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Farm group leaders present ag priorities to Biden’s USDA transition team

The Ag CEO Council, which is made up of more than 20 national farm organization leaders, has given the Biden Transition Team a list of priorities.

National Association of Wheat Growers CEO Chandler Goule says the Council presented a White Paper to both campaigns ahead of the election.

“And then post-election, we had a meeting with the transition team at USDA to further present this paper to them.”

He tells Brownfield the 10 priority areas are not in any particular order.

“But we did start with COVID testing and getting a vaccine, and making sure that agriculture workers and food workers continue to be deemed essential workers so that now that we have vaccines in the process, they can be towards the front.”

The remaining ag priorities include farm policy like the upcoming Farm Bill, trade, biofuels, research, labor, rural broadband, infrastructure, sustainability and climate, and nutrition and health.

NAWG, the Ag Retailers Association, American Farm Bureau, National Farmers Union, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council, American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, CropLife America, National Milk Producers Federation, American Seed Trade Association, Farm Credit Council, National Sorghum Producers, the Fertilizer Institute, National Cotton Council of America, American Sugarbeet Growers Association, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, NASDA, United Fresh Produce Association, USA Rice, and the Biotechnology Innovation Organization comprise the Ag CEO Council.