Annual Meeting 2024
April 14-16, 2024
We have an exciting agenda planned for this year’s event including a keynote invitation to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
Sunday - April 14
1:30 -4:00 p.m. - Smithsonian Behind the Scenes Tour of Agricultural Exhibits
Meet at the entrance at 1300 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560
6:00 p.m. - Dinner
New Heights Restaurant - 2317 Calvert St NW, Washington, DC 20008
This will be an informal gathering of those who are in town. NAAJ will pay for drinks and appetizers, and dinner is pay-on-your-own.
8:00 p.m. Fireside Chat with Clarisa Diaz, interim executive secretary-treasurer at the Cosmos Club lobby
Monday - April 15
Cosmos Club
2121 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC
8:30 - 9:30 a.m. - Reignite your regulatory watch: Insights from top Biden administration officials
Ron Snyder, EPA ag advisor (confirmed)
Robert Bonnie, USDA undersecretary (confirmed)
Jim Jones, FDA deputy commissioner of human foods (invited)
9:45 - 10:45 a.m. - AI, automation and emerging technology impacting food
Walt Duflock, Western Growers senior vice president innovation
Richard Hung, Assistant Director, Science, Technology Assessment and Analytics team, U.S. GAO
Peter Liebold, former Smithsonian historian
11:15 - 11:45 am Farmer Goes To Washington: Pennsylvania farmer Bill Beam
12 p.m. - Lunch
12:30 Lunch Keynote Speaker USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack (confirmed)
1:30-2:30 p.m. - Farm to Fork: How Sustainability and ESG is transforming the food industry
Mike Aquino, International Dairy Foods Association, director ESG
Dan Christensen, PepsiCo senior director of government affairs
Eric Mittenthal, Meat Institute chief strategy officer
2:30-4:30 p.m. - Business Meeting
6-9 p.m. - Networking and Awards Reception
National Press Club
Awards will start at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, April 16
Capitol Hill press conferences - SVC 214
10 a.m. - Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman, R-Ark.
11:00 a.m. - Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.
11:30 a.m. - House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa.
JUST CONFIRMED!
12:30-2 pm - The EU Embassy is preparing an exclusive NAAJ press event as part of our annual meeting with the newly appointed EU Ambassador Jovita Neliupšienė including a tasting of EU food and drink specialties on April 16, from 12:30 to 2 pm. Please make your travel arrangements accordingly. (More information below)
Food Tasting and Press Briefing on European Union’s “More than Food” Initiative
The Delegation of the European Union to the United States invites members of the media to a food tasting and press briefing on the campaign “More than European Food and Drinks, Savoring Stories.”
European Union Ambassador Jovita Neliupšienė introduces the three-year campaign that seeks to promote agricultural food and beverage products from the European Union in the United States. The campaign highlights the immense variety, diverse and rich nature of ingredients and agricultural products as well as the common food and farming standards that guarantee authentic, high quality, sustainable and safe products all over the world. The EU is the third largest supplier of agricultural and agri-food products to the U.S.
Please join us at the EU Delegation (2175 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037) on Tuesday, April 16 at 12:30 p.m. The program includes:
Welcome drink
Opening remarks from EU Ambassador Neliupšienė
Presentation of the “More than Food” communication campaign
EU food and drink tasting
Rooms May Still Be Available
Reserve your room today at the Cosmos Club located at 2121 Massachusetts Ave, NW Washington, DC 20008. Standard rooms are available for $205/night. Mid-size rooms are available for $275/night or large rooms for $350/night. Please call the Cosmos Club directly at 202-387-7783 or email fd@cosmosclub.org and request to book in the NAAJ 2024 group block. This rate is available until March 13, but rooms may still be available.
2023 Annual Meeting
Register today!
Sunday - April 23
2 - 5 p.m. - U.S. National Arboretum
Tour the beautiful gardens and learn more about the Arboretum which is administered by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. We will also receive a short briefing on some of the interesting ARS research going on there and around the country.
