Eleanor Rollings Chosen to Fill New Public Policy Staff Post at National Grain and Feed Association (11/20/09)

For Release
IMMEDIATE (Nov. 20, 2009)


WASHINGTON -- The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) today announced the selection of Eleanor E. Rollings to fill the newly created position of manager of public policy relations.

The position was established to provide additional staff support to address the NGFA's expanding legislative and public policy agenda, and to further enhance the association's effectiveness in mobilizing member companies to weigh in with legislators and policymakers on issues directly affecting their businesses.  Rollings will work most directly with NGFA Director of Legislative Affairs Chris Holdgreve and Vice President for Communications and Government Relations Randy Gordon.  Established in 1896, the NGFA consists of more than 1,000 grain, feed and feed ingredient, grain processing, milling, export, biofuels and other grain-related companies that operate about 6,000 facilities that handle more than 70 percent of all U.S. grains and oilseeds.

"The NGFA has never been more active on a more diverse array of legislative and public policy issues important to the grain, feed and processing industry," said NGFA President Kendell W. Keith.  "The NGFA is immersed in legislative initiatives on climate change, food/feed safety, transportation, oversight of futures and financial markets, and international trade -- all of which are of critical bottom-line importance to our members.  We're very fortunate to find someone with Eleanor's outstanding skill set and experience to assist us in proactively meeting these challenges."

Rollings comes to the NGFA from the Washington-based consulting firm of Strategic Conservation Solutions LLC, headed by former U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment Bruce Knight.

During the administration of former President George W. Bush, Rollings worked on a variety of public policy issues, including climate change, renewable energy, the 2008 farm bill and agricultural homeland security issues, as well as an adviser on agricultural research and outreach.  She served as a special assistant at USDA from 2007-09 for the undersecretary and deputy undersecretary for research, education and economics, as well as to the director of external and public affairs at the Farm Service Agency.  Prior to working at USDA, she was a confidential assistant to the general counsel at the U.S. Department of Education.

A native of San Diego, Calif., Rollings also served as director for the Center of Human Resources at the American Strategic Management Institute, where she researched Fortune 500 companies, and coordinated and conducted human resource conferences.  She also was an intern with the Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign in Missouri.  She is a graduate of San Diego State University, with a degree in political science.

The NGFA in September announced it was reducing member companies' dues by 10 percent across the board for the second consecutive year, citing strong finances as a result of strong membership growth, cost controls and wise investments of funds.  The NGFA's membership is at its greatest level in more than a decade.  During the 2008/09 membership-recruitment year that culminated at the NGFA's March 2009 convention, 147 new member companies joined the NGFA -- the most since 1987-88.

The NGFA's membership encompasses all sectors of the industry, including country, terminal and export grain elevators; feed and feed ingredient manufacturers; cash grain and feed merchants; end users of grain and grain products, including oilseed processors, corn refiners, flour millers, and livestock and poultry integrators; biofuel manufacturers; commodity futures brokers and commission merchants; and allied industries.  Canadian and Mexican firms also are NGFA members, and use its Trade Rules and Arbitration System by specific reference in their contracts.

The NGFA also consists of 35 affiliated state and regional grain and feed associations, as well as two international affiliated associations.  It has strategic alliances with the Pet Food Institute, and is co-located and has a joint operating and services agreement with the North American Export Grain Association.