(NAFB) – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai will meet with the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee Friday.

The committee, managed by the Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, offers advice on U.S. trade policy. Topics include current and new trade deals, trade agreement implementation and concerns within the agreements. The committee consists of six technical advisory boards, including animals, fruits and vegetables, grains, processed foods, sweeteners and a final group focused on tobacco, cotton and peanuts.

Committee members represent U.S. food and agriculture groups and major agribusinesses, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Corn Growers Association and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, along with Corteva, ADM, and others. The advisory committee system was created by the U.S. Congress in 1974 to ensure that U.S. trade policy and trade negotiating objectives adequately reflect U.S. public- and private-sector interests.

USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service provides administrative and other necessary support for the Committee.