7:30 p.m. - Dinner
Farmers Fishers Bakers
3000 K St. NW, Washington Harbour, Washington, D.C.
Monday - April 24
Annual Meeting - Cosmos Club 2121 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC
9-10 a.m. - Farm Bill Focus
John Newton, chief economist at Senate Agriculture Committee - Republicans
Mary Kay Thatcher, senior lead for federal government relations at Syngenta
Ellen Vollinger, SNAP Director, Food Research & Action Center
10:30-11:30 a.m. - USDA’s Impact on the Farm
Robert Bonnie, USDA undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation
Zach Ducheneaux, Farm Service Agency administrator
Heather Manzano, Risk Management Agency deputy administrator
11:30 - Lunch
12:00 Keynote Speaker USDA Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Affairs, Jenny Lester Moffitt
1:30-2:30 p.m. - Get Smart: Learn more about USDA’s Climate-Smart Partnerships
Rob Larew, National Farmers Union president
Tom Thompson, Virginia Tech College of Agriculture associate dean
Belinda Burrier, United Soybean Board farmer leader from Maryland
2:30-4:30 p.m. - Business Meeting
6-8 p.m. - Networking and Awards Reception
National Press Club
Awards will start at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, April 25
Capitol Hill press conferences - SV203
9 a.m. - Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman, R-Ark.
Confirmed to speak, waiting on times:
10:30 a.m. - Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif.
11:30 a.m. - Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.
12:30 - 2 p.m. - Canadian Embassy
Luncheon and short presentation from dignitaries
2:30 p.m. - House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa.
1300 Longworth Building
If you are planning flights, I would advise on Tuesday to leave late afternoon or early evening from Reagan Airport or later if you choose to fly out of the other nearby airports. You will not be able to bring your luggage to Capitol Hill or likely the Canadian Embassy.
Newsmaker Event: Ag Inflation
The topic of this webinar is on inflation and its impact to agriculture. Hear the domestic perspective from Nathan Kauffman, senior vice president of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Board, and an international look from Joe Glauber, senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute. The format will allow for plenty of time to ask questions to our presenters. This is for current NAAJ members only. A recording will be available for those who register.
Nate Kauffman
Vice President and Omaha Branch Executive
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Nate Kauffman is vice president and Omaha Branch executive with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and is the Kansas City Fed’s principal expert in agricultural economics. He is a leading voice on the agricultural economy throughout the seven states of the Tenth Federal Reserve District and the broader Federal Reserve System. Nate oversees several Bank and Federal Reserve efforts to track economic and financial conditions for agriculture and hosts the Kansas City Fed’s Agricultural Symposium. He also speaks regularly on the agricultural economy to industry audiences and the news media, including providing testimonies at both U.S. Senate and U.S. House Agriculture Committee hearings.
In his role as the Bank’s lead economist and representative in the state of Nebraska, Nate provides strategic direction and oversight for the Omaha Branch, regional research, and economic outreach throughout the state. He serves as a local connection to the nation’s central bank and is responsible for briefing the Kansas City Fed’s president – a member of the Federal Open Market Committee – on regional economic and business activity.
Joseph W. Glauber
Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute
Joe Glauber also currently serves as interim Secretary of the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS). He is also a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a non-resident Senior Adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Prior to joining IFPRI, Glauber spent over 30 years at the U.S. Department of Agriculture including as chief economist from 2008 to 2014. As chief economist, he was responsible for the Department’s agricultural forecasts and projections, oversaw climate, energy and regulatory issues, and served as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation.
From 2007-2009, Glauber was the Special Doha Agricultural Envoy at the office of the U.S. Trade Representative where he served as chief agricultural negotiator in the Doha talks. He served as economic adviser at the so-called Blair House agreements leading to the completion of the Uruguay Round negotiations and was senior economist for agriculture at the President’s Council of Economic Advisers.
NAAJ Newsmaker Event: Post-Election Recap
What will the November elections mean for agriculture?
The 2022 elections will have important implications for the future direction of agricultural policy, including the writing of the next farm bill. Click on the link below to view this NAAJ exclusive event with Randy Russell, president of the Russell Group, and former House Agriculture Committee Chairman Rep. Collin Peterson. Email naajnews@yahoo.com to receive the password for the Vimeo recording.
