We received an email from a reader in Southern Minnesota sharing the business card of one of U.S. Representative Jim Hagedorn's legislative assistants. Apparently, some of the reader's acquaintances had met with Turner Bridgforth about Minnesota agriculture.
While the mutual friend shared little information about the meeting, they did share the staffer's business card (above, phone number redacted) and their friends' surprise that a person from Mississippi was in the office working on ag issues. One size doesn't fit all for American agriculture, as farmers are eager to tell us.
We looked into Mr. Bridgforth's background and found that although he worked as an intern for the Republican National Committee, then on the Trump transition team when he first arrived in the nation's capitol in May 2016, he's been working on Agriculture since January 20, 2017, according to the Trump Town database assembled by ProPublica:
Agriculture (joined: Jan. 20, 2017)
Deputy White House Liaison | Deputy Director for Intergovernmental Affairs | Rural Utilities Service, Confidential Assistant | $81,548 | Financial Disclosure » | Resume »
According to a November 27, 2019 Agri-pulse news round up, Farm Hands on the Potomac: Trump nominates Fulton to DOT post, Mr. Bridgforth had just left the USDA to join Hagedorn's staff:
Turner Bridgforth left USDA where he served as a policy adviser and special assistant to Undersecretary Greg Ibach. He now works on Capitol Hill as a legislative assistant to Rep. Jim Hagedorn, R-Minn., covering the animal welfare portfolio.
We're surprised that Congressman Hagedorn has a staffer devoted to that narrow a focus, but we are simply a poor country blogger with limited insights to the center of power in the free world.
What landed the 2016 Mississippi State University this job?
Here's Mr. Bridgforth's somewhat dated resume, obtained via ProPublica. His degree from Mississippi State University is in Political Science, with minors in Economic and Marketing, and his work experience. Do scroll down to get a fuller picture of his work history.
Henry Turner Bridgforth Resume uploaded by Sally Jo Sorensen on Scribd:
Between starting at the USDA and going to work for Representative Hagedorn, Bridgforth must have worked awfully hard to pick up an understanding of agriculture--perhaps even animal welfare issues. We found this Facebook post on the Agricultural Retailers Association, for example:
According to New USA Rice Trade Policy VP is a Familiar Face, Bachmann left the USDA in October:
Peter Bachmann has rejoined USA Rice as vice president of international trade policy directing all of USA Rice’s trade policy initiatives and programs.
Peter most recently served as senior advisor to Secretary Sonny Perdue at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), focusing on farm production, conservation, and trade issues. Prior to joining USDA in April 2017, he worked at USA Rice, primarily on domestic farm policy, and prior to that, for the National Association of Conservation Districts.Peter earned his bachelor’s degree in dairy science at Virginia Tech, and grew up in the agriculture industry and exhibited livestock through the 4-H program in his home state of Maryland.
Perhaps Bridgforth can look forward to as fruitful a career in ag policy as his former colleague at the USDA, even without an ag education. We simply don't know what his upbringing was, nor why no one with a background in upper Midwestern agriculture was available for the job.
As we noted earlier, we are but a poor country blogger here at Bluestem Prairie.
Photo: Mr. Bridgforth's business card.
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