U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced Sept. 8 the invitation for nominations of qualified candidates to be considered for a two-year term on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Task Force on Agricultural Air Quality Research. The Task Force advises the Secretary on air quality and its relationship to agriculture based on sound scientific findings and review of research on agricultural air quality supported by federal agencies.
“The Task Force is another example of USDA’s continued commitment to developing science-based solutions and conservation measures that not only reduce the agriculture industry’s environmental impact but, in many ways, enhance our natural resources through improved agricultural practices,” Perdue said. “Bringing together a variety of perspectives and scientific insights to this Task Force will help reach solutions to resolve air quality challenges.”
Earlier this year, Perdue announced the Agriculture Innovation Agenda, a department-wide initiative to align resources, programs, and research to position American agriculture to better meet future global demands. Specifically, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will stimulate innovation so that American agriculture can achieve the goal of increasing production by 40 percent while cutting the environmental footprint of U.S. agriculture in half by 2050. Read more about the Agriculture Innovation Agenda (PDF, 196 KB) here.
Created by the 1996 Farm Bill, the Task Force on Agricultural Air Quality Research promotes USDA research efforts and identifies cost-effective ways the agriculture industry can improve air quality. The Task Force has historically consisted of agricultural producers, agricultural industry representatives, researchers and scientists and members of the health and regulatory committees. The Chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), will chair the Task Force.
USDA is committed to ensuring that the Task Force is composed of a wide diversity of people who have interest and expertise in air quality issues related to agriculture. Equal opportunity practices, in line with the USDA policies, will be followed in all appointments to the Committee.
Applying for membership:
The Federal Register notice announcing the request for nominations to the Task Force contains information about how to nominate an interested person for membership. Interested candidates may nominate themselves. Nominations should be typed and include the following:
- A brief summary (two pages or less) explaining the nominee’s qualifications to serve on the Task Force
- A resume providing the nominee’s background, experience and educational qualifications
- A completed background disclosure form (Form AD-755) (PDF, 2.1 MB) signed by the nominee
- Any recent publications by the nominee relative to agricultural air quality (if appropriate)
- Letters of endorsement (optional)
Nominations can be submitted to Greg Zwicke, the Designated Federal Officer for the Task Force, by either:
- E-mail: greg.zwicke@usda.gov
- Mail or Hand Delivery: Mr. Greg Zwicke, Designated Federal Officer, Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA-NRCS, West National Technology Support Center, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building A, Suite 314B, Fort Collins, CO 80526
For more information, visit the Task Force homepage.