Randy Russell
Russell Group President Randy Russell was born and raised in Virginia. Prior to joining the Russell Group in 1986, Randy served in a number of agricultural policy positions, both inside and outside of government, including chief of staff for Secretary of Agriculture John R. Block, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Vice President for Agriculture and Trade Policy at the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, Director of Government Relations for The Pillsbury Company, and the 1981 Farm Bill Coordinator for USDA. Randy also served on the Senate Agriculture Committee staff for former Senator Rudy Boschwitz (R-MN).
Collin Peterson
Rep. Collin Peterson is currently president and founder of his government affairs and public policy firm, The Peterson Group. He also has a partnership with Combest Sell and Associates in Washington D.C. to advise and consult on policies that bolster U.S. agriculture and rural America. Peterson was the Democrat representative for Minnesota’s 7th congressional district from 1991 to 2020. Peterson was one of the founders of the Blue Dog Coalition, a caucus of moderates and conservative Democrats. He served as the top Democrat of the House Agriculture Committee for 15 years, overseeing the writing and implementation of the last four farm bills.
Annual Meeting 2022
Join us for the 2022 Annual Meeting starting Sunday, April 24 until Tuesday, April 26. The format will include an informal gathering and outing on Sunday. Our agenda is subject to change but it currently includes USDA and EPA speakers. The day portion will be held in the meeting rooms at the Crystal City Marriott in Arlington. Our awards reception will be held at the Up Top Acres urban rooftop farm for a unique networking experience with industry stakeholders and fellow NAAJ members. Tuesday morning will feature press conferences on Capitol Hill with the top House and Senate agricultural leaders. Choose your registration level below. Registration will close April 15. You may also mail a check to Jacqui Fatka, 6866 County Road 183, Fredericktown, OH 43019. Please email her at naajnews@yahoo.com if you will be mailing a check to secure your space.
Crystal City Marriott at Reagan National Airport
1999 Richmond Highway
Arlington, Virginia 22202
The hotel is 1.6 Miles from Reagan Airport and the Crystal City Marriott offers a complimentary airport shuttle to and from Reagan National Airport 7 days a week; the shuttle runs 5am-11pm and picks up every half hour. The first shuttle departs the hotel at 5am; the last shuttle departs the hotel at 11pm with the last airport pick-up at 11:15pm. No reservations are needed. To hear this information, please call (703)- 413-5500 and select Option 5.
Sunday, April 24
Feel free to explore on the National Mall in the afternoon if you would like Sunday afternoon before those in town meet.
3:30 -5 p.m. – Botanical Garden
100 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, D.C.
Cultivate: Growing Food in a Changing World exhibit
6 p.m. – Epic Smokehouse 1330 S. Fern St. Arlington, VA (located near the hotel)
This will be pay-on-your-own but NAAJ will provide appetizers and wine to share.
Monday, April 25
Held at Crystal City Marriott at 1999 Richmond Highway, Arlington, VA 22202
7:30 a.m. Registration Opens - Saloon D
8-8:45 a.m.
Ag’s friendly face at EPA: EPA Agricultural Advisor Rod Snyder will be answering your questions on his thoughts on actions impacting agriculture at EPA
9-9:30 a.m.
“The Farmer’s Lawyer” – Hear from author Sarah Vogel on her real life story of fighting for farmers during the 1980s farm crisis. She will also be offering a free book and book signing to all members in attendance.
10:00-11:00 a.m.
Crisis and Uncertainty: An economic view of the ongoing world agricultural situation featuring International Food Policy Research Institute Economists Joe Glauber and David Laborde
11:30 BUFFET LUNCH - Saloon E
12-1 p.m.
Luncheon keynote: USDA Deputy Secretary Bronaugh (tentative) – may also segway into Vilsack offering phone comments if he can’t be in person
1-2 p.m.
USDA’s Farmer Facing Leaders: Opening comments provided by USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Robert Bonnie, Risk Management Agency Administrator Marcia Bunger, Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux and NRCS Chief Terry Crosby
2:30-3:30 p.m.
Annual Meeting
5:30 p.m.
On site Q&A of Up Top Acres urban rooftop farm
55 M Street, SE Washington, D.C.
6-8 p.m.
NAAJ Awards Reception – announcing of awards at 7 p.m.
