Agriculture Commissioner Requests Applications For Texas Seed And Plant Board (1/4/2016)

AUSTIN - Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller today announced an open call for applications to fill a seat on the Texas Seed and Plant Board. The six-member board prescribes rules and procedures by which seed and plant certification is conducted in Texas and serves as the mechanism for proposing new seed varieties for Texas growers.

Additionally, the board reviews and approves foundation, registered and certified seed growers, and approves Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) inspectors to perform duties under the seed certification program.

A member who sells Texas foundation, registered or certified seeds or plants is needed to fill the vacancy and complete the six-member board.

In addition to this vacancy, the Texas Seed and Plant Board is comprised of:

• -One individual, appointed by the president of Texas A&M University, from the Soil and Crop Sciences Department, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas A&M AgriLife Research,
• -One individual, appointed by the president of Texas Tech University, from the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences,
• -One individual, appointed by the Texas Agriculture Commissioner, who is licensed as a Texas foundation, registered or certified seed or plant producer who is not employed by a public institution,
• -One individual, appointed by the Texas Agriculture Commissioner, who is actively engaged in farming but who is not a producer or seller of Texas foundation, registered or certified seeds or plants, and
• -The head of the seed division at TDA.

Click here to download an application. The deadline to submit an application is Jan. 30, 2016. Should you have questions, please contact Mike Mann, director of agriculture commodity programs at TDA, at (512) 463-4753.