Ag News: Trevino Ag Negotiator at USTR and Land Sales Near Record

**President Biden has nominated Elaine Trevino for chief agricultural trade negotiator at the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office.

Trevino is President of the Almond Alliance of California and former Deputy Secretary at the California Department of Agriculture.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall welcomes the nomination, saying Trevino brings opportunities to create new trade agreements with the European Union and Great Britain, as well as expanding the China Phase 1 agreement.

**The pace of land sales picked up this year for Farmers National Company that reports it’s on track for a near-record or record sales year on several fronts.

The higher land prices have spurred an increased number of landowners to sell, with some wanting to complete the sale before year-end due to uncertainty about potential tax law changes.

The question becomes whether the increased sale activity will continue into 2022.

**A contingent of farmers and farm employees gathered at the California state Capitol last week to urge Governor Gavin Newsom to veto legislation that would allow a union-organizing system known as “card check.”

Assembly Bill 616, now on the governor’s desk, would allow alternatives to secret-ballot elections for forming unions.

The California Farm Bureau urges preserving the secret ballot. It says allowing organizers to instead collect signatures from employees may lead to coercion and intimidation.