STATE NOMINEE APPLICATION

The national highbush (cultivated) blueberry promotion, research and information order, the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC), is seeking highbush blueberry producers to serve as state USHBC members.

To be listed as a nominee on the final ballot, you must complete this application and return it to the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) no later than by close of business on April 18, 2025. (See Nominee Application Instruction Sheet included with this application for details concerning eligibility, terms of office, etc.)
Nominees for the following USHBC state positions are requested:

Top Eight Production States (2022 to 2024)
  1. FLORIDA via Ballot
  2. MICHIGAN (To be nominated by the Michigan Blueberry Commission)
  3. OREGON (To be nominated by the Oregon Blueberry Commission)
  4. WASHINGTON (To be nominated by the Washington Blueberry Commission)
  5. GEORGIA (To be nominated by the Georgia Blueberry Commission)
  6. CALIFORNIA (To be nominated by the California Blueberry Commission
  7. NEW JERSEY (To be nominated by the New Jersey Blueberry Industry Advisory Council)
  8. NORTH CAROLINA (To be nominated by the North Carolina Blueberry Council)
USHBC State of Florida Call for Nominations
The USHBC is seeking nominees from the state of Florida. The nomination period begins March 21, 2025, and is open for a two-week period. Potential nominees are required to complete the USHBC nomination application below via survey monkey and background form (linked here). Nominees then forward their background form to the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council via email by April 18, 2025, at elections@blueberry.org.

Eligible producer nominees are those who produced and paid assessments on 2,000 pounds or more of highbush (cultivated) blueberries in the United States during the period of January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2024.

Application
To apply, fill out the form below.
Nominee Information

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* 1. Nominee First Name:

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* 2. Nominee Last Name:

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* 3. Nominee Farm/Company:

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* 4. Address

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* 5. Phone

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* 7. By typing your name in the box provided, you hereby certify that you have produced and paid assessments on 2,000 pounds or more of highbush blueberries in the state indicated above during the period of 01/01/22 to 12/31/24.

Nominee Qualification Statement

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* 8. Please type your reasons for applying for this USHBC state position, your background and experience. Note that the information you provide will be reprinted and distributed with the final ballot, and will be used by voters in determining their selection. By providing this information, you hereby consent to having it published with the final ballot.

To be listed on the final state ballot you must return this completed application to the USHBC no later than by the close of business on April 18, 2025. Incomplete or inaccurate applications, or any application received after 5 p.m. Pacific Time that day, will not be accepted. Applications can be sent to the USHBC via email to elections@blueberry.org.


If you have any questions concerning this nomination procedure or the final balloting process, please contact the USHBC office at elections@blueberry.org.

BLU-NAF (Expiration Date 11/30/2024)
U.S. HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRY COUNCIL
BLUEBERRY PROMOTION, RESEARCH and INFORMATION ORDER
COUNCIL MEMBER NOMINEE APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS


The national highbush (cultivated) blueberry promotion, research and information order, the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC), is seeking highbush blueberry producers to serve as state members and alternates. To be listed as a nominee on the final ballot, you must complete the enclosed application and return it to the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council office.


Nomination Period
Nominations for state member positions on the USHBC will be accepted from March 21 to April 18, 2025. Completed applications must be received by the USHBC no later than close of business on April 18, 2025.


Nominee Eligibility
Each person (as defined below) who produced 2,000 pounds or more of highbush blueberries during the period of January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2024 is eligible to be nominated to the USHBC.

  1. A person means any individual, group of individuals, partnership, corporation, association, cooperative, or any other legal entity. Partnership includes, but is not limited to: (a) a husband and wife who have title to, or leasehold interest in, a blueberry farm as tenants in common, joint tenants, tenants by the entirety, or, under community property laws, as community property, and (b) joint ventures wherein one or more parties to the agreement, informal or otherwise, contributed land and others contributed capital, labor, management, or other services, or any variation of such contributions by two or more parties.
  2. Eligible producer means any person who produced 2,000 pounds or more of blueberries in the United States during the representative period who: (a) Owns, or shares the ownership and risk of loss of, the crop; (b) Rents blueberry production facilities and equipment resulting in the ownership of all or a portion of the blueberries produced; (c) Owns blueberry production facilities and equipment but does not manage them and, as compensation, obtains the ownership of a portion of the blueberries produced; or (d) is a party in a landlord-tenant relationship or a divided ownership arrangement involving totally independent entities cooperating only to produce blueberries who share the risk of loss and receive a share of the blueberries produced. No other acquisition of legal title to blueberries shall be deemed to result in persons becoming eligible producers.
  3. Blueberries means only highbush blueberries grown in the United State of genus Vaccinium Corymbosum and Ashei, including the northern highbush, southern highbush, and rabbit eye varieties and excluding the lowbush (native) blueberry Vaccinium Angustifolium.


Nominee Positions
Producer nominees are now requested for eight USHBC state member positions from the top eight highbush blueberry production states. Nominations for seven state positions representing Oregon, Georgia, New Jersey, Michigan, Washington, North Carolina and California will be completed by their respective state blueberry councils and commissions.


The USHBC is soliciting nominees directly from Florida growers. The names of eligible producers will be placed on a ballot and emailed by the USHBC to Florida producers. Those receiving the most votes for each producer seat will be recommended as council members. Those receiving the second most votes for each position will be recommended as the alternate for that position. The names of those who receive the third and fourth most votes will also be sent on to the U.S. Se

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