Gregg Doud, the head of the Commodity Markets Council for the past four years, is President Trump’s choice to become chief agricultural negotiator in the U.S. trade representative’s office, announced the White House. Doud was on the staff of the Senate Agriculture Committee from 2011 to 2013 and was chief economist for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association from 2003 to 2011.
If confirmed by the Senate, he would focus on farm and food issues in Trump’s new era of bilateral trade agreements and in the upcoming renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. While working on the Agriculture Committee, Doud specialized in livestock, international trade, food aid, and regulation of the futures market. He is the son of a Kansas farm family.
The Commodity Markets Council describes itself as “the leading trade association for commodity futures exchanges and their industry counterparts in addressing global market and risk management issues.” The trade group works on the global competitiveness of U.S. futures, swaps, and options markets.