With or without recommendations or other nominations from the council or otherwise, during September and October of each year, the secretary may, if deemed appropriate or necessary by him or her, provide notice of, and hold, producer nomination meeting or meetings or may prepare and mail nomination forms to producers, for the purpose of receiving nominations for producer membership on the council. When nomination forms are mailed, the secretary shall utilize existing department lists of producers, packers, or processors. The secretary may also provide notice of, and hold, packer or processor nomination meeting or meetings or otherwise receive nominations for packers or processors, as deemed appropriate by him or her, including, but not necessarily limited to, nominations received by mailing similar nomination forms to the packers or processors on existing department lists. Notwithstanding other provisions of this section, the secretary may, whenever and in any manner deemed necessary and appropriate by him or her, obtain nominations of producers, packers, or processors for membership on the council.