IDFA is announcing Ambassador Darci Vetter, former chief agricultural negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), as its keynote speaker for the upcoming International Sweetener Colloquium. Ambassador Vetter will draw from her many years of experience in agricultural trade negotiations to focus on the opportunities and challenges a new trade agenda may bring to the sweetener industry and U.S. agriculture.

The International Sweetener Colloquium, co-hosted by IDFA and the Sweetener Users Association, will be held Feb. 26-March 1 at the Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, Calif. The event will offer in-depth analyses of international, U.S. and Mexican sweetener markets, as well as discussions on the trends, issues and opportunities facing the industry today.

“No government official has been more involved and more central to critical negotiations and issues facing U.S. agriculture exports,” said Clay Hough, IDFA senior vice president and general counsel. “Ambassador Vetter is a consummate professional, and we look forward to hearing her thoughts on the current trade agenda and its intersection with some of the major issues facing the U.S. sweetener sector today.”

Ambassador Darci Vetter

Darci Vetter served as chief agricultural negotiator with the rank of ambassador at USTR from 2014 until January of this year. She was responsible for bilateral and multilateral negotiations and trade policy coordination regarding agricultural trade, including negotiating the Trans Pacific Partnership agricultural package.

Before returning to USTR, Ambassador Vetter served as deputy undersecretary for the Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services at U.S. Department of Agriculture, where she oversaw the department's international activities. She had key responsibilities in international trade negotiations and export assistance programs and coordinated USDA's role in international food aid and trade capacity-building activities.

Ambassador Vetter also served as an international trade advisor on the Democratic staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, where she covered trade issues relating to agriculture, the environment and labor, including the 2008 Farm Bill. She began her career at USTR, where she worked on both agricultural and environmental issues.

For a full list of sessions and speakers, visit the ISC microsite. Registration is available here.

For more information contact Maria Velasco, IDFA meetings coordinator and registrar, at mvelasco@idfa.org.