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House Ag Committee member Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., was elected chairman of the Western Caucus. He succeeds Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash. Naturipe promoted Jim Roberts to president. USDA appointed four new members to the Christmas Tree Promotion Board with three-year terms beginning Jan. 1, including Jan Hupp and Kari Puffer of Oregon. 

President-elect Donald Trump is setting up a cabinet of unusually diverse views and backgrounds that together could have a far-reaching impact on the food and agriculture sectors. Farm groups will be counting on his pick to lead USDA, Brooke Rollins, to be an advocate for ag within an administration. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum could be a key ally on energy policy.

Mike Spier, current vice president of overseas operations at U.S. Wheat Associates, was elected as the group’s next president and CEO by the board of directors. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced staff changes. Naturipe promoted Jim Roberts to president. 

The Congressional Hunger Center named Katharine Emerson, chief of staff for World Food Program USA, as the new chairwoman. The American Agricultural Law Association welcomed its new president-elect, Ashley Ellixson of Arizona, and directors, Chelsea Good of Kansas and Kale Van Bruggen of Minnesota.

The Montana Grazing Lands Coalition hired Megan Terry as executive director. California Gov. Gavin Newson appointed Hernan Hernandez of Bakersfield and Rolston St. Hilaire of Clovis to the State Board of Food and Agriculture.

Paul Lewis is the new vice president of food safety standards and regulatory compliance at the International Fresh Produce Association. CropLife America added Victoria Yell as a science policy fellow.

The World Food Prize Foundation announced that former Iowa Governor and U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad will retire as its president Jan. 31, 2025, and be succeeded by Mashal Husain, now the group's chief operating officer. The foundation, based in Des Moines, Iowa, said it would conduct a global search to fill a newly created chief executive officer position.

The Illinois Farm Bureau has filed suit against the American Farm Bureau Federation in an escalating dispute over membership requirements for people who buy insurance from the state organization's affiliate.

William “Bill” Richards, a soil conservation pioneer who served as chief of USDA’s Soil Conservation Service (now Natural Resources Conservation Service) from 1990-1993 under President George H.W. Bush, died Tuesday. He was 93.

Former top ag advisor at the EPA Rod Snyder launched his own consulting firm, Junction Strategies. NASDA hired Patrick Wade as a policy director. Ag policy veteran and current National Council of Farmer Cooperatives leader Chuck Conner announced Monday he will retire at the end of 2025.

The National Chicken Council named Harrison Kircher president and CEO effective Jan. 1. John Altendorf was promoted to legislative director in the office of House Ag Committee member Rep. Brad Finstad, R-Minn. The National Corn Growers Association hired Becky Langer-Curry as director of inputs and innovation. 

Ag policy veteran Kellie Bray is joining the Global Farmer Network as director of partnerships while also starting her own business, KBray Consulting. Patrick Creamer has officially retired from his post as communications director for the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Andrew Walmsley joined the Council of Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnology as vice president of government relations. Sanah Baig is the new White House senior policy advisor for agriculture and nutrition.