Burton Eller

J. Burton Eller is a strategic counselor to the agricultural community, where he has represented private, corporate and trade association groups in their legislative and regulatory initiatives and advocacy efforts. He has a career-long involvement in the development of grassroots advocacy.

Taking a long view of US agricultural policy, Mr. Eller has a deep passion for protecting the grassroots landowner and producer. From his personal history as an owner of a family farm to his tenure serving as the Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mr. Eller has been a staunch champion of the agricultural community’s right to operate in a free market climate. He believes that when private business entrepreneurs are allowed to thrive in a deregulated environment, they will be outstanding examples in their stewardship of natural resources such as land, water, air and the proper care of animals.

Known among his colleagues as a coalition and consensus builder, Mr. Eller is expert at coalescing disparate factions in the food, agriculture and natural resource sectors around legislative and regulatory issues of mutual benefit. He manages issues and crises by developing options, strategies and solutions for offensive and defensive campaigns. He frames legislative and regulatory positions that maximize opportunities for businesses to operate in a free market economy.Chief among Burton’s priorities is protecting rural America from government overregulation. Examples of this include safeguarding private property rights, ensuring open channels for entrepreneurship, and relieving the burden of estate taxes which endanger the future of family-owned land, farms and small businesses. His successes include twice raising the estate tax exemption level; securing legislation requiring imported meat inspection equivalency to US standards; establishing the Beef Check-Off for research, marketing and promotion of beef products; and facilitating the acceptance of electronic grading of beef which standardized the industry across all markets.

Mr. Eller has a distinguished career in the trade association, lobbying and government sectors. His most recent positions include: Managing Partner, Burton Eller Associates; Senior Vice President for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (2008 – 2011); Deputy Under Secretary for the US Department of Agriculture (2006 – 2008); Director at the Farm Service Agency (2003 – 2006); President and CEO at the Textile Rental Services Association of America (1999 – 2003); Senior Government Relations Counsel at McLeod, Watkinson & Miller (1996 – 1999); and Executive Vice President at the National Cattlemen’s Association (1991 – 1996.) Mr. Eller holds a Masters in Physiology and a Bachelors in Animal Science from Virginia Tech.