54:47E-11. Sweet potato industry commission; membership; appointments; terms; vacancies

There is hereby created in the Department of Agriculture the New Jersey Sweet Potato Industry Commission to consist of 15 members, of whom 11 shall be growers of sweet potatoes, one shall be the Dean of the New Jersey College of Agriculture at Rutgers University or his designee, one shall be the Secretary of Agriculture or its designee, one shall be a distributor of sweet potatoes, and one a representative of the sweet potato processing industry. Grower members of the commission shall be appointed by the State Board of Agriculture for a term of 3 years, except that, from the first group of appointees, 4 shall be appointed for a term of 3 years, 4 shall be appointed for a term of 2 years and 3 shall be appointed for a term of 1 year, as designated by the State board. There shall be appointed 2 grower members resident of each of the 5 principal sweet potato growing counties as determined by the New Jersey Crop Reporting Service, and one member at large.

The representatives of the distributors and of the sweet potato processing industry shall be appointed for a term of 3 years. The Dean of the College of Agriculture or his designee and the Secretary of Agriculture or his designee shall serve for indefinite terms.

The State Board of Agriculture shall appoint the members of the commission from lists submitted by the organizations listed hereafter. Grower members of the commission shall be nominated by the New Jersey State Sweet Potato Industry Association, Inc. The processing member of the commission shall be nominated by the New Jersey Canners and Food Processors Association. The distributor member shall be nominated by the Garden State Branch of the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association.

No person shall serve more than 2 full successive terms as a member of the Sweet Potato Industry Commission.

Each member shall hold office after the expiration of his term until his successor shall be duly appointed and qualified. Vacancies in the membership of the commission, however created, shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment for the unexpired term only. If for any reason the list required for this section is not submitted within 30 days of the effective date of this act or of the development of a vacancy however caused, the State board shall appoint qualified persons to those vacancies.

L.1966, c. 283, s. 11.