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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominees for the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee to fill seats for five members and five alternates for a two-year term, beginning June 1, 2026, and ending May 31, 2028. Nominations for producer members and alternates will be accepted at the Joint Annual Onion Growers meeting on Feb. 3, 2026, in Ontario, Ore. Nominations for handler members and alternates will take place in March 2026 with an exact date to be determined.
The committee is seeking nominees for producers and handlers for the following areas:
PRODUCERS
- District 1 – Emmett, Payette, Weiser Area, one member and one alternate
- District 3 – Ontario, Vale, Jamieson, Brogan Area, one member and one alternate
- District 5 – Parma-Wilder Area, one member and one alternate
HANDLERS
- Oregon Region Production Area, one member and one alternate
- Production Area-at-Large, one member and one alternate
For nomination information, contact the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee Executive Director Candi Fitch at (209) 722-5111 or candifitch@outlook.com or contact USDA Marketing Specialist Kelsey Dugan at (503) 351-2108 or Kelsey.Dugan@usda.gov.
To qualify, nominate, and vote as a producer member, nominees must be engaged in a proprietary capacity in the production of onions for market. Additionally, to qualify as a handler member, nominees must be a handler who places onions into the stream of commerce.
The committee is comprised of 11 members. Six members represent producers, four members represent handlers, and one serves as a public member. More information about the committee is available on the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion webpage on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) website.