The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action (USFRA) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Kevin Burkum, a senior leader in food and agriculture, has been selected as chief executive officer of USFRA. Burkum will assume the role on Monday, October 9.

USFRA board members unanimously selected Burkum to lead the organization as it charts a new path to collaboratively address critical issues facing U.S. agriculture and global food and renewable energy systems.

“With Kevin’s leadership, the board and I are very excited about the future of USFRA,” said USFRA Chair Marilyn Hershey. “America’s farmers and ranchers are helping solve some of the world’s biggest challenges and I believe Kevin is just the person to help galvanize U.S. agriculture toward further achieving this vision.”

Burkum, who grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm, has worked in food and agriculture for most of his life. He has held leadership positions at organizations throughout the food supply chain, from farm to fork.

Most recently, he served as chief communications officer for Global Dairy Platform, an international organization comprised of dairy companies and associations that operate in 150 countries and produce nearly 33% of the world’s milk. Burkum helped bring awareness to dairy’s role as an environmental solution and was part of the leadership team that developed the Pathways to Dairy Net Zero climate initiative. The first of its kind in agriculture in terms of its size and scope, the global effort is helping accelerate climate action and is supported by more than 200 governments and organizations, including the top 10 largest dairy companies in the world.

“The issues facing U.S. agriculture continue to grow, which is why it’s critical to have a strong, vibrant USFRA advocating on its behalf,” said Burkum. “By listening to and working closely with the entire value chain, especially farmer and rancher groups, we can ensure farmers and ranchers have a voice in shaping the future of food and renewable energy.”