Dr. John Newton is the Chief Economist for American Farm Bureau Federation, the largest organization of independent farmers in the United States. In this role, Dr. Newton is responsible for the management of Farm Bureau’s economics department, coordinates, and conducts analyses used for the development of and the advocacy for Farm Bureau policy. Prior to joining Farm Bureau, Newton worked for the United States Department of Agriculture as an agricultural economist and was detailed to both the Senate Agriculture Committee and the USDA Office of the Chief Economist. Following his service to USDA and the Congressional Committee, Dr. Newton was an award-winning faculty member at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.