Items Tagged with 'National Pork Producers Council'

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.

As the U.S. careens towards a new trade pact with China, ag groups warn that Beijing never followed through with many of its ag policy commitments under a 2020 deal. Groups are split, however, on how to proceed.

A coalition of farmers and food companies launched the American Meat Producers Association to defend state animal welfare laws like California’s Proposition 12, complicating efforts by House Ag Committee Republicans to include federal preemption in an upcoming farm bill.

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.

EPA is killing a Biden-era plan to reduce wastewater discharges from meat and poultry processing plants, citing impacts of facility closures to the nation’s meat supply and attendant job losses as reasons for retaining the regulatory status quo.

Opponents of California’s Proposition 12 used a House Agriculture Committee hearing Wednesday to voice their concerns about the impacts on the nation’s pork producers of the animal welfare law, which was narrowly upheld by the Supreme Court last year.

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.

Some farm bill programs, including increased commodity program spending, may be rolled into the massive budget reconciliation Republicans are crafting, but a legislative fix for California’s Proposition 12 remains on hold until Congress can consider a standalone farm bill. 

Chavonda Jacobs-Young departed from USDA where she was chief scientist. Terrain hired Marc Rosenbohm as a senior grain and oilseed analyst. Riley Padgett returned to USDA as chief of staff for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs.

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture hired Logan Moss as an associate director of public policy. Mike DeCamp retired as CEO and president of CoverCress.