The U.S. Senate’s confirmation today of Doug McKalip as chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the United States Trade Representative and yesterday’s confirmation of Alexis Taylor as undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs drew praise from Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, the third largest dairy co-op in the country.

Brody Stapel, president of the cooperative, made the following statement:

“It is essential for the United States to open more doors around the world for exporting the food our dairy farmers and processors produce. As demand continues to grow for dairy products, we see opportunities in markets across the Indo-Pacific region and elsewhere that can be further developed. Equally important is that all trade agreements are fundamentally fair.

Having knowledgeable, skilled and dedicated individuals like Mr. McKalip and Ms. Taylor leading the charge on U.S. agricultural trade will serve our dairy community and our country well. We thank the senators for recognizing the abilities of both individuals, and we congratulate Mr. McKalip and Ms. Taylor on their appointments and look forward to supporting them in their respective roles.”

McKalip background:

Since March 2021, McKalip had served as senior adviser to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on trade, national security, animal and plant health regulations, and domestic and international issues. McKalip formerly served in a leadership capacity in the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Biotechnology Regulatory Services. He also served a previous stint as senior adviser to the secretary of agriculture and acting chief of staff at USDA. He was a senior adviser for agriculture and rural affairs at the White House Domestic Policy Council during the Obama administration. (Source: Office of the United States Trade Representative)

Taylor background:

Since December 2016, Taylor had served as director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture where she promoted and regulated the agriculture and food sectors. Previously she had served at the United States Department of Agriculture as the deputy undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services. She grew up on her family farm in Iowa and is a graduate of Iowa State University. (Source: Oregon Department of Agriculture)