WASHINGTON — US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced on Jan. 8 the appointment and reelection of 53 members to serve on seven agricultural trade advisory committees. These new and returning members will serve on their committees through December 2028.
The Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee is composed of senior representatives from the US agricultural community who advise the US Department of Agriculture and US Trade Representative on trade policy matters, while members of the six Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees (ATAC) offer guidance from the perspectives of their respective product sectors.
The following is a list of appointed advisors by committee:
Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee
- John Bode, Corn Refiners Association
- Alexandra Dunn, CropLife America
- Michael Dykes, International Dairy Foods Association
- Karis Gutter, Corteva AgriScience
- Ryan LeGrand, US Grains Council
- Andrew Muhammad, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture
- Vince Peterson, US Wheat Associates
- Julie Anna Potts, Meat Institute
- Mike Stranz, National Farmers Union
- James Sutter, US Soybean Export Council
- Elaine Trevino, Sunkist Growers Inc.
- William “Colin” Woodall, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
ATAC for Trade in Animals and Animal Products
- Kent Bacus, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
- Colleen Coyne, Food Export USA-Northeast
- Rachel Cumberbatch, Animal Health Institute
- Warren Gfeller, Stranger Valley Ranch
- Jon Gianini, HarbyrCo LLC
- Laurie Hueneka, Merck Animal Health
- Kyle Jensen, Hilmar Cheese Co.
- Cassandra Kuball, Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative
- Stephen Neel, Lineage Inc.
- Michael Schumpp, Meat Institute
- Patricia Smith, Dairy America
ATAC for Trade in Processed Foods
- Carlos Gonzalez, Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc.
- Jason Grove, Abbott
- Kimberly Houlding, American Olive Oil Producers Association
- Elizabeth Johnson, SNAC International
- William O’Connor, Tyson Foods Inc.
- Rebecca Rasdall, International Dairy Foods Association
- Seth Wilen, American Trading International Inc.
A list of members on the other four ATAC committees is available here.
With two staff from the Meat Institute joining these advisory committees, the group extended congratulations to its president and chief executive officer, Julie Anna Potts, and its senior director of international affairs, Michael Schumpp.
“Congratulations to our very own Julie Anna Potts and Michael Schumpp for earning appointments to critical USDA agricultural trade advisory committees, which help ensure that US agricultural stakeholders have input and insight into US trade policy and negotiating objectives,” the Meat Institute posted on LinkedIn.
