Justin Benavidez, who was chief economist for the House Agriculture Committee's Republican staff for the past three years, is succeeding Seth Meyer as USDA chief economist. Justin Benavidez will be charged with “providing unbiased information and data-driven analyses of current and emerging issues impacting agriculture and rural America" as leader of the Office of the Chief Economist, according to USDA’s website. Benavidez began his career at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension first as an AgriLife extension fellow in College Station for seven years before becoming an assistant professor and district economist based in Amarillo. He succeeds Seth Meyer who held the role from 2021 until the end of 2025 before returning to Missouri to lead the University of Missouri’s Food and Agriculture Policy Research Institute. Rob Johansson, now director of economics and policy analysis at American Sugar Alliance, served from 2015 to 2021, succeeding Joe Glauber.
Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a northern California Republican and fourth-generation rice farmer on the House Agriculture Committee, died Tuesday. 
Rep. Doug LaMalfa (Agri-Pulse photo)He was 65. "Congressman LaMalfa cared deeply for the people he served and worked tirelessly to hold the government to its word to fix our failing forests, build water storage, and leave people to be free to choose what is best for themselves,” his office said in a statement. “His tragic and unexpected passing leaves a deep impact on many. He leaves behind his amazing wife Jill, four children, one grandchild, two sisters and a host of cousins." The local sheriff's office said he died during emergency surgery. LaMalfa's death shrinks the House GOP majority to 218-213 with the retirement of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
The Agriculture Department has appointed Doug Hoelscher and Tate Bennett of the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute – a think tank founded by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins – to roles at USDA, in the most recent announcement of political appointees. Hoelscher, chief operating officer and chair of the America First Transition Project at AFPI, was named minister-counselor for the international food and agriculture organizations in Rome. Raised on an Iowa corn, soybean and hog farm in Iowa, Hoelscher was director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs during the first Trump administration. Hoelscher was rumored to be named chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in April, but the administration ultimately tapped Julie Callahan for the position in July.
Additionally, Tate Bennett was named principal deputy chief of staff at USDA. She was most recently director of rural policy at AFPI with a key role guiding the think tank's “Farmers First Agenda” launched in April. Bennett held numerous roles in the first Trump administration, including special assistant to the president for agriculture, trade, and food assistance at the White House National Economic Council and agriculture adviser to the administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency.
The National Milk Producers Federation hired Trey Forsyth as vice president of government and regulatory affairs. He was most recently chief of staff for food safety at the Agriculture Department. Earlier, he was on the Senate Ag Committee Republican staff and senior manager of federal and industry relations at Land O'Lakes. During the first Trump administration, Forsyth was policy adviser to the chief ag negotiator, Gregg Doud, now president and CEO of NMPF.
Ben Goldey, communications director for the House Ag Committee’s Republican staff, is joining public affairs firm LSG as a vice president. He had been with the committee for three years. Goldey was press secretary at the Department of Interior during the first Trump administration and worked on federal policy communications for Duke Energy Corp.
Molly O'Connor (NPPC photo)The National Pork Producers Council hired Molly O'Connor as director of federal affairs. She comes to NPPC from CropLife America where she led federal advocacy strategy on the farm bill, regulatory reform, supply chains, and international trade. Earlier, O'Connor was a senior policy adviser at OFW Law focused on commodity and food clients.
California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross will retire at the end of 2026 as Gov. Gavin Newsom’s tenure wraps up. First appointed in 2011 by Gov. Jerry Brown and reappointed by Newsom in 2019, Ross has been one of the longest-serving agriculture secretaries in state history. Under her leadership CDFA survived sweeping spending cutbacks in the wake of the Great Recession, maintaining its core functions in pest and disease prevention, food safety and market promotion. The department then expanded its scope to shape California’s role in climate-smart agriculture, investing around a billion dollars into grants promoting soil health, water use efficiency, methane reduction and other climate initiatives.
Additional USDA appointees include Hailey Ghee as deputy chief of staff for operations. She recently worked at the Small Business Administration as deputy chief of staff for implementation. During the first Trump administration, Ghee was executive assistant and policy coordinator to then-Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue for three years.
Mireya Brogan was named chief of staff for the Risk Management Agency. She has a background in defense and international aid, including roles at MITRE focused on supporting research and development supply chain risk for the Department of Defense, as well as serving as a consultant at Catholic Relief Services.
The Resource Institute’s Kennon White was named south region assistant chief for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Under his direction, the Resource Institute advanced large-scale stream restoration efforts designed to improve water quality and benefit American farmers and producers across the Southeast.
Case New Holland named Carlo Materazzo chief manufacturing officer and Britton Worthen chief legal and compliance officer. Both roles are on the company’s global leadership team. Materazzo was most recently vice president of logistics and manufacturing at motor vehicle company Rivian. Worthen has been with the company for four months, recently as executive vice president of legal and compliance. Earlier, he was chief legal officer at Nikola Corp. Both roles were effective Jan. 1.
Eric Mueller (FNC photo)Eric Mueller returned to Farmers National Co. as national sales director. He brings more than 20 years of experience in farmland brokerage and farmland fund management to the company’s leadership team. Most recently, Mueller was managing partner at Sower Farmland. Earlier, he was a real estate broker at FNC for 10 years.
Mike Stokke retired from the Farm Credit Administration after 17 years at the agency and more than 30 years in the federal government. He served a majority of his tenure at the FCA as director of the Office of Congressional and Public Affairs. He also held roles as executive assistant to board member Glen Smith and later acting chief of staff for Chairman Jeff Hall.
Shil Patel, chief of staff to Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., was named president of investment firm Ranger Global Advisors. Daniel Keylin, Tillis’ longtime senior adviser, will replace Patel as chief of staff, according to Punchbowl News. Patel has worked for Tillis for nearly a decade with extensive experience in banking and economic policy.
Former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado, who went from working in California tomato fields to serving nearly two decades on Capitol Hill, died of natural causes Dec. 29. He was 92. Campbell, a motorcycle-riding judo Olympian and an award-winning jeweler, also was known as a champion for indigenous people. His agriculture roots also ran deep. After moving from his native California to Colorado, Campbell eventually bought a 120-acre ranch with his wife, Linda, that bordered the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. He was a cattle rancher, trained quarter horses, and was a 4-H leader.
Edward T. Coughlin, an expert in U.S. dairy marketing orders, died Dec. 24 under hospice care at his home near Alexandria, Virginia, of complications from heart disease. He was 90. Coughlin retired in 1988 as director of the Dairy Division of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service and again after working for the National Milk Producers Federation as director of regulatory affairs and, in 1997, as acting CEO. He was a native of Massachusetts who began his government career as an accountant in the office of the administrator of the AMS Boston area milk marketing order. His funeral mass will be Jan. 20 at 10:30 a.m. at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Alexandria. A reception will follow in the church hall.
Additional USDA state appointments include:
Troy Romero as Louisiana State Director for Rural Development
Chris Lyons as Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island State Director for Rural Development
Dominic Restuccia as Michigan State Director for Rural Development
Travis Day as New Mexico State Director for Rural Development
Robert Sullivan as Connecticut State Farm Service Agency Executive Director
Cory Atkins as Delaware State Farm Service Agency Executive Director
Starlyn Perdue as Iowa State Farm Service Agency Executive Director
Philip Cowee as Nevada State Farm Service Agency Executive Director
Wilmer Stoneman III as Virginia State Farm Service Agency Executive Director
Patrick Bell as Washington State Farm Service Agency Executive Director
Kennon White as South Region Assistant Chief for Natural Resources Conservation Service
