Articles by Lydia Johnson

Michael Boren has. been confirmed as USDA's undersecretary for natural resources, and Devon Westhill as assistant agriculture secretary for civil rights. John Hollay will replace Michael Marsh as president and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers. Sam Kieffer will be the next CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers. The International Feed Industry Federation elected Constance Cullman as chair. 

About half of USDA employees will be furloughed under a shutdown plan released late Tuesday by the Agriculture Department.

Lindsay Tello joined the Almond Board of California as senior adviser for trade policy based in Washington. The Public Policy Institute of California added former Ag Secretary Ann Veneman to the group’s board of directors. The Western Canal Water District hired Jenny Scheer as general manager. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., hired Emilio Contreras as a senior legislative assistant covering agriculture issues. 

U.S. soybean farmers bedeviled by dried up trade flows, higher production costs and lower crop prices could use a robust market for domestic biofuel right about now, according to growers and processors dealing with a teetering farm economy.

SNAC International hired Matt Grill as vice president of advocacy. Ohio corn and soybean farmer Jed Bower begins his tenure as president of the National Corn Growers Association today, Oct. 1. Farmers National Company promoted Grant Fitzgerald to senior vice president of farm and ranch management. Former Housing and Urban Development secretary Ben Carson was named a national nutrition, health and housing adviser at the Agriculture Department.

Republicans on the Senate Agriculture Committee are seeking a meeting with President Donald Trump as soon as possible about the situation in farm country. That’s according to committee member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who spoke to reporters Monday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Jaime Lee to the California Coastal Commission. American Forests named Hilary Franz as chief executive officer.  Alyssa Houtby was promoted to senior director of government affairs and public policy at the North American Blueberry Council.  

Shirley Bloomfield is leaving NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association after 35 years, the last 15 as CEO.  Angie Krieger exits the National Pork Board to join Landus Cooperative as general counsel.

Fourteen House Republicans have come out against including language addressing California's Proposition 12 in the skinny farm bill, complicating a push by pork producers and other ag groups to overturn the 2018 law.