In late November, the National Renderers Association named J.J. Smith, president of Valley Proteins, Inc., as the group’s second vice chairman. The position was left vacant after the election of Michael Koewler to chairman and Kevin Golding to first vice chairman following the untimely death of newly elected chairman Michael Reiser on November 10, 2007 (see “NRA Officers Elected” December 2007 Render).
The officers will hold their positions until October 2009.
Customs Agency Creates Position to Protect U.S. Agriculture
To improve oversight of agricultural imports, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has established the new position of deputy executive director, Agriculture Operational Oversight. Kevin Harriger, who has 26 years experience in protecting American agriculture with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and with CBP, has been appointed to the position.
Harriger is charged with ensuring a more consistent application of agriculture inspection policy across all U.S. ports of entry. He will be the primary point of contact for Joint Agency Task Force coordination issues for the Department of Homeland Security, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and stakeholders. His other responsibilities include:
• conduct outreach to federal and state officials on agriculture border inspection issues;
• oversee the joint CBP/APHIS Agriculture Quality Assurance program;
• monitor agricultural performance measures for risk and efficiency;
• ensure compliance with all agricultural program directives and policies; and
• ensure agriculture specialists have the equipment and resources they need to perform the agriculture inspection function.
Prior to assuming his new duties, Harriger was the director of Policy and Planning for CBP’s agriculture programs. He also served as a special assistant to the executive director of Agriculture Programs and Trade Liaison Office, implementing and coordinating agriculture related projects and training.
Harriger transferred from APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine to CBP at the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. He started his career with APHIS in 1981.
Cattlemen’s Association President-elect Resigns
Paul Hitch, a cattle producer from Guymon, OK, has resigned his position as president-elect of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) due to cancer.
“Paul gave a great deal of consideration to this decision and felt it was in the best interest of his family and the industry that he vacate the position and dedicate himself to his treatments,” said John Queen, president of NCBA. “Paul’s leadership in the industry and in NCBA is undeniable. We thank Paul for his service, and our prayers are with him and his family.”
According to NCBA bylaws, the association’s vice president, Andy Groseta, a cattle producer from Cottonwood, AZ, automatically moves into the president-elect position. Groseta will then succeed Queen as NCBA president after the group’s annual meeting in February. The vice president position will remain vacant until the nominating committee presents a full slate of officers for consideration at the annual meeting.
Liquid Terminal Group Changes Name
In October, the Independent Liquid Terminal Association’s (ILTA’s) Board of Directors voted to change “Independent” to “International” in the association’s name. The change resolved the problem of the ambiguity of the term “independent.” ILTA’s membership includes major oil and chemical companies, including several that are vertically integrated. The name change more accurately describes the members of ILTA. The association represents entities that operate aboveground storage tanks, regardless of the corporate ownership structure.
In addition, the name change will help ILTA capitalize on the rapid growth of the bulk liquid terminal industry in various regions of the world. ILTA’s membership includes 11 international terminal members and numerous supplier members headquartered outside the United States. Also, many U.S.-based terminal companies in ILTA’s membership operate internationally.
FDA Leadership Changes
In early January, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made two major changes to its senior leadership team.
Stephen F. Sundlof, DVM, PhD, moved from director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) to director of FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Bernadette Dunham, DVM, PhD, who was deputy director of CVM, assumed directorship of CVM.
For over a decade, Sundlof has served as the director of CVM. In that capacity, with his background as a toxicologist, he has overseen the regulation of feed, including food additives, and drugs intended for animals. Sundlof was instrumental in putting in place animal feed programs to prevent bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) from entering the U.S. feed system. According to FDA, there have been no cases of BSE in the United States resulting from a failure of the feed system.
Prior to joining FDA, Sundlof served on the faculty of the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, where he held the position of professor of toxicology. Since 1994, he has served as chairman of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods.
Dunham has worked closely with Sundlof in her role as deputy director of CVM since 2006. She has played a critical role, and provided executive leadership, in coordinating and establishing center policy in research, management, scientific evaluation, compliance, and surveillance. Before joining FDA in 2002, Dunham served in leadership positions with the American Veterinary Medical Association and held faculty positions at several universities, including at the Department of Pharmacology at the State University of New York Health Science Center (SUNY-HSC) at Syracuse, while concurrently acting as the director of laboratory animal medicine at SUNY-HSC.
Kemin and Tyson to Make Pet Food Enhancer
Kemin Industries, Inc., and Tyson Foods, Inc., have formed a strategic alliance to develop, manufacture, market, and sell liquid and dry flavor enhancers known as palatants to the North American pet food market.
Both companies will be involved in the research and development of the palatants. Tyson will manufacture the products from raw materials supplied by the company’s chicken, beef, and pork plants. The Kemin Palasurance technisales team will market the products under the company’s Palasurance and Topnotes brands to major pet food companies.
Maple Leaf to Keep Rendering Operations
Christmas came early for Canadian renderer Rothsay. On December 21, 2007, Maple Leaf Foods, Inc., of which Rothsay is a member, announced that following the completion of a review of its rendering operations in the company’s new protein business model, it will retain Rothsay in its entirety.
In October 2006, Maple Leaf announced a change in its strategy to focus on growth in its value added meat, meals, and bakery business. At that time, management indicated that the role of its rendering operations was under review. Management has since concluded that the business is an “integral part of managing the disposition of by-products from its remaining primary processing operations.”
Pilgrim’s Pride Mourns Death of President
O.B. Goolsby Jr., president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, passed away on December 17, 2007, after suffering a massive stroke just two days earlier while on a hunting trip with customers in south Texas. Goolsby was 60 years old.
“Our company has lost a gracious, talented leader who served as an inspiration to everyone around him, and we are deeply saddened by his death,” said Lonnie “Bo” Pilgrim, senior chairman and co-founder of Pilgrim’s Pride.
Goolsby served as president and CEO since September 2004. Prior to that, he was president and chief operating officer for two years. Goolsby served as Pilgrim’s Pride’s executive vice president, prepared foods complexes, from 1998 to 2002, and previously served for six years as senior vice president, prepared foods operations, and for five years as vice president, prepared foods complexes. He joined the company in 1969 at its distribution center in Mt. Pleasant, TX, and one year later moved into plant sales.
Goolsby is survived by his wife, Barbara, his three children, and 11 grandchildren.
Following Goolsby’s death, the Pilgrim’s Pride Board of Directors selected Chairman Lonnie Ken Pilgrim to fill the post of interim president while it forms a search committee to find a new permanent CEO.
February 2008 Render