(a) An officer, employee, or paid consultant of a Texas trade association in the field of agriculture may not be a member of the board.
(b) A person who is the spouse of an officer, manager, or paid consultant of a Texas trade association in the field of agriculture may not be a member of the board.

(c) For the purposes of this section, a Texas trade association is a nonprofit, cooperative, and voluntarily joined association of business or professional competitors in this state designed to assist its members and its industry or profession in dealing with mutual business or professional problems and in promoting their common interest.
(d) A person may not serve as a member of the board or act as the general counsel to the board if the person is required to register as a lobbyist under Chapter 305, Government Code, because of the person’s activities for compensation on behalf of a profession related to the operation of the board.
(e) A lending institution is not ineligible to participate in the programs administered by the board solely because a member of the board is also an officer, director, or employee of the lending institution, provided that a board member shall recuse himself or herself from any action taken by the board on an application involving a lending institution by which the board member is employed or for which the board member serves as an officer or director.