2016 Presidential Election

As we are all so aware, the race to the White House is in full swing. While issues in food and agriculture are seldom brought up at campaign rallies or on debate stages, they are integral to the economy, trade and national security. Looking at the presidential hopefuls we wonder how their leadership may impact animal agriculture.

I called Animal Agriculture Alliance spokesperson Hannah Thompson: "Tyson Redpath, senior vice president with The Russell Group, will take the stage at the 2016 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit to discuss what might be in store for animal agriculture under the administration of the remaining candidates. The Summit, themed "Securing Animal Agriculture's Future: Action, Please!", will be held May 5-6 at the Westin Arlington Gateway in Arlington, Va. Redpath will also offer attendees recommendations for getting involved in the political process to help shape agriculture policy. 

The Russell Group is a firm specializing in food and agriculture that provides government relations, public affairs, policy development, interest group outreach, forecast and analysis and strategic counsel to clients. The Russell Group team's expertise includes animal health, antibiotic stewardship, production agriculture, trade, agricultural research and food safety. The firm was ranked as the 9th top-performing lobbying firm in 2015 by Bloomberg Government and is one of only two firms to make the top performers list for the fourth time in a row.   

"Proactive engagement with legislators and government officials is critical for the animal agriculture community to promote understanding the issues facing farmers and ranchers," said Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO. "Tyson's background in agriculture and expertise in government affairs make him a perfect fit for our Summit. His informed forecasts and practical advice will help our attendees take their public policy work to the next level."