was held Dec. 4 to Dec. 20, 2024, and 90.5 percent of voting growers, who together made up 93.3 percent of the almond volume represented in the voting, supported continuing the marketing order.

    The USDA conducts a continuance referendum every five years for the Almond Board of California (ABC) marketing order. The marketing order was established by the industry in 1950 to help growers and handlers work together to address the ever-changing demands on the industry changes and to drive global demand and drive marketing success.

    For the marketing order to remain in effect, it required approval from at least two-thirds of voting growers or two-thirds of the volume of almonds represented in the vote. Growers must have produced California almonds between Aug. 1, 2023, and July 31, 2024 to take part in the voting.

    The vote represents the California almond industry’s confidence in the Almond Board and the many programs it administers and funds with industry assessment dollars. California almonds are the state’s No. 1 crop by acreage, No. 1 ag export, No. 5 crop by value and the No. 1 specialty crop export in the U.S.

    ABC’s initiatives have strengthened key areas such as domestic and international marketing, nutrition research, data collection, production research, environmental stewardship and food safety and quality. By working together, the almond industry has developed valuable tools for growers, driven demand worldwide and achieved impressive milestones over the years.

    More than 200 industry members serve on the Almond Board’s Board of Directors, committees and work groups, and ABC works to engage as many industry members as possible in planning ABC programs and to encourage growers from widely diverse segments of the almond industry to participate in activities.

    Industry members are encouraged to attend one of ABC’s many public committee and Board of Directors meetings held throughout the year. A meeting schedule may be found at Almonds.com/Events.

  • Almond Board Election Underway

    Almond Board of California — Voting began April 21st to select two independent grower member and alternate positions and two independent handler member and alternate positions. These positions will serve as directors for the Almond Board of California (ABC) with the terms beginning on August 1, 2021.

    Candidates for the independent grower positions are:
    Position One, Member (One-year term): 

    Paul Ewing, Los Banos (incumbent)

    Ross Franson, Fresno (petitioner)

    Position One, Alternate:

    Michael Anderson, Vina (petitioner)

    Brandon Rebiero, Modesto (petitioner)

    Position Three, Member (Three-year term): 

    Dave DeFrank, Fresno (petitioner)

    Joe Gardiner, Earlimart (petitioner)

    Caleb Gervase, Escalon (petitioner)

    Kash Gill, Yuba City, (petitioner)

    Position One, Alternate:

    Dinesh Bajaj, Orland (petitioner)

    Chris Bettencourt, Westley (petitioner) Caleb Gervase, Escalon (petitioner)

    Candidates for the independent handler positions are:
    Position Two, Member (Three-year term): 

    Todd Meyer, Chico (incumbent)

    Bob Silveira, Williams (petitioner)

    Position Two, Alternate:

    Dexter Long, Ballico (incumbent)

    Position Three, Member (One-year term): 

    Darren Rigg, Le Grand (incumbent)

    Position Three, Alternate:

    Chad DeRose, McFarland (incumbent)

    Ballots and instructions have been mailed to all independent growers whose names are on file with ABC. The Almond Board must receive ballots by May 27, 2021 for them to be counted. If an independent grower or a handler does not receive a ballot, one may be obtained by contacting Bunnie Ibrahim at (209) 343-3228.

    As a governing body for the industry, the ABC Board of Directors is comprised of five handler and five grower representatives who set policy and recommend budgets in several major areas including: production research, public relations and advertising, nutrition research, statistical reporting, quality control and food safety.