Leading Ag Associations Launch Non-Profit to Educate Ag Leaders and Workers on Agriculture Trade

The Agriculture Trade Education Council (ATEC) provides educational information on trade structures, policies, and practices to inform and empower decision-making that facilitates growth in U.S. food and agriculture

(Washington, D.C.) – Agriculture leaders from across major food and ag associations today announced the formation of the Agriculture Trade Education Council (ATEC), a 501 c (3) non-profit that will be a resource for education on the value of agricultural trade policies, practices, and structures. The ATEC is chaired by ag leaders with decades of experience educating farmers, policymakers and businesses about how the international trading system works. The ATEC will facilitate education on trade policy on a variety of topics in an effort to grow support for and engagement in a rules-based trading system.

“As U.S. agricultural stakeholders continue to rely increasingly on trade, it is important to understand how trade works, how the policies established impact U.S. agriculture, and how to engage in trade,” said Becky Rasdall, an ATEC Board Member and a Vice President of the International Dairy Foods Association. “ATEC is here to meet that need and support our agricultural community in better engaging the global market.”

“This effort is long overdue,” said Brian Kuehl, who will serve as Executive Director of the ATEC. “20% of farm revenues in the United States derive from exports and farmers also rely on imports of ag inputs, tractor parts and other essential equipment. All of us in U.S. food and agriculture need to understand and be prepared to navigate complex trade rules and dispute resolution structures and participate in trade negotiations. It’s time to get back to the basics of understanding trade and how trade agreements operate. These tools can allow us to expand farm revenues and support the whole food and ag supply chain.”

In a speech yesterday to the international Tri-National Agriculture Accord, Michael Anderson, an ATEC Board Member and a Vice President of the National Corn Refiners explained:

“A more robust understanding of the  benefits of trade, market structures, and trade rules empowers agriculture producers to compete and adapt to an increasingly competitive global marketplace.”ATEC was established expressly for the purpose of deepening the understanding of trade’s benefits and international trade’s vital role in the agriculture community. ATEC is uniquely positioned to foster deeper trade education to realize the benefits of trade for our agriculture stakeholders.

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The full Board of the ATEC includes:

Michael Anderson, Corn Refiners Association - Michael Anderson serves as CRA’s Vice President of Trade and Industry Affairs. In this role, he provides strategic and tactical leadership to CRA and its members regarding trade policy, statistical and co-products reporting programs, and industry affairs. He leads the Trade, Transportation and Statistical Reporting Committees, coordinating policy priorities and objectives regarding trade and industry affairs, as well as ensuring timely and robust statistical data and industry reporting for CRA members.

Melissa Kessler, U.S. Grains Council - Melissa George Kessler serves as the director of strategic initiatives and engagement for the U.S. Grains Council, a non-profit organization that promotes the global use of U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including ethanol and distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS). In this capacity, she works to support the executive team and the organization as a whole to develop, implement and evaluate strategy and processes to achieve Council goals.

Lance Jungmeyer, Fresh Produce Association of America - Lance Jungmeyer is President of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas (FPAA), an industry association representing importers of Mexican produce, based in Nogales, Ariz. In addition to his role at FPAA, Jungmeyer is on the Board of Directors of the Border Trade Alliance, and he is active on the United Fresh Produce Association’s Government Relations Council, as well as the Canadian Produce Marketing Association’s North America Trade Task Force

Becky Rasdall, International Dairy Foods Association -- Becky Rasdall joined the International Dairy Foods Association in July 2020 as Vice President, Trade Policy and International Affairs where she is responsible for developing and advocating industry positions on international trade issues, including U.S. and international trade policy; and monitoring and addressing international regulatory issues impacting trade in dairy products. Before she joined IDFA, Becky served in the Foreign Agricultural Service with the U.S. Department of Agriculture since 2011, where she focused on a variety of trade policy issues related to technical and sanitary and phytosanitary barriers to U.S. exports of food and agricultural products, including dairy.

Derek Sandison, Director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture - Derek Sandison has served as the Director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture since 2015. Prior to that time, Derek was the first director of the Office of Columbia River, the state’s water supply development entity. Derek is serving in his sixth year as Chair of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture’s (NASDA’s) Marketing and International Trade Committee. He is currently a board member of the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association (WUSATA) and of the NASDA Foundation. Derek is also serving as President of the Western Association of State Departments of Agriculture (WASDA).

Michael Schumpp, North American Meat Institute - Michael Schumpp serves as NAMI's international trade policy specialist and associate director of international programs for the Leather and Hide Council of America. He most recently served as director of public affairs and member communications for NAMI. Schumpp is a member of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Animals and Animal Products, serves on the Steering Committee for Farmers for Free Trade, and is the Treasurer of the Board of Directors for the Agriculture Trade Education Council.

Brian Kuehl, Executive Director, Agriculture Trade Education Council - Brian Kuehl is a partner and Director of Government and Public Affairs at KCoe Isom, a leading American food and agriculture accounting and business advisory firm. Kuehl helps manage a national non-profit agricultural organizations such as the Agriculture Trade Education Council.

The Agriculture Trade Education Council (ATEC) ATEC is a 501(c)(3) non-advocacy educational organization formed in 2020. ATEC seeks to empower people in U.S. food and agriculture by providing consistent, understandable, and reliable information about trade structures, policy, and practice.