MACON — Nomination meetings to fill three positions on the Georgia Peanut Commission (GPC) Board of Directors will be held Dec. 21 in Cochran and Oglethorpe and on Dec. 22 in Tifton. The Georgia Farm Bureau Federation will conduct the meetings during which peanut producers will nominate peers to represent the Peanut Commission’s Districts 2, 4 and 5. The terms of the commission members who currently represent these districts expire in May 2016.
“I encourage peanut farmers in these districts to attend the meeting for their respective district and participate in making nominations for these Peanut Commission positions,” Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said. “The Georgia Peanut Commission plays an important role in promoting the industry, conducting research and educating producers and the public about industry issues.”
The Georgia peanut production area is divided into five districts based on acreage distribution and geographical location with one board member representing each district. Each nominee must produce peanuts and live within the district for which he or she is nominated.
The GPC District 5 nomination meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Dec. 21 at the Macon County Extension Service Office located at 100 Sumter St., Courthouse Annex in Oglethorpe . Donald Chase of Macon County is the district incumbent. Counties in District 5 include: Chattahoochee, Clay, Lee, Macon, Marion, Peach, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor, Terrell and Webster.
The GPC District 4 nomination meeting will be held at 2 p.m. Dec. 21 at the Bleckley County Farm Bureau Office located at 157 West Dykes St. in Cochran. Rodney Dawson of Pulaski County is the District 4 incumbent. Counties in District 4 include: Bleckley, Crisp, Dodge, Dooly, Houston, Laurens, Pulaski, Telfair, Twiggs, Wheeler, Wilcox and Wilkinson.
The GPC District 2 nomination meeting will be held at 11 a.m. Dec. 22 at the Tift County Farm Bureau office located at 1618 Whiddon Mill Road in Tifton. Armond Morris is the incumbent in the district. Counties in District 2 include: Atkinson, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Thomas, Tift, Turner and Worth.
Any peanut producer may be nominated or make nominations at the meeting for the peanut district in which he or she lives. Incumbents are eligible for renomination.
If more than one person is nominated, an election will be conducted by mail ballot at a date to be announced. Commission by-laws state that a person must receive a majority of the votes cast for a position in order to be elected to the board. If only one person qualifies for the position, no election is required and the nominated person automatically becomes a member of the Georgia Peanut Commission Board. Commission members serve terms of three years.