The longtime face of the Farm Bureau on Capitol Hill, Mary Kay Thatcher, will retire at the end of the month after 31 years with the largest U.S. farm group, said Agri-Pulse. Thatcher is “widely recognized as one of the most knowledgeable farm policy experts in the United States,” said the news site.
“In addition, she’s taken a leadership role in addressing ‘Big Data’ issues to ensure that farmers can control valuable information that’s often generated and collected by third-party providers,” said Agri-Pulse. Thatcher joined the American Farm Bureau Federation in the late 1980s and currently is its senior director of congressional relations.
Before joining the Farm Bureau, Thatcher, who grew up on an Iowa farm, handled agriculture and trade issues for Iowa Sen. Roger Jepsen and worked at the Farm Credit Administration. In addition to working at the Farm Bureau, she manages a grain and cattle farm in Iowa.