Former Sorghum Checkoff Chair Verity Ulibarri was elected U.S. Grains Council board chair at the USGC annual meeting in Salt Lake City. She is the second sorghum sector representative to chair the council board in recent history, following Dale Artho. Ulibari and her husband own and operate a crop and livestock farm in Curry County, New Mexico. She also co-chairs Solutions from the Land.
Verity Ulibarri, U.S. Grains Council Chairwoman.
USDA announced the promotion of Carlton Bridgeforth to White House liaison. He recently led stakeholder outreach and congressional engagement for USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics mission area. Alyssa Charney returned to USDA as senior advisor for Farm Production and Conservation. She was White House director for lands and climate-smart agriculture for a year and was previously NRCS chief of staff for two years. Hunter Henderson transitioned from USDA White House liaison to Farm Service Agency chief of staff. Will Clement was added as senior advisor for strategic communications in the Office of Communications. He recently worked on health crisis communications at Edelman. Victoria Maloch was named chief of staff for USDA Marketing and Regulatory Programs. Maloch was previously special adviser for strategic communications in the USDA Office of Communications and communications director for House Agriculture Committee Democrats. Anne Knapke departed as deputy chief of staff in the Office of the Secretary. Sean Babington was promoted from senior climate adviser to succeed Knapke.
USDA and USTR have named members of their Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee and six Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees.
Added to the APAC: Rebeckah Adcock, International Fresh Produce Association; Peter Bachmann, USA Rice Federation; David J. Salmonsen, American Farm Bureau Federation; Trey Winthrop, Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods; Krysta Harden, U.S. Dairy Export Council; David Puglia, Western Growers; Stephen L. Censky, American Soybean Association; Emily Skor, Growth Energy; and Constance Cullman, American Feed Industry Association.
Appointed to the ATAC for Fruits and Vegetables: Shawn Harding, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation; Robert L. Guenther, Breakthrough365 Government Relations Strategies; Kianna Wilson, FMC Corp.; Caroline Stringer, California Fresh Fruit Association; Alyssa Houtby, North American Blueberry Council; Jonathan Maberry, Maberry Packing; Jodi Devaurs, California Table Grape Commission; Matthew Lantz, Cranberry Institute; William Callis, U.S. Apple Export Council; Casey D. Creamer, California Citrus Mutual; and Patrick N. Delaney, Walmart.
For the ATAC for Trade in Grains, Feed, Oilseeds, and Planting Seeds: John Torres, Biotechnology Innovation Organization; Nancy Martinez, National Corn Growers Association; Edward Hubbard, Renewable Fuels Association; Nathaniel Blum, Sorghum United; Patrick Hayden, North American Export Grain Association; Kimberly Haynie Logan, RivahView Farms; Dalton B. Henry, U.S. Wheat Associates; Mark Holt, Western Foods Co.; Virginia Houston, American Soybean Association; Casey Chumrau, Washington Grain Commission; Samuel Crowell, American Seed Trade Association; Karah Fissel, USA Rice Federation; and Kacy Gehring, Mountain States Oilseeds.
Appointed to the ATAC in Animals and Animal Products: Erica Sanko, American Sheep Industry Association; Reneé T. Strickland, Strickland Ranch & Exports; William W. Westman, Meat Import Council of America; Maria C. Zieba, National Pork Producers Council; Robert A. DeHaan, National Fisheries Institute; David Fischer, Global Animal Products; Kenny Graner, Graner Angus Ranch; and James McClain, McClain’s Flying Leatherneck Ranch.
Added to the ATAC in Sweeteners and Sweetener Products: Daniel Shorts, National Confectioners Association; Jack Pettus, American Sugar Cane League; and Kristy Goodfellow Mills, Corn Refiners Association.
Appointed to the ATAC in Tobacco, Cotton, Peanuts and Hemp: Dylan C. Summers of Lazarus Naturals and Rachel Santos from Premium Peanut.
It’s easy to be “in the know” about what’s happening in Washington, D.C. Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse news! Simply click here
Appointed to the ATAC in Processed Foods: Bernadette M. Wiltz-Lang, Southern United States Trade Association; Blake Ramsey, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture; Kevin Latner, Leather and Hide Council of America; Mara M. Burr, Consumer Brands Association; Robert Davenport, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Laura Gerhard, Blue Diamond Growers; Timothy M. Hyatt, ISA Inc.; Adam Holland, J.R. Simplot Co.; and James C. Griffiths, Council for Responsible Nutrition.
The Iowa Agribusiness Association named Julie Kenney CEO. A corn and soybean farmer and former Iowa deputy secretary of agriculture, Kenney will lead the group’s more than 1,000 member companies and organizations. She succeeds Bill Northey, a former USDA undersecretary for farm programs who died in February.
Julie Kenney, Iowa Agribusiness AssociationAnika Sanders Cooper was appointed general counsel of the Surface Transportation Board. She has been acting general counsel since January and on staff with the organization for nearly 20 years.
The National Turkey Federation will add Alex Davidson as senior director of public affairs Aug. 19. Davidson was recently at the Beer Institute working on public affairs, strategic communication and political advocacy.
The International Fresh Produce Association added Mica Hider as director of political affairs. She was previously at the American Chemistry Council and the National Association of Realtors.
It’s easy to be “in the know” about what’s happening in Washington, D.C. Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse news! Simply click here
Case New Holland announced a new global leadership team. Gerrit Marx was tapped as CEO of the company’s agriculture segment. Marx rejoined CNH, succeeding Scott Wine. With more than 20 years of experience at CNH, Humayun Chishti was appointed president of the construction business unit. Douglas MacLeod was confirmed as president of financial services. In the agriculture business sector, Stefano Pampalone was named chief commercial officer with global responsibility. Pampalone was recently president of the construction business unit.
Carrie Vollmer-Sanders will take over as president of Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture on Aug. 26. A sixth-generation farmer, Vollmer-Sanders has experience working in sustainability at U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action and serving on the Environmental Protection Agency's Science Advisory Board.
North Dakota-based Ten Acre Marketing announced staff additions and promotions. Kevin Deval was hired as senior graphic designer. Sara Hewitt was promoted to director of public relations and Sarah Ardentz was promoted from content creation specialist to account coordinator.
Michael Granché was promoted to director of trade, transportation and animal agriculture at the National Corn Growers Association. Granché has been with NCGA for five years, recently as manager of animal agriculture and trade.
Morgan Pothoven joined the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association as events and communications coordinator. She was recently at the Iowa Turkey Federation.
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever added Karl Binns as community and inclusion program manager. Binns worked for Look East Consulting and the Center for Food Integrity.
Kent Chandler joined the energy and environmental policy program at the R Street Institute. Previously, he was chair of the Kentucky Public Service Commission.
David Johnson is joining Corteva as executive vice president and chief financial officer effective Sept. 16. He joins the corporation from Atkore, an electrical, safety and infastructure company, where was CFO. Johnson will succeed Dave Anderson, current Corteva EVP and CFO, who will serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO until his retirement in the first quarter of 2025.
Forza Logistics Group added four staff members. Ben Kowalski was named president. He brings freight industry leadership experience. Chris Jacobs was named vice president of sales and Tyler Grube director of operations. Sorav Singh joined the sales and operations team.
The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmer Advisory Committee elected officers for 2024-25: Zac Preston of Warren County, chair; Megan McAllister of Dubuque County, vice chair; Mitchell Sievers of Buena Vista County, secretary; and Alyssa Preston of Warren County and Ashley McEnany of Story County as public relations co-chairs.
Muhammad Yunus, a trailblazer in microfinance who won the 1994 World Food Prize in Des Moines and the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, has been appointed to oversee an interim government in Bangladesh after its prime minister fled the country racked protests and riots. His World Food Prize cited his “innovative micro loan programs for the poor, providing millions of people access to more food and better nutrition.” Well known in U.S. cooperative and finance circles, he was given a U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2010.
Crop insurance veteran Rick Gibson, retired chairman of Agro International, Council Bluffs, Iowa, died while on a safari with his son Kim. He was 88. “Rick Gibson was a true pioneer and visionary for our industry” who was instrumental in building a foundation for a public-private insurance system, said Tom Zacharias, president of National Crop Insurance Services.
For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com.
