The Secretary shall select the producer, importer, and public members of the Board from nominations which may be made in the following manner.

(a) A meeting or meetings of producers shall be held in each State to nominate producer members for the Board. For nominations to the initial Board the meetings shall be announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Department may call upon other organizations to assist in conducting the meetings such as State and national organizations of potato producers. Such nomination meetings shall be held not later than 60 days after the issuance of this subpart. Any organization designated to hold such nomination meetings shall give adequate notice of such meetings to the potato producers affected; also to the Secretary so that a representative of the Secretary, if available, may conduct such meetings or act as secretary of such nomination meetings.

(b) After the establishment of the initial Board, the nominations for subsequent Board producer members shall be made by producers at meetings in the producing sections or States. The Board shall hold such meetings, or cause them to be held, in accordance with rules established pursuant to recommendation of the Board.

(c) Only producers may participate in designating producer nominees. Each producer is entitled to one vote only on behalf of himself, his partners, agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, and representatives for each position for which nominations are being held. If a producer is engaged in producing potatoes in more than one State, he shall elect the State in which he shall vote. In no event shall he vote in nominations in more than one meeting.

(d) The importer members shall be nominated by importers of potatoes, potato products and/or seed potatoes. The number of importer members on the Board shall be announced by the Secretary and shall not exceed five members. The Board may call upon organizations of potato, potato products and/or seed potato importers to assist in nominating importers for membership on the Board. If such organizations fail to submit nominees or are determined by the Board to not adequately represent importers, then the Board may conduct meetings of importers to nominate eligible importers for Board member positions. In determining if importer organizations adequately represent importers, the Board shall consider:

(1) How many importers belong to the association;

(2) What percentage of the total number of importers is represented by the association;

(3) Is the association representative of the potato, potato product, and seed potato import industry;

(4) Does the association speak for potato, potato product, and seed potato importers; and

(5) Other relevant information as may be warranted.

(e) The public member shall be nominated by the producer and importer members of the Board. The public member shall have no direct financial interest in the commercial production or marketing of potatoes except as a consumer and shall not be a director, stockholder, officer or employee of any firm so engaged. The Board shall prescribe such additional qualifications, administrative rules and procedures for selection and voting for each candidate as it deems necessary and the Secretary approves.

[37 FR 5008, Mar. 9, 1972, as amended at 49 FR 20806, May 17, 1984; 56 FR 40229, Aug. 14, 1991]