Articles by Lydia Johnson

Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman is expected to present the committee’s plans on reconciliation to the rest of the conference today before finalizing the text for later this week. 

Ocean Mist Farms hired Jeff Fulton as senior director of commodity vegetable sales. He will be responsible for driving profitability, executing sales and marketing strategies. Fulton joins Ocean Mist from Dole Vegetable Co., where he worked for three decades in sales and product management, most recently as vice president of fresh pack sales and product manager. 

Brian Glenn joined the American Farm Bureau Federation as director of government affairs. The National Grain and Feed Association hired Allison Rivera as vice president of government and industry affairs. The American Feed Industry Association promoted Victoria Broehm and Leah Wilkinson.

Roger Cryan is no longer with the American Farm Bureau Federation where he served as chief economist. Lowell Randel will lead the newly established agricultural policy advocacy program at Texas Tech University. The Senate confirmed David Fotouhi to serve as the deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. 

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he hopes to expand state Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program waivers to limit purchases of ultra-processed foods. 

President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., are projecting confidence that the Senate will meet the July 4 deadline for passing the Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill.

The week ahead could be pivotal for ag policy. In Washington, Senate Republicans are trying to agree on the finishing touches of their version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the budget reconciliation measure needed to enact the GOP legislative agenda. 

Republicans on the Senate Ag Committee are looking to scale back the cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program contained in the House-based budget reconciliation bill. 

Industry groups are criticizing FDA Commissioner Martin Makary for “incorrect and misleading” comments on seed oils.

The Almond Board of California selected new members to the board of directors including Paul Ewing of Atwater, Brandon Rebiero of Modesto, Chad DeRose of McFarland and Darren Rigg of Le Grand, among others. The Water, Energy and Technology center at Fresno State University hired Kent Pelisari as associate director. 

Ken Melban was named president of the California Avocado Commission. Connor Ferguson returned to Wilbur-Ellis as a senior branded technologies adjuvant portfolio manager. Land Trust Alliance hired Kara Heckert as the California senior program manager. The Kern County Water Agency promoted Nick Pavletich and Craig Wallace to co-manage the agency.

Jamison Cruce left his position as vice president of government relations at USA Rice to launch his own firm, Cruce Capitol Consulting. Jake Westlin, former vice president at the National Association of Wheat Growers, will succeed Cruce at USA Rice. The Senate Ag Committee Republicans hired Carlye Winfrey as a legislative aide. Growth Energy hired Jared Henderson and Emma Keiser as directors of government affairs. 

Martha Smith was promoted to vice president of North America agricultural affairs and license to operate at Bayer Crop Science. The National Pork Producers Council hired Shannon McMurtrey-Belson as senior director of international affairs and Dillon Davidson as director of state policy. Jeremy Witte was sworn in as deputy under secretary of marketing and regulatory programs at USDA.