Join us for an elegant networking experience as we celebrate our writing contest award winners and visit with key agricultural stakeholders on top the Up Top Acres rooftop urban farm located at 55 M Street. Your ticket includes two drinks and meal worthy hors d’oeuvres. Event will be from 6 - 8 p.m. NAAJ members will also have the opportunity to experience a tour of the farm at 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 26
Capitol Hill Visits from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Longworth 1300 or 1302 - press credentials required for Capitol Hill
9- 10 a.m. House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott, D-Ga.
10-12 p.m. Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on cattle markets
11-11:30 a.m. – House Agriculture Committee ranking member Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa.
3 p.m. Option for National Press Club tours for anyone traveling from out of town
NAAJ Newsmaker Event: Trade
Trade Talk: A conversation with ag trade experts
Join us for a timely conversation on North American agricultural trade policy featuring veterans in the agricultural trade space. Our newsmaker event scheduled for Wednesday, November 3, will allow NAAJ members to hear directly from individuals who have played an integral role in developing the current trade framework. See full bios below. For the passcode of the event recording, email naajnews@yahoo.com.
12-12:20 p.m. Gregg Doud, former U.S. chief ag trade negotiator under the Trump administration
12:20-12:40 p.m. Ted McKinney, CEO for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
12:40-1 p.m. Mike Gifford, former chief agricultural trade negotiator for Canada
1-1:30 p.m. Open questions from reporters
Gregg Doud
Aimpoint Research vice president of global situational awareness & chief economist
Former U.S. chief agricultural negotiator
Prior to joining Aimpoint Research, Gregg served in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative as chief agricultural negotiator with the rank of U.S. ambassador. He was one of the primary architects of the U.S.-China "Phase One" trade agreement.
Gregg has previously served as president of the Commodity Markets Council, the leading trade association for commodity futures exchanges and their industry counterparts, where he worked to lead the industry in addressing global market and risk management issues. As a senior staff member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Doud helped craft the 2012 Senate Farm Bill working on international trade, food aid, livestock, and oversight of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Doud served as dhief economist for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association for eight years and is a former market analyst for the U.S. Wheat Associates.
Raised on a dry-land wheat, grain sorghum, soybean, swine, and cow-calf operation near Mankato in North-Central Kansas, Doud continues to be involved in his family’s 100-year-old farm and is a partner in a commercial cow-calf operation. He received a B.S. in Agriculture with an emphasis in animal science, as well as a M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Kansas State University. He currently resides with his family on their horse farm in Lothian, Maryland.
Ted McKinney
CEO, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
Former USDA trade undersecretary
Ted serves as the chief executive officer of NASDA, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, a position to which he was named in September 2021. Prior to NASDA, he was also the first U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs from 2017-2021. In that role, Under Secretary McKinney led the development and implementation of the Department’s trade policy, oversaw and facilitated foreign market access, and promoted opportunities for U.S. agriculture through various trade programs and high-level government negotiations. He also oversaw the U.S. Codex Alimentarius staff and functions.
After his USDA service, McKinney was engaged in foreign affairs and outreach involving the US food and agriculture industry and its engagement with the United Nations Food Systems Summits.
In 2014, McKinney was appointed by then-Governor Mike Pence to serve as Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, a position he held until joining USDA in 2017. His career also included 19 years with Dow AgroSciences, where over time he served in nearly all government & public affairs roles, and 14 years with Elanco, at that time a subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, where he was director of global corporate affairs. His industry and civic involvement is vast, including service as founder and co-chair of the National FFA Convention Local Organizing Committee, membership on the Indiana State Fair Commission, and Purdue College of Agriculture Dean’s Advisory Council, as well as on the boards of directors of the International Food Information Council and the U.S. Meat Export Federation.
McKinney grew up on a family grain and livestock farm in Tipton, Indiana, and was a 10-year 4-H member and an Indiana State FFA officer. He graduated from Purdue University with a B.S. degree in Agricultural Economics in 1981, at which time he received the G.A. Ross Award as the outstanding University senior male graduate. In 2002, he was named a Purdue Agriculture Distinguished Alumnus and, in 2004, received an FFA Honorary American degree. He and his wife, Julie, have three children and six grandchildren, and reside in Alexandria, Virginia.
Mike Gifford
Canadian agricultural trade policy adviser
Former Canada chief agricultural trade negotiator
For thirty-five years Mike Gifford was directly involved in all aspects of Canada’s bilateral, regional and multilateral agricultural trade policy. For the last fifteen he served as Canada’s chief agricultural trade negotiator and principal agricultural trade policy advisor to both the ministers of agriculture and trade.
In his public service career, he was involved in virtually every major trade negotiation, beginning with the renegotiation of the Canada/New Zealand and Canada/Australia trade agreements and the Tokyo Round of GATT negotiations. He also served as the chairman of the GATT International Meat Council and acted as the chief Canadian agricultural negotiator in the Canada/US Free Trade Agreement, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and the Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations
Since retiring from the Canadian public service in late 2000, he has acted as an agricultural trade policy adviser to the Canadian public and private sectors and has undertaken agricultural trade policy capacity building projects in China, Egypt, and sub-Saharan Africa.
Mike Gifford has also acted as a consultant to the WTO and served as a member of a WTO dispute settlement panel. He was a member of the International Agricultural Trade Policy Council (IPC) and has been an acknowledged as an internationally recognized speaker on agricultural trade policy issues at home and abroad.
He received his B.Sc.(Agr.) in agricultural economics at Macdonald College, McGill University and his M.A. in agricultural economics at the University of Chicago.
Membership Mixer
Get to know fellow NAAJ members at this new professional development opportunity. This informal get-to-know your fellow member will allow us to hear from one another wherever you might be located. Our topic for this event is “Getting the Story.” Share an interesting story you’re working on or maybe one of your favorite ones in the past. This will be a zoom meeting, so an opportunity for those on to ask questions.
Annual Meeting - Day 5
A New Look for Agriculture
11 a.m. - 11:30 am ET: Sen. Cory Booker
11:30 am - 12:30 pm ET: Underserved Farmers Panel
Donna Pearson McClish, founder of Common Ground Producers and Growers Inc.
Dr. Lakisha Odom, scientific program director for the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research
Rudy Arredondo, president and CEO of the National Latino & Ranchers Trade Association
Annual Meeting - Day 4
Annual meeting: FREE to all members
10 a.m. (30-45 mins with a break following)
Ten Minutes to Shine
11 am - 1 pm
Missing out on our unique ability to network with unique ag organizations? We’ve selected 10 groups that may offer a new angle for your future coverage of ag issues. Tune into this opportunity to “meet” with communications staff and possibly other influential members from these organizations.
American Medical Association – AMA president and renowned immunologist Dr. Susan Bailey
Black Professionals in Food and Agriculture: Karis Gutter and Kellie Adesina
Soybean Transportation Coalition – Mike Steenhoek
Deb Calhoun, Waterways Council
Hinda Mitchell, Inspire PR
Ernie Shea, Solutions from the Land
Deborah Atwood, AGree Climate, Food & Ag Dialogues
Kent G. Schescke, CAST Council for Agricultural Science and Technology
Abby J. Leibman, our President & CEO, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
Carl Jorgensen Plant Based Foods Association
Ebony Webber, MANRRS
Intertribal Ag Council - Kelsey Ducheneaux-Scott
Annual Meeting - Day 3
Climate Panel: Moderator Chris Clayton
Ferd Hoefner, former policy director for the National Sustainable Ag Coalition
Clay Pope, rancher and member of the Oklahoma Farmers Union
Deb Reed, executive director of the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium
Randy Russell, principal of the Russell Group representing the Food and Ag Climate Alliance
Annual Meeting - Day 2
Legislator Lowdown (All Times Eastern)
10 a.m. Senator John Boozman, Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member
10:30 a.m. Representative David Scott, House Agriculture Committee Chairman
11:30 a.m. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman
12 p.m. Senator Tammy Baldwin, Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman
12:30 p.m. Senator John Hoeven, Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member
NAAJ 2021 Awards Cocktail Hour
Bring your favorite drink and toast congratulations to our 2021 writing award winners. We will also have breakout sessions where people can go from room to room to meet new members, talk with award winners and discuss all things ag journalism.
Annual Meeting - Day 1
Keynote: Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Also meet the communications staff at USDA
USDA Panel:
Dr. Dewayne Goldmon, USDA senior adviser on racial equity
Andy Green, senior adviser on fair and competitive markets
Robert Bonnie, deputy chief of staff for policy and senior adviser on climate