MCGA grower-leader appointed to USDA advisory panel
A Minnesota Corn grower-leader has been appointed to a USDA advisory board that helps guide federal agricultural research, education, extension and economics programming.
Dana Allen-Tully, treasurer of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) board of directors, has been appointed to USDA’s National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board.
The 15-member Advisory Board evaluates and provides advice on research goals and programs run by the four agencies under the purview of USDA’s Undersecretary for Research, Education and Economics (REE). Those are: the Agricultural Research Service; the Economic Research Service; the National Agricultural Statistical Service; and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
The board also consults with industry groups and advises land-grant colleges and universities and the appropriate congressional ag committees.
An MCGA board member since 2019, Allen-Tully, who has a doctorate in ruminant nutrition, is a co-owner of her family’s dairy and crop farm in Eyota, which is south of Rochester. She was nominated for the Advisory Board by Robyn Allscheid, director of research and productivity for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA). Allscheid is a staff member for NCGA’s Sustainable Ag Research Action Team, of which Allen-Tully is a member.
Allen-Tully said she was excited to be considered for the Advisory Board, which, by law, is required have three members representing national farm or producer organizations. She is the first Minnesotan and first NCGA-endorsed member of the board, which was established in 1996.
“I think that helping to implement USDA’s research priorities for ag and having a producer perspective on the board is critical to all of us who farm every day,” she said.
A priority of the Biden administration’s USDA, when it comes to research, has been climate-smart agriculture, Allen-Tully said. As a farmer, she said that a focus of her tenure on the board could be providing guidance on the practicality of implementing certain conservation practices.
Kate Lewis, the Advisory Board’s Executive Director, said she’s excited to have Allen-Tully’s voice on the Board, as a Midwestern, female dairy and crop farmer. She noted that one of USDA’s priorities is to increase equity and inclusion and said USDA aimed to assemble a diverse group of agricultural stakeholders for the Advisory Board.
She thanked NCGA for nominating Allen-Tully and said there are other opportunities for farmers to serve on USDA advisory boards and committees, if they are interested.
In a statement, Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack said the NAREEE Advisory Board will “play a pivotal role in shaping science priorities needed to address tough challenges that our nation’s farmers, ranchers and consumers face.”
To learn more about the board, visit nareeeab.ree.usda.gov.
Minnesota Corn congratulates Dana on her appointment to the board and looks forward to seeing all she accomplishes in the role.
