(NAFB) – The U.S. Meat Export Federation announced Mark Swanson as the new USMEF chairman, succeeding Pat Binger of Cargill Protein North America.

Swanson, chief executive officer of Colorado-based Birko Corporation, heads an officer team reflecting the wide range of USMEF membership sectors. Dean Meyer, a corn, soybean and livestock producer from Iowa, is the new USMEF chair-elect, and Minnesota pork producer Randy Spronk will serve as vice-chair. The newest USMEF officer is Steve Hanson, a rancher from Nebraska.

The officers were announced at the conclusion of the USMEF Strategic Planning Conference and board of directors meeting late last week. Since joining USMEF in 2008, Swanson said Birko has benefited significantly from the federation’s expertise and from the contributions exports make to the growth and profitability of the U.S. red meat industry.

Swanson says USMEF staff and technical knowledge is “what propels us to outpace the competition, because we’re simply better at understanding the markets.”