National Corn Growers Applaud Chief Agricultural Negotiator Pick
The leadership of the National Corn Growers Association today applauded the nomination of Dr. Julie Callahan as chief agricultural negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
The nomination comes about a week after NCGA sent a letter, signed by 42 agricultural organizations, to President Trump encouraging him to move quickly on nominating someone for the role.
"Corn grower leaders have been very vocal in recent weeks about the need to fill this important position, as the chief ag negotiator plays a critical role in prioritizing agriculture issues in ongoing trade negotiations," said Illinois corn grower and NCGA President Kenneth Hartman Jr. "We are thrilled to see the president listened and chose someone of this caliber to represent the interests of America's farmers. It was a pleasure to congratulate Dr. Callahan in person today during our meeting at the White House."
The chief agricultural negotiator is responsible for leading and coordinating agricultural trade negotiations and developing agricultural trade policy. The role has historically been critical to the agricultural sector and has only increased in importance as NCGA advocates for more trade deals with market access.
Callahan has close to 20 years of working on international issues and trade at a variety of agencies, including USTR, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Her most recent experience includes almost nine years serving as assistant U.S. trade representative for agricultural affairs and commodity policy.
Source: National Corn Growers Association news release