Marty Irby – Named one of The Hill’s Top Lobbyists for 2021
“I’m deeply honored to have been named as one of the top lobbyists in the nation for the third year in a row and am truly grateful for the tireless work that our supporters and my colleagues have dedicated to achieve tangible progress for animals,” said Marty Irby, executive director at Animal Wellness Action. “While 2021 has been a very challenging, proximity to Capitol Hill and work ethic are the key ingredients for any successful lobbyist, and I offer my deepest gratitude to The Hill for this honor.”
“Marty has a unique ability to bring unlikely allies together for a common purpose,” said Mike Eby executive director of the Organization for Competitive Markets. “Our work with both farmers and advocates to reform the mandatory USDA Commodity Checkoff Programs and pass the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act is one such example. Working with a wide array of legislators and stakeholders on both sides of the aisle has been a key factor in Marty’s success.”
As COVID-19 continues to hamper in person events, meetings, and fly-ins, to D.C., Irby, who also serves on the board of directors of the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM), coordinated and led one of the first fly-ins to Washington in June, 2021 to advocate in person with farmers and ranchers from South Dakota, Alabama, Mississippi, Nebraska, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Washington, and Wyoming for the reform of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Commodity Checkoff Programs, the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act led by Reps. Dina Titus, D-Nev., Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Cory Booker, D-N.Y., Rand Paul, R-Ky., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., as well as other sustainable agriculture issues.
