Michael Regan, President-elect Joe Biden’s designate for Environmental Protection Agency administrator, on Tuesday, Jan. 5, hosted a virtual roundtable with more than 16 leaders of major farm organizations who are members of the Ag CEO Council and their staffs, the Biden transition office announced.

Regan was joined by the incoming senior adviser to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, Cedric Richmond.

In the announcement, the transition office said, “During the meeting, Administrator-designate Regan reiterated President-elect Joe Biden’s commitment to working with agricultural leaders to promote healthy and secure food supplies, clean air and clean water.

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“They also discussed how the incoming Biden-Harris administration will work closely with agricultural producers to find practical, common-sense solutions to environmental challenges, to create jobs and expand economic opportunities in rural communities through the Build Back Better plan, and to harness the ingenuity of farmers and ranchers to promote clean energy and tackle climate change.

“Administrator-designate Regan described his own experiences growing up in eastern North Carolina, and his understanding of the importance of both protecting environmental quality and supporting the economic health of rural communities. The administrator-designate shared that his grandfather was a small farmer in Bladen County, North Carolina, where he planted corn, tobacco, peanuts, and soybeans and also raised pork and poultry.”

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The transition team said the following ag leaders attended the virtual meeting:

▪ Vincent “Zippy” Duvall, president, American Farm Bureau Federation and co-chair of the Ag CEO Council

▪ Daren Coppock, president and CEO, Ag Retailers Association

▪ Andrew Lavigne, president and CEO, American Seed Trade Association

▪ Steve Censky, CEO, American Soybean Growers Association

▪ Luther Markwart, executive vice president, American Sugarbeet Growers Association

▪ Eric Lutt, senior director, Biotechnology Innovation Organization

▪ Chris Novak, president and CEO, CropLife America and chair of the Ag CEO Council

▪ Corey Rosenbusch, president and CEO, The Fertilizer Institute

▪ Chandler Goule, CEO, National Association of Wheat Growers and co-chair of the council

▪ Colin Woodall, CEO, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

▪ Jon Doggett, CEO, National Corn Growers Association

▪ Neil Dierks, CEO, National Pork Producers Council

▪ Tim Lust, CEO, National Sorghum Producers

▪ Tom Stenzel, president and CEO, United Fresh Produce Association

▪ Betsy Ward, president and CEO, USA Rice Federation

▪ Barb Glenn, CEO, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture

Rob Larew, president of the National Farmers Union, who is also a member of the Ag CEO Council, told The Hagstrom Report Tuesday evening that he had met with Regan earlier and was not a part of the meeting earlier in the day because he had a conflict. NFU members are Democratic-leaning.