TFB state director named to sorghum checkoff board
Oct 17, 2008 10:13 AM
Texas Farm Bureau State Director Billy Bob Brown was among 13 producer members from across the United States named by Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer to the board of directors for the National Sorghum Promotion, Research and Information Program, or national sorghum checkoff.
The national checkoff ought to give those of us in the sorghum industry some resources we have needed for a long time, Brown said following the Oct. 16 announcement by the agriculture secretary. It will help us develop markets, as well as develop products to assist the producer in his production.
Brown said he and his fellow board members are ready to get to work.
I know a good number of these individuals personally and have worked with them for a number of years on various projects, he said. I look forward to working with them again. Our biggest challenge will be designing a program and structure that will best suit our industry and producers for years to come.
The producer board will be key in the success of the national sorghum checkoff, said Toby Bostwick, National Sorghum Producers (NSP) Chairman of the Board from Melrose, N.M.
We are thrilled that the national sorghum checkoff now has a producer board to represent the thousands of sorghum growers around the nation that will ultimately benefit from this program, Bostwick said. We are excited about the future of the sorghum industry and NSP looks forward to working closely with the checkoff board for the advancement of this industry.
Also representing Texas producers on the sorghum checkoff board are Bill Kubecka of Palacios; Dale Artho of Wildorado; and Troy Skarke of Claude.
Others include Jeff Casten of Quenemo, Kan.; Bill Greving of Prairie View, Kan.; Gary Kilgore of Chanute, Kan.; Earl Roemer of Healy, Kan.; Greg Shelor of Minneola, Kan.; James Vorderstrasse of Hebron, Neb.; Louise Rigdon of Blackwell, Okla.; Stewart Weaver of Edmonson, Ark.; and Jerry Van Zee of Platte, S.D.
NSP represents U.S. sorghum producers. The organization works to ensure the profitability of sorghum production coast to coast through legislative representation, regulatory representation, and education. To learn more about NSP, visit www.sorghumgrowers.com.
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