WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2006 - Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced the appointment of 12 new members to serve on the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board. This board advises the secretary of agriculture and land-grant colleges and universities on national priorities and policies for food and agricultural research, education programs, extension outreach efforts and economic research programs.

"We appreciate the contributions that these individuals are making through this advisory board." Johanns said. "Their expertise and advice helps to ensure that USDA programs remain relevant to current agricultural issues and provide guidance on our many research and outreach activities."

In addition to providing policy guidance to USDA, board members meet with congress, hold stakeholder listening sessions, review competitive-grant programs, and conduct an annual review of USDA research and education activities for relevance to national priorities and adequacy of funding. The board members advise USDA's REE under secretary on the mission area's draft Strategic Plan.

The board is made up of 31 members, each of whom represents a specific category of U.S. Agricultural stakeholders as outlined in the 1996 and 2002 farm bill. Each new member serves a 3-year appointment with the exception of Category CC which is a 2-year appointment effective October 1, 2006. Terms for members overlap so every year a third of the Board is newly appointed.

Newly appointed members are:

Category A. National Farm Organization: Joseph H. Layton, Owner and Operator, Lazy Day Farms, LLC, Vienna, (Maryland)

Category C. Food and Animal Commodity Producer: Carol A. Keiser-Long (Reappointment), President C-BAR Cattle Co. Inc; and President C-ARC Enterprises, Inc., Champaign, (Illinois)

Category E. National Animal Commodity Organizations: George B. Watts, President, National Chicken Council, Washington, (DC)

Category F. National Crop Commodity Organization: Charles B. Coley, President, Coley Gin & Fertilizer Company/Managing Partners; Coley Farms, Vienna (Georgia)

Category K. National Human Health Association: John Cunningham, (Reappointment), Deputy Provost & Professor of Nutrition, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, (Massachusetts)

Category P. Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Ricardo Chavez Rel, (Reappointment), Assistant to the Dean Agriculture Experiment Station Cooperative Extension Service, College of Agriculture & Home Economics, Los Cruces (New Mexico)

Category R. Non Land-Grant College and University with a Historic Commitment to Research in Food and Agricultural Sciences: James R. Clark, Dean and Vice Chandler, College of Agriculture, Science & Engineering, West Texas A & M University, Canyon (Texas)

Category T. Transportation of Food and Agricultural Products to Domestic and Foreign Markets: James Lugg, (Reappointment), Executive Vice President Fresh Express/President, TransFRESH Corporation, Salinas (California)

Category V. Food and Fiber Processors: Mary Wagner, Chief, Technology Officer E & J Gallo Winery, Modesto (California)

Category AA. Private Sector Organization involved in International Development: William J. Hudson, President & CEO, World Food Logistics Organization, Alexandria (Virginia)

Category CC. Research Agency of the Federal Government Other than USDA: - David Thomassen, Chief, Scientist, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington (DC)

Category DD. National Social Science Association: James J. Zuiches, Vice Chancellor, North Carolina State University, Raleigh (North Carolina)

For more information on the NAREEE Advisory Board Office, contact Joe Dunn at (202) 720-8408; fax: (202) 720-6199; email: joseph.dunn@usda.gov.