§ 1205.322 Establishment and membership.

(a) There is hereby established a Cotton Board composed of: (1) Representatives of cotton producers, each of whom shall have an alternate, selected by the Secretary from nominations submitted by eligible producer organizations within a cotton-producing state, as certified pursuant to § 1205.341, or, if the Secretary determines that a substantial number of producers are not members of or their interests are not represented by any such eligible organizations, from nominations made by producers in a manner authorized by the Secretary, and (2) Representatives of cotton importers, each of whom shall have an alternate, selected by the Secretary from nominations submitted by eligible importer organizations, as certified pursuant to § 1205.342, or, if the Secretary determines that a substantial number of importers are not members of or their interests are not represented by any such eligible organization, from nominations made by importers in a manner authorized by the Secretary. (b) Representation on the Cotton Board shall be as follows: (1) Each cotton-producing state shall have at least one member and an additional member for each 1 million bales or major fraction (more than half) thereof of cotton produced in the state and marketed above one million bales during the period specified in the regulations for determining Board membership; and (2) Cotton importers shall be represented by an appropriate number of representatives, as determined by the Secretary, of importers of cotton subject to assessment during the period specified in the regulations for determining Board membership. That number shall not be less than two members. The initial importer representation on the Board shall consist of four representatives. The Secretary may, after consultation with organizations representing importers, reduce or increase the number of importer representatives, in the manner prescribed by the Secretary.