Ray Starling, Chief of Staff to North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis (R), this week has been appointed to serve in the position of Special Assistant for Agriculture, Trade and Food Assistance in President Trump’s White House Economic Council.
“On behalf of NCC and our members, I want to extend congratulations to Ray, and to President Trump on choosing a great addition to the White House Economic Council,” said NCC President Mike Brown. “Through his experience in North Carolina and here in Washington, Ray undoubtedly knows the chicken industry and the challenges and opportunities we face, and we look forward to continuing to work with him on these issues in this new role.”
Starling grew up on his family’s farm in Eastern Carolina before receiