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Former Almond Alliance President Elaine Trevino withdrew from consideration to be the top ag negotiator at USTR but is still expected to work in the Biden administration.

President Joe Biden has named three new state executive directors for the Agriculture Department's Farm Service Agency and six state USDA Rural Development directors, and Elaine Trevino has withdrawn from the nomination process to be the next chief agricultural trade negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

Nine individuals have been tapped for Department of Agriculture roles leading state operations for Farm Service Agency and Rural Development offices.

Elaine Trevino has withdrawn from the nomination process to be the next chief agricultural trade negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, sending the USTR back to square one in its efforts to represent America’s farmers on the international stage.

Governor Gavin Newsom has tapped Christy Bouma as the legislative affairs secretary in the Office of the Governor while Kristen Smith Eshaya follows her father’s footsteps and is named the new president of JV Smith Companies.

Bayer has appointed Michael Parrish to the position of vice president of public affairs, science and sustainability, U.S., and Osama El Lissy has been appointed to serve as the secretary of the International Plant Protection Convention.

Dale Moore plans to step down from his role as the top staffer at the American Farm Bureau Federation this year, ending a career spanning more than 40 years and including stops across several steps in the farm policy process.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Rachel Zwillinger as assistant general counsel for enforcement at CalEPA. Zwillinger previously served as a water policy adviser at Defenders of Wildlife and has also worked for the Natural Resources Defense Council. The CalEPA position does not require Senate confirmation.

Kimberly Atkins is joining Laura Wood Peterson Consulting as a vice president and Kelly Gast is the new chief financial officer of Bayer’s Crop Science division.

Sprouts Farmers Market has appointed Nicholas Konat as its new president and chief operating officer and Fall Creek Farm and Nursery hired J. Nathan Jurgens as its information technology director.