Farm Hands on the Potomac: Ogilvie tapped as general counsel of Farm Credit Administration

Clark Ogilvie will be the new general counsel of the Farm Credit Administration. He replaces Charlie Rawles, who retired last week. Ogilvie, who officially joins FCA April 11, is currently special counsel in the legal division for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. His career also includes stops at the House Ag Committee and as a legislative assistant to former Rep. Bob Etheridge, D-N.C.

The National Corn Growers Association has selected Stacey Stiens to be its new communications manager. She will be working on NCGA’s production and sustainability communications and helping with social media community management. She previously was the Soil Health Partnership coordinator at NCGA. Her first day in her new role will be April 12. Liz Friedlander’s last day at NCGA will be April 9. She will be joining Finsbury Glover Hering as a director on the food team within the firm’s strategic communications division. She will help provide counsel for the team’s clients on food, nutrition, agriculture and sustainability issues. She currently serves as the director of policy communications at NCGA.

Bayer has reorganized its U.S. corporate affairs team which will separate communications and public affairs responsibilities. Beth Roden has been tapped to be the new senior vice president and head of U.S. communications. She will also lead communications for consumer health North America. She was previously head of global crop science communications. Michael Parrish will lead Bayer’s U.S. public affairs on an interim basis. Parrish currently serves as the vice president of U.S. government relations and will continue to lead the corporate and healthcare government relations and policy teams that are currently reporting to him. Both Roden and Parrish will join the U.S. Country Leadership Team. In addition, Roden will join the consumer health North America leadership team and Parrish will join the global public affairs for science and sustainability team. Lastly, Bayer’s U.S. corporate engagement team, led by Al Mitchell will become part of U.S. public affairs. Raymond F. Kerins, Jr., led the group for the past eight years as the senior vice president and head of U.S. corporate affairs. He has announced he will be leaving the company effective June 14 to pursue other opportunities.

The American Seed Trade Association has hired Payton Englert as the association’s new director of government affairs. Englert previously worked for Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., as a legislative correspondent where she worked on ag policy. Englert grew up in Missouri on her family’s farm, which has been in operation for the past 75 years. She graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in health science.

Joe Hack has joined the Daschle Group as a vice president. He plans to lobby for health care, defense and international clients. He most recently served as Sen. Deb Fischer’s, R-Neb., chief of staff, a position he has held since 2015. The Daschle Group is a lobbying firm founded by former Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D.

Western Growers has added Afreen Malik as the new science programs director. Bringing over 20 years of experience in sustainability, food safety, and quality assurance, Malik previously served as director of technical services at International Food Safety and Quality Services, a consulting firm helping companies produce safe foods. Malik has previously worked for Ocean Mist Farms, Sunrise Growers and Calavo Growers. She also served as a biological assistant for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

The National Grain and Feed Association reelected JoAnn Brouillette as its chairman. Brouillette is the president and managing partner of Demeter LP in Fowler Ind. The group also elected 11 new board members to three-year terms. 

The Southern States Cooperative Inc. board of directors has announced that Jeffrey Stroburg, the president and chief executive officer since May 2015, will retire from the cooperative effective June 30. Steven Becraft, the cooperative’s chief operating officer, will assume the president and CEO role July 1. To read more on the announcement, click here.

Joining the American Veterinary Medical Association team is Whitney Tyler as assistant director for government relations. After leaving Georgia state politics, Tyler has spent the last several years as a political consultant in D.C. Susie Dumond also joins the team as the new grassroots advocacy coordinator. She previously served as the grassroots and congressional advocacy specialist at the American Academy of Dermatology. Settling in to her role as manager of state advocacy is Rachel Cole. She joined AVMA in February and previously worked for the National Rifle Association as a senior legislative aide.

Christopher Samuel has been named the U.S. Soybean Export Council's global communications leader. Bringing more than 20 years of global experience in communications, with a particular focus on food and agriculture, Samuel previously co-led stakeholder engagement programs and business development at the Institute on Science for Global Policy. Before that, he spent many years working for Monsanto and Bayer.

Matt Lindler has been promoted director of government affairs at the National Wild Turkey Federation. He previously was the director of conservation communications and has worked for the trade organization for over 23 years.

The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) has elected Bill Patterson of Chesterland as the organization’s new president. Patterson was first elected by OFBF’s board of trustees upon the resignation of Frank Burkett III of Massillon, who left the board to run for election to the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company board of directors, which he was elected to on April 1. For the past five years, Burkett served as president of OFBF. Patterson has been a member of Ohio Farm Bureau’s state board since 2011 and has been OFBF’s first vice president for the past five years. Cy Prettyman, New Bloomington, fills Patterson’s former role as first vice president. He will remain as the District 7 representative, covering Crawford, Marion, Morrow and Richland counties. Lane Osswald of Eldorado will be the new treasurer, taking over the role previously filled by Prettyman. Osswald will remain the representative for District 18 serving members in Butler, Hamilton, Montgomery and Preble counties.

Dennis Bryant is the new director of sales for AquaBounty Technologies, a land-based aquaculture company. Bryant most recently was the managing director for Ocean Quality USA. He will be responsible for generating sales as the company prepares for the commercial launch of its genetically engineered Atlantic salmon.

Amanda Culp has taken a new job with the Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association as the director of communications and member relations. Culp previously worked for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, where she most recently served as the senior director of events.

Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., passed away Tuesday morning at the age of 84. For the past two years he fought a battle with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Hastings was a civil rights lawyer and became a federal judge who was impeached and removed from office. He later become Florida’s senior member of Congress after winning 15 congressional elections.

For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com.