OAR 617-030-0020: Qualifications of Commissioners

(1) For purposes of this rule: (a) A "producer" is a person growing or producing within this state or procuring within the state, its rivers or the offshore waters, but not the Columbia River, for commercial handling within the state, a commodity for market, or receiving a share thereof as landowner, landlord, tenant, sharecropper, boat skipper or otherwise. A producer must have paid the commission assessment on the commodity in each of the preceding three calendar years. (b) A "handler" is any producer, processor, distributor or other person engaged in handling or marketing of or dealing in the commodity, whether as owner, agent, employee, broker or otherwise. A handler must have collected the commission assessment, if any, each of the preceding three calendar years. (2) Members of the Oregon Dairy Products Commission will have the following qualifications, which will continue during the term of office of the member: (a) One member of the commission will be a member of the public with an active interest in the positive economic development, production and/or marketing of the commodity, but who is not associated with the production or handling of dairy products; (b) A majority of the members will be producers; (c) One member will be a handler; (d) All members who are not a handler or the public member will be producers. (3) In addition to the qualifications set forth in subsection (2) of this rule, the districts and the number of producer members will be: (a) Tillamook / North Coast: Clatsop, Tillamook, and Lincoln counties - two (2) producer members. (b) Willamette / Southern Oregon: Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah, Washington, Lane, Linn, Benton, Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Douglas, Josephine, Jackson, Klamath, Coos, and Curry counties — two (2) producer members. (c) Central and Eastern Oregon: Malheur, Baker, Wallowa, Union, Grant, Umatilla, Harney, Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson, Hood River, Wasco, Morrow, Sherman, Gilliam, Wheeler and Lake counties — two (2) producer members. (4) One (1) handler member will be appointed from any district. (5) Notwithstanding subsection (3) of this section, if a position remains vacant for more than 90 days following reasonable efforts to recruit a member from a particular district, a person may be appointed at large and may reside anywhere within the State of Oregon. Once that person’s term expires and he or she is not reappointed, the position will again be subject to the geographic qualification requirements of subsection (3) of this section.