Central Washington’s Crowder Named to EPA Committee

Michael Crowder, President-elect of the National Association of Conservation Districts has been appointed to the EPA’s Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Committee. Crowder, the General Manager of Barker Ranch in West Richland, was recommended by Representative Dan Newhouse.

“Decisions from EPA have significant impacts on the rural communities and agriculture industry of Central Washington,” said Representative Newhouse. “Michael Crowder has a unique and extensive understanding of how farmers, ranchers, and other conservationists in our district have been making strides for clean air and water, effective land use, and an overall healthier environment. I am proud he will be representing the voices of Central Washington, and I applaud Administrator Wheeler for reinvigorating this important Committee for rural areas across our country.”

"The EPA makes important decisions and regulations to protect our natural resources, and - as the original conservationists - farmers, ranchers, and rural communities deserve a seat at the table,” Crowder said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve on this Committee, and I look forward to working with Administrator Wheeler and the other Committee members to ensure that Washington's communities are well-represented."

The FRRCC was established in 2008, to provides independent policy advice, information, and recommendations to the EPA administrator on a range of environmental issues and policies that are of importance to agriculture and rural communities.

“One of my priorities for EPA has been to restore trust for our agency among agricultural stakeholders and rural communities,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “President Trump has been clear about the Administration’s commitment to agriculture and rural America, and as part of that commitment, I am excited to reinstate the Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Committee in 2020 with full membership. This committee will provide valuable input on how EPA’s decisions impact rural America, and I look forward to receiving the committee’s recommendations.”

The Committee expects to meet approximately twice a year beginning in late Summer of 2020. The new FRRCC members and their affiliations are:

Michael J. Aerts - Minor Crop Farmer Alliance and Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association; Maitland, FL
Barry Berg - East Dakota Water Development District; Brookings, SD
Emily M. Broad Leib - Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic; Cambridge, MA
Don Brown - Anchor Three Farm, Inc. (Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture 2015-2019); Yuma, CO
Jamie Burr - Tyson Foods, Inc.; Farmington, AR
Phillip H. Chavez - Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, Diamond A Farms, Mohawk Valley Farms, Catlin Canal Company, and Lower Arkansas Valley Super Ditch; Rocky Ford, CO
John R. H. Collison - BlackOak Farms and Oklahoma Rural Association; Edmond, OK
William (Bill) Couser - Couser Cattle Company; Nevada, IA
Michael Crowder - National Association of Conservation Districts, Barker Ranch, and Benton Conservation District; West Richland, WA
Matthew Freund - Freund's Farm and CowPots LLC; East Canaan, CT
Sharon Furches - Furches Farms Partnership and Kentucky Farm Bureau; Louisville, KY
Jeffrey Gore, Ph.D. - Mississippi State University - Delta Research and Extension Center; Stoneville, MS
David Graybill - Red Sunset Farm and Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Mifflintown, PA
Dennis Haugen – Dennis Haugen Farms, General Grain Cleaning Co., and North Dakota Grain Growers Association; Hannaford, ND
Alex P. Johns - Seminole Tribe of Florida Inc.; Okeechobee, FL
Jimmy W. Kinder - Kinder Farms and Oklahoma Farm Bureau; Walters, OK
Jeanette L. Lombardo - California Food and Agribusiness Advocates; Ventura, CA
Lauren C. Lurkins (Incoming Committee Vice Chair) – Illinois Farm Bureau; Bloomington, IL
Gary Mahany – Gary Mahany Farms; Arkport, NY
Nicholas McCarthy - Central Valley Ag Cooperative; York, NE
Jesse McCurry - Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission and Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association; Colwich, KS
William Thomas (Tom) McDonald (Incoming Committee Chair) - Five Rivers Cattle Feeding, LLC; Dalhart, TX
Jay Ivan Olsen - Utah Department of Agriculture and Food; Salt Lake City, UT
Christopher L. Pettit - Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services - Office of Agricultural Water Policy; Tallahassee, FL
William R. Pracht – Pracht Farms and East Kansas Agri-Energy; Garnett, KS
Graciela I. Ramírez-Toro, Ph.D. - Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Center for Environmental Education, Conservation and Research (CECIA); San Germán, PR
Charles R. Santerre, Ph.D. - Purdue University - Department of Nutrition Science; West Lafayette, IN
Beth C. Sauerhaft, Ph.D. - American Farmland Trust; Chappaqua, NY
Stacy Wayne Smith – S & A Smith Farms; New Home, TX
Davie Shane Stephens – DJ Stephens Farm and American Soybean Association; Wingo, KY
Secretary Jeff M. Witte - New Mexico Department of Agriculture; Las Cruces, NM
Amy Wolfe – AgSafe; Escalon, CA
James E. Zook - Michigan Corn Growers Association and Corn Marketing Program of Michigan; Lansing, MI