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CONGRESSMAN BISHOP WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS TO USDA PEANUT STANDARDS BOARD

May 15, 2018
ALBANY, GA – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Ranking Member of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Co-Chair of the Congressional Peanut Caucus, welcomes the appointment of six members to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Peanut Standards Board. This round of appointments includes the reappointment of peanut producer Martin ‘Marty' L. McLendon of Leary, Georgia.
"The Peanut Standards Board is a vital source of expertise and advice to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the peanut industry as a whole, and I welcome the new round of board appointments by Secretary Perdue" said Congressman Bishop. "I am particularly excited about the reappointment of Mr. Marty McLendon to the Peanut Standards Board. I have had the pleasure of knowing Mr. McLendon for many years. In addition to being a resident of the Second Congressional District, he is a dedicated and hardworking peanut farmer with years of experience. He is acutely aware of the issues, and challenges, facing peanut producers and I am confident he will represent the Peanut Standards Board and the State of Georgia admirably."
The 2002 Farm Bill required the USDA Secretary to establish a Peanut Standards Board for the purpose of advising the Secretary on quality and handling standards for domestically produced and imported peanuts. The Peanut Standards Board provides consultation to USDA on quality and handling standards for domestically produced and imported peanuts. It consists of a total 18 members, evenly split between peanut producers and industry representatives. Members serve staggered three year terms.
Martin L. McLendon was born and raised in Southwest, Georgia and is a graduate of the University of Georgia. Being a major producer in the peanut Industry, he also serves as Chairman on the Georgia Flint River Commission and is very active in civic activities in his community.
The full set of new appointments, which will serve the remainder of three-year terms of office ending on June 30, 2020, includes:
Southeast Region:
  • Producer Martin L. McLendon, Leary, GA
  • Industry Representative Elizabeth Kaye Smith, affiliated with Golden Peanut Company LLC, Alpharetta, GA
Southwest Region:
  • Producer James Richard Chandler, Portales, NM
  • Industry Representative John Edward Bennett, affiliated with Mars Chocolate, Waco, TX
Virginia/Carolina Region:
  • Producer James Wilson Mason, Harrellsville, NC
  • Industry Representative Kathryn Olivia Swinson, affiliated with Golden Grove Inc., Warsaw, NC