News Update
October 19, 2017
Angus Promotes Kenny Miller
to Chief Financial Officer
The American Angus Association announces the promotion of Kenny Miller to chief financial officer (CFO). He started the position Oct. 16 after Rich Wilson, CFO of 48 years, retired.
“The Association will be well served by Kenny’s steady hand as its chief financial officer,” said Allen Moczygemba, American Angus Association CEO. “He’s spent the past dozen years working closely with retired CFO Rich Wilson and understands the Association’s finances intimately. I’m excited that Kenny will be serving as our CFO in the years to come.”
Miller first started at the Association in April of 2004 as the assistant director of finance. Then, in 2008, he was promoted to director of finance, which he held for nine years. Prior to his time at Angus, he worked as an audit associate with Clifton Gunderson, now Clifton Larson Allen.
“I am excited to serve the great Angus membership and look forward to the challenge and opportunity,” Miller said. “It is my goal to continue to service the financial matters of this great Association with the same drive, determination, diligence and professionalism that this membership has experienced and deserves. I am truly honored.”
Continue reading this Angus news release online.
NCBA on GIPSA Rule Withdrawal:
“Victory for Cattle Producers and Consumers”
In response to USDA’s decision to withdraw its controversial Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration (GIPSA) interim final rule, Colin Woodall, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s senior vice president of government affairs, responded:
“This is a victory for America’s cattle and beef producers — and it’s a victory for America’s consumers. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue deserves a great deal of thanks and credit for this smart decision. The proposed rule would have crippled cattle producers’ ability to market their products through the value-added programs that help make American-produced beef the most delicious and nutritious in the world. This is a decision worthy of celebrating this evening with a top-quality steak.”
Grassley and Tester Defend Farmers and Ranchers
In a joint letter sent Oct. 18 to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Jon Tester (D-MT) told the secretary they “vehemently disagree” with his decision to abandon the GIPSA rules that were being promulgated by the USDA to implement the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 (Act).
The letter also pointed out that “Congress intentionally instructed the Secretary of Agriculture to promulgate new rules . . .” for which to implement the Act.
“This suggests the Secretary is ignoring his statutory mandate by abandoning these important rules,” said Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) CEO Bill Bullard.
Bullard continued, “We applaud Senators Grassley and Tester for standing up for America’s farmers and ranchers in the wake of Secretary Perdue’s action of catering to the multinational meatpackers and their entrenched corporate trade associations.”
Bullard said the secretary has contradicted the findings of his own agency and is now attempting to deceive the public regarding his reasoning for abandoning the rules.
An email from his agency this morning rationalized that the rules were abandoned because, “As many public comments noted, the purpose of the Act is to protect competition, not individual competitors.”
Read the full R-CALF news release online.
Farm Bureau Supports GIPSA Rule Do-Over
On the GIPSA ruling, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall, said:
“The Agriculture Department has withdrawn the livestock portion of the GIPSA rule and will continue to work on poultry fair practice issues in a future rulemaking. This is good news for farmers and ranchers.
“We thank Secretary Perdue for his diligent efforts on these rules. The livestock Scope rule would have disrupted key marketing arrangements in our livestock sectors.
“As to the Unfair and Undue Preferences rule, we encourage the agency to continue to work toward solutions that protect our farmers and ranchers from unjust practices and strengthen GIPSA’s ability to enforce these issues. In particular, we urge the department to continue working to achieve more fairness for growers. The USDA can and should stop predatory practices that continue in the chicken industry.
“We look forward to working with the administration on specific measures that will ensure our growers operate in competitive markets — markets that do not include unfair, deceptive or discriminatory practices.”
USCA Responds to GIPSA Rule Announcement
The United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) also responded to the Oct. 17 announcement that the USDA will withdraw the GIPSA Interim Final Rule regarding the Scope of Sections 202 (a) and (b) of the Packers and Stockyards Act. USCA President Kenny Graner said:
“USCA is disappointed in today’s announcement. The proposed and interim rules sought to maintain competition in the marketplace; withdrawing the rule is a win for multinational packers and fails to put U.S. cattle producers first.
“USCA has been committed to seeing through necessary clarifications to the Packers and Stockyards Act and a withdrawal of the rule does not solve the problems in today’s marketplace. Anti-competitive buying practices and the lack of true price discovery remain critical issues to our industry and ones that must be addressed.
“The issues remain the same, regardless of today’s announcement, and USCA will look to work with industry, Congress, and the Administration on addressing the loopholes still remaining by the result of withdrawing the rule.”
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