Youngsville Sugar Cane Farmer Named to USDA Board
Louisiana s sugar industry and particularly our state s sugar cane producers should be excited to know that for the first time in history an actually sugar cane grower will be on the board that oversees sugar and sweetener policy in the nation.
Eddie Jude Lewis III of Youngsville based Eddie Lewis Cane Farms LLC has been appointed to the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee for the United States Department of Agriculture. Lewis will serve on one of six Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees.
Lewis along with Jack Pettus of the American Sugar Cane League will be leading the charge for cane producers as the USDA makes decisions on policy and trade for various commodities produced and sold for export in the United States.
Before leaving town, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer announced the appointment of 67 members to serve on seven agricultural trade advisory committees. A complete list of committee members are available at fas.usda.gov/atacs and includes a who’s who of influential voices from commodity groups to agribusinesses.
The Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee is comprised of senior representatives from across the U.S. agricultural community who provide advice to USDA and USTR on trade policy matters including the operation of existing trade agreements and the negotiation of new agreements. Members of the six Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees provide technical advice and guidance from the perspective of their specific product sectors. This group of appointed advisors will serve until 2025.
USDA photo by Lance Cheung
In 2017, Dr. Seth Meyer served as the World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB) chairman. In January, he will return to USDA to assume the position of chief economist from Robert Johansson. Dr. Seth Meyer to leave his role at FAPRI and return to USDA to assume chief economist position.
USDA Chief Economist Robert Johansson will be leaving USDA to become associate director of economics and policy analysis for the American Sugar Alliance at the end of January. Dr. Seth Meyer will return to USDA to be the new chief economist.
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue says during his tenure, Rob has been an upstanding public servant. Specifically, he helped set up and serve as acting deputy undersecretary for the Farm Production and Conservation mission area early in this Administration in 2017. As chief economist, he is responsible for the department s agricultural forecasts and projections and for advising the Secretary on economic imp