Brad Mitchell Joins MFBF Staff

   MFBF President Alex Dowse announced in August that Brad Mitchell has been hired as Director of Governmental Relations, and will begin work in mid-September.  Mitchell is a Littleton resident with a long involvement in Massachusetts agriculture.  He is presently Director of Public Affairs at Monsanto Company in St. Louis, Missouri.  Prior to that, he served from 2000 to 2008 as Director of BioSecurity and Regulatory Services at the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.

   Brad graduated from the Boston University School of Public Health with a Masters in Public Health (concentrating in environmental health) and holds at Bachelors degree from Emerson College.  He currently serves on the Board of the Animal Agriculture Alliance, and previously was a member of EPA’s Inert Disclosure Workgroup Committee.  He was a founder of the Massachusetts IPM Council, member of the NRCS State Technical Committee and MA Commission for Soil, Water & Related Resources.  He was also a board member for Massachusetts Independent Certification, Inc., the organic certification organization.  He received the 2006 Environmental Leadership Award from the Massachusetts Nursery & Landscape Association.

   Brad brings to Farm Bureau a thorough knowledge of state government, and the technical knowledge of many facets of agriculture.  While at MDAR, Mitchell was the point person for public interaction on a variety of issues.  While working as a regulator, Brad was always considering the impact of agency actions upon Massachusetts farmers.  He has been and will continue to be a strong advocate as part of the Farm Bureau team.

   Many members will have the opportunity to meet Brad Mitchell at several County Farm Bureau Annual Meetings coming up in September and October.  He can be reached at the Ashland office or by email at Brad@mfbf.net. Please welcome Brad Mitchell to the Massachusetts Farm Bureau extended family!