If you don’t receive information this month about the upcoming 2020-2021 Almond Board of California (ABC) Board of Directors election, don’t drive down to the post office in a flurry – nothing got lost in the mail.
The Almond Board of California's Board of Directors strives to serve and lead the industry towards the almond orchard of the future. Pictured here are members and alternates of the 2019-2020 Board (member Dave Phippen not pictured).
In past Decembers of each year the Almond Board would send out a press release and mailing to growers and handlers as a reminder that the Board of Directors election is about to occur and to encourage participation. This year, however, due to the change in the election timeline approved by growers last spring in a statewide referendum, the announcement of the upcoming election won’t take place until February 2020.
Starting in 2020, the deadline for growers and handlers to notify ABC that they intend to run for an open seat will be April 1. Ballots will be sent out during the second half of April and will be due to the Almond Board by May 27. The Almond Board will then send the election results to USDA by June 1, and the new term of office will begin on August 1. These changes in the timeline apply to both members and alternates on the Board.
This timeline shift allows Board members’ terms to coincide with the crop year. The change will also result in a more cohesive process, giving handlers more time to submit their intentions to run and growers more time to collect signatures on the required grower petition for any open grower seat. Finally, the change gives ABC staff more time to verify grower signatures and prepare the ballots for the industry’s vote.
In addition, the ballots will have a new look this year. While most of the content will remain the same, the ballots will now show the required government language as well as approved Office of Management and Budget document numbers for the election.
Almond Board staff are excited about these changes and urge industry members to get involved with ABC either at the Board level or as a member on one of our multiple committees and work groups. All industry members are also welcome to attend any committee or work group meeting. A calendar of upcoming meetings and other events may be found on our website at Almonds.com/Events.
This February, keep an eye out for information on the 2020-2021 Board of Directors election. If you’d like more information at this time, please contact Bunnie Ibrahim at 209-343-3228 or bibrahim@almondboard.com.
