Syngenta announced this week that former American Farm Bureau Federation lobbyist Mary Kay 
Thatcher will join its government relations team.
Thatcher will join Syngenta in mid-February as senior lead of Federal Government Relations, based in Washington, D.C., according to a Syngenta news release. In the role, the company says Thatcher will support the company’s strategic federal government relations activities including outreach and advocacy.
Syngenta calls her “one of the foremost experts on farm policy in the United States,” and Thatcher called Syngenta “a strong competitor with great people, a focused strategy, and superior products and services.”
Thatcher retired from AFBF earlier this month, following a 31-year tenure at the farm organization. Thatcher is a fifth generation Iowa farmer active in corn, soybean and livestock production.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.
from Syngenta-U.S.:
Mary Kay Thatcher to join Syngenta Federal Government Relations
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Farm policy expert joins Syngenta after 31-year tenure with American Farm Bureau Federation
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Thatcher is a fifth generation Iowa farmer active in corn, soybean and livestock production
Mary Kay Thatcher will join Syngenta in mid-February 2018 as senior lead of Federal Government Relations, based in Washington, D.C. In this role, Thatcher will support the company’s strategic federal government relations activities including outreach and advocacy.
“Mary Kay’s experience in delivering policy results to America’s producers and consumers demonstrates her unmatched capacity for successful coalition building, strategic insight and political savvy,” said Laura Peterson, head of Federal Government Relations, Syngenta. “She will contribute to our sustainable agriculture policy expertise. As one of the foremost experts on farm policy in the United States, with an exceptional background in legislative and administrative issues – from digital technology to the Farm Bill – Mary Kay will help us better serve farmers across the country.”
Thatcher, a 31-year veteran of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), said of her appointment, “I have spent my career advocating in the association and government worlds. I am excited to work in an industry capacity at Syngenta, a strong competitor with great people, a focused strategy, and superior products and services. I admire the guiding principles of The Good Growth Plan – it is truly a model approach for agriculture.”
In her role at AFBF, Thatcher primarily lobbied for farm programs, crop insurance, conservation and credit issues. She is widely recognized as one of the most knowledgeable farm policy experts in the U.S.
Prior to joining AFBF in 1982, Thatcher served as a legislative assistant for agriculture and trade to Sen. Roger Jepsen of Iowa. Also, she served in President George H. W. Bush’s Administration as director of Congressional and Public Affairs for the Farm Credit Administration.
Thatcher is a graduate of Iowa State University where she earned degrees in animal science and agricultural economics. As a fifth generation Iowa farmer, Thatcher has owned and operated her farm in Iowa for the past 23 years, producing corn, soybeans and livestock.