Lesher & Russell
Lesher & Russell is a Washington D.C. lobbying firm specialising in agriculture and trade issues.
Jeffrey St. Clair and Alexander Cockburn describe Lesher and Russell as having done "much of the legwork for Monsanto on the Hill in the battle to secure the approval of rBGH and beat back any mandatory labeling requirements".
History
The Hill magazine cited a Republican staffer who described the company as "the ag lobbyists firm in town".[1]
"Lesher worked as an LA to Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Russell worked for former Sen. Rudy Boschwitz (R-Minn.). Lesher eventually became the chief economist on the Senate Agriculture Committee, and then the assistant secretary for economics at USDA from 1981 to 1985," The Hill wrote in a brief profile. [2]
Personnel
Clients
- ALICO, INC.
- ALTRIA
- CALIFORNIA RICE COMMISSION
- DIGITAL ANGEL CORPORATION
- PEPSICO
- RABOBANK NORTH AMERICA
- SWIFT & COMPANY
- THE COALITION FOR PLANT AND LIFE SCIENCE
- UNITED FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLE ASSOCIATION[3]
Contact Info
Lesher & Russell, Inc.
1919 S. Eads Street, Suite 103,
Arlington, VA 22202
Phone: (703) 979-6900
Website: http://www.lesherandrussell.com
External links
- Jeffrey St. Clair and Alexander Cockburn, "Nature and Politics: The Poison Lobby: Monsanto & Its Political Musclemen", Eat the State, 1999.
- Office of Management and Budget, "Meeting Record Regarding: Country of Origin Labeling Rule", October 17, 2003.
- "Lobby League #25 Agriculture: Lesher & Russell: William Lesher, Randy Russell", The Hill, December 8, 2004.
- United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association, "United Forms New Government Relations Council; Hires Top Agricultural Lobbying Firm", Media Release, February 1, 2005.
- Jim Snyder, "Meat industry wants to kill country-of-origin label rule," The Hill, April 7, 2005.
