CFTC Acting Chairman to Give Keynote Address at Montana Ag Summit

J. Christopher Giancarlo of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission will be a keynote speaker at Montana Ag Summit 2017 

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced that Acting Chairman, J. Christopher Giancarlo of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will deliver a keynote address at Montana Ag Summit 2017. 

“I look forward to hearing Acting Chairman Giancarlo speak at the Montana Ag Summit about his vision for the CFTC and its role in reducing regulatory hurdles to expand opportunities for Montana farmers and ranchers,” Daines stated. 

“During my time at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, I have made good on a commitment to get out of Washington and meet with producers of cattle, pork, poultry, corn, soybean, dairy and various other Ag and energy products,” Giancarlo stated. “I have also met with many workers at grain elevators, cooperatives, factories, exchanges and futures commission merchants who serve American producers. It is my goal in the coming year to continue to travel and meet those in the agricultural sector who produce so much for our country. In my travels, it is obvious to me that people have the sense that Washington politicians and bureaucrats don’t understand what is happening in the rest of the country. I hear it when people say they want sensible, not burdensome regulation so that they can build their dreams. I look forward to visiting the Big Sky country to hear about what matters most to you.”

CFTC is an independent agency that is responsible for regulating commodities futures and plays a critical role in helping ensure that farmers and ranchers in Montana and across the country have access to the risk management tools that are essential to their operations.  

Giancarlo was confirmed to be a Commissioner at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission by unanimous consent of the Senate on June 3, 2014 and was nominated on March 14, 2017 by President Trump. He was designated as Acting Chairman of the Commission on January 20, 2017. Before entering public service, Mr. Giancarlo served as the Executive Vice President of GFI Group Inc., a financial services firm. Prior to joining GFI, he was Executive Vice President and U.S. Legal Counsel of Fenics Software and was a corporate partner in the New York law firm of Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner. He attended Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with Government Department Honors.  Mr. Giancarlo received his law degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Law where he was an associate research editor at the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law and President of the Law School’s International Law Society. 

The summit, co-sponsored by Daines, will take place in Great Falls on May 31 and June 1, 2017. The Montana Ag Summit will bring the nation’s agricultural leaders to Montana’s Golden Triangle. The focus of the summit is on strengthening international relationships for Montana agriculture, showcasing technological advancements, promoting the next generation of farmers and ranchers, and discussing the challenges of federal policies and regulations. 

Members of the press are welcome to attend. To register and for more information please visit www.agsummitmontana.com

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