Muhammad Will Serve on the Advisory Committee Through December 2028
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Andrew Muhammad, agricultural trade expert and Blasingame Chair of Excellence in Agricultural Policy at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA), has been reappointed to the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee, where he will provide advice to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary and the U.S. Trade Representative on international agricultural trade issues.
The committee consists of senior representatives from the U.S. agricultural community who provide guidance to USDA and USTR on trade policy matters. Their responsibilities include overseeing the enforcement of existing trade agreements as well as negotiating objectives for new trade agreements. Muhammad previously served on the committee from June 2019 to June 2023.
International trade agreement tensions and negotiations demonstrate the intrinsic value of agricultural trade think tanks and strategic navigation. Muhammad has conducted extensive economic analyses regarding tariffs and international trade agreements and served as a trusted agricultural trade expert to various media outlets such as Forbes and Bloomberg.
“Serving on the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee is an excellent opportunity that will benefit UTIA as well as agricultural, food and forestry interests in Tennessee,” said Muhammad. “The Committee plays an important role in developing trade policy and I look forward to working with industry leaders and policy makers in helping to shape the future of U.S. food and agriculture in the global arena.”
Muhammad is the only committee member who is also serving as a member of the faculty at a land-grant university.
The advisory committee system was established by Congress in 1974 to ensure that U.S. agricultural trade policy objectives reflect U.S. public- and private-sector commercial and economic interests. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative manage the committees.
Muhammad will serve on the advisory committee through December 2028.
Joining the faculty of UTIA’s Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics in 2018, Muhammad assists the state and nation’s agricultural decision makers in the evaluation of policies and programs dealing with agricultural commodities, food and international trade, as well as advocating for state and regional agricultural opportunities. His current research focuses on agricultural trade and trade policy, effects of trade on developing countries, and global food demand.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.