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Members Named to Seven Agricultural Trade Advisory Committees

September 08, 2011

Additional Applicants Sought

WASHINGTON, DC – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk today announced the appointment of 148 private-sector members to the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee (APAC) and six Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees (ATACs).

“With U.S. agricultural exports reaching record highs as our farmers and ranchers bring the American brand to more of the world consumers, agricultural trade is demonstrating once again its vital role in the health of our nation’s economy,” said Secretary Vilsack. “Members of these seven committees understand the importance of open markets to the U.S. economy. By serving on these committees, they have the opportunity to provide their expertise and knowledge to deliberations that influence U.S. trade policy, ultimately helping to grow, innovate and out-compete the rest of the world.”

“These appointments are an important step in the Obama Administration’s ongoing efforts to expand trade and bring new opportunities to America’s farmers and ranchers, as well as the businesses and workers they support,” said Ambassador Kirk. “Agricultural exports are a critical component of America’s economy, and the input and advice these individuals will provide in the coming years will be indispensible in helping to identify and capitalize on new and emerging trade opportunities.”

Congress established the advisory committee system in 1974 to ensure a private-sector voice in establishing U.S. agricultural trade policy objectives to reflect U.S. commercial and economic interests. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative jointly manage the committees.

The APAC provides advice and information to the Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative on negotiating objectives, positions and other matters related to the development, implementation and administration of U.S. agricultural trade policy. The ATACs offer technical advice and information on specific commodities.

The six ATACs are:

  • Animals and Animal Products

  • Fruits and Vegetables

  • Grains, Feed, Oilseeds and Planting Seeds

  • Processed Foods

  • Sweeteners and Sweetener Products

  • Tobacco, Cotton and Peanuts

This initial group of committee members will serve until June 9, 2015. They will be supplemented by additional appointments over the next four years. Applications are encouraged at any time and will be reviewed periodically for additional appointments going forward. Information about applying is available at http://www.fas.usda.gov/itp/apac-atacs/advisorycommittees.asp. Questions may be directed to Steffon Brown at 202-720-6219 or via e-mail to Steffon.Brown@fas.usda.gov

Lists of appointed members by committee are as follows.

Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee

NAME/COMPANY

Laura Batcha/Organic Trade Association

Jon Caspers/Pig Farmer

Nancy Cook/Pet Food Institute

Marsha Echols/World Food Law Institute

Audrae Erickson/Corn Refiners Association

Hezekiah Gibson/United Farmers USA, Inc.

Thomas Hammer/National Oilseed Processors Association

Shannon Herzfeld/Archer Daniels Midland

Leonard Johnson/National Farmers Union

Peter Kappelman/Meadow Brook Dairy Farms

Alan Kemper/Kemper Farms

Robert Koch/The Wine Institute

Ronald Litterer/Litterer Farms

Rik Miller/DuPont Crop Protection

Brenda Morris/Morris Farms

Daniel Moss/Moss Farms Partnership

Gary Murphy/U.S. Rice Producers Association

Thomas Nassif/Western Growers Association

Forrest Roberts/National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Christian Schlect/Northwest Horticultural Council

Philip Seng/U.S. Meat Export Federation

Michael Stuart/Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association

James Sumner/USA Poultry & Egg Export Council

Alan Tracy/U.S. Wheat Associates

Larry Woote/North Carolina Farm Bureau

Michael Wootton/Sunkist Growers

Van Yeutter/Cargill

Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Animals and Animal Products

NAME/COMPANY

Jill Appell/Appell’s Pork Farms, Inc.

Elwood Barth/North Dakota’s Farmers Union

John Bauer/Basic Food International, Inc. & Global Food Corporation

Joe Bezerra/California State University Agricultural Research Institute

Edward Blair/Blair Brothers Angus

Theresa Brophy/Maryland Department of Agriculture

Donald Butler/Murphy-Brown LLC

Jaime Castaneda/National Milk Producers Federation

Anthony Clayton/Clayton Agri-Marketing, Inc.

Mark Davis/Davisco Foods International, Inc.

Stephen Foglesong/Black Gold Ranch & Feedlot

Alvaro Garcia, Ph.D./South Dakota State University

Luisa Jaca/Jaca Livestock

Elizabeth Krushinskie/Mountaire Farms, Inc.

Michael Lemmon/Whiteshire Hamroc, LLC

Richard Lively/U.S. Meat Export Federation

Mark Lobstein/USA Poultry & Egg Export Council

James McCan/McFaddin Enterprises

Philip Nelson/Illinois Farm Bureau

John Reddington/U.S. Hides, Skin and Leather Association

Duane Lawrence Rhodes/Tyson Foods, Inc.

Errol Rice/Montana Stockgrowers Association, Inc.

Paul Rodgers/American Sheep Industry Association

William Roenigk/National Chicken Council

Neal Schuman/Arthur Schuman, Inc.

Harold Shenson/Nature’s SunGrown Foods, Inc.

Thomas Suber/U.S. Dairy Export Council

Kent Swisher/National Renderers Association

Constance Tipton/International Dairy Foods Association

John Wilson/Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.

Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Fruits and Vegetables

NAME/COMPANY

Julie Adams/Almond Board of California

Dennis Balint/California Walnut Board

Barry Bedwell/California Grape and Tree Fruit League

Susan Brauner/Blue Diamond Growers

Jon Brekken/Seneca Foods Corporation

Reginald Brown/Florida Tomato Exchange

James Cranney/California Citrus Quality Council

George Davis/Porter Creek Vineyards

Mathew Harris/Washington State Potato Commission

John Hoblick/Florida Farm Bureau Federation

Richard Hudgins/California Canning Peach Association

Thomas LaFaille/The Wine Institute

Jeanette Lombardo/Mission Community Bank

John McClung/Texas Produce Association

Katherine Means/Produce Marketing Association

Todd Michael/Michael Farms Inc.

Mark Murai/California Strawberry Commission

Joel Nelson/California Citrus Mutual

Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Grains, Feed, Oilseeds and Planting Seeds

NAME/COMPANY

Mark Anderson/Anderson Hay & Grain Company, Inc.

Stanley Baker/Infinity Lawn and Garden

Rebecca Bratter-Coleman/U.S. Grains Council

Robert Cummings/USA Rice Federation

Dennis DeLaughter/Progressive Farm Management

Neal Fisher/North Dakota Wheat Commission

Scott Fritz/Fritz Black Sand Farms, Inc.

Michael Gumina/Pioneer Hi-Bred International

Lurlin Hoelscher/Hoelscher Ag Distributer, Inc.

William Hoffman/Farmer

Joe Kapraun/GROWMARK, Inc.

Kevin Kaufman/BNSF Railway

Kendall Keith/National Grain & Feed Association

Daniel Kidd/Kidd Brothers Farms

Donald Latham/DTB Farms, LLC

Daniel Murphy/American Soybean Association

Joel Newman/American Feed Industry Association

Michael Nichols/Nichols Family Farms LLC, Nichols Farms Corp., Inc. LLC

John Reynolds/Novus International, Inc.

Candace Roper/CoBank Agricultural Credit Bank

Claude Rosson, III/Texas A&M University

Michael Rue/Catlett Warehouse

Shannon Schlecht/U.S. Wheat Associates

Doug Sombke/Sombke Farms

Larry Stenberg/Dow Agro-Sciences

Teodoro Verver/Texas Department of Agriculture

Mary Waters/North American Millers' Association

Steven Wellman/Wellman Farms, Inc.

David Winkles, Jr./South Carolina Farm Bureau

Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Processed Foods

NAME/COMPANY

Robert Anderson/Sustainable Strategies, LLC

Robert Bauer/Association of Food Industries

Alison Bodor/National Confectioners Association

James Finkle/Constellation Brands Inc.

Robert Garfield/Food Marketing Institute

Ann Grappin/Yum! Restaurants

Timothy Hamilton/Food Export Association of the Midwest/Northeast U.S.A.

Elizabeth Hill/Ocean Spray International Services, Inc.

Jerry Hingle/Southern United States Trade Association

Shawn Jarosz/Trade Moves, LLC

Sudip Jhaveri/Starbucks Coffee Company

Carolyn Kitchen/Land O’ Lakes, Inc.

Christine LoCascio/Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S.

Kasey Moctezuma/Quality Assurance International

Carlos Pena/Pepperidge Farm, Inc.

Rebecca Rasdall/ConAgra Foods, Inc.

Peggy Rochette/Grocery Manufacturers Association

Ronald Tanner/National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc.

Peter Thornton/North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Sweeteners and Sweetener Products

NAME/COMPANY

Thomas Astrup/American Crystal Sugar Company

Frank Day/The Hershey Company

Patrick Henneberry/Imperial Sugar Company

Roland Hoch/Global Organics Ltd.

William Krause/McKee Foods Corporation

David Long/Goetze Candy Company, Inc.

Dale Murden/Rio Farms, Inc.

David Rosenthal/Corn Refiners Association

Judy Sanchez/United States Sugar Corporation

James Simon/American Sugar Cane League of the U.S.A., Inc.

Ray Van Driessche/Michigan Sugar Company

John Yonover/Indiana Sugars, Inc.

Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Tobacco, Cotton and Peanuts

NAME/COMPANY

Thomas Archer/American Peanut Council

Dale Artho/Dale and Kathy Artho Farms

Kenneth Dierschke/Dierschke Farms

Donald Koehler/Georgia Peanut Commission

Dana Huffman/National Cotton Council of America

John Mitchell/Cargill India Pvt., Ltd.

Monique Muggli/Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Roger Quarles/Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association

James Quinn/Carolinas Cotton Growers Cooperative, Inc.

Harry Schroeder/Oklahoma Cotton Council

Sledge Taylor, III/Buckeye Farms

Clyde Wayne, Jr./Tobacco Associates, Inc.

DuBoise White Jr./Golden Peanut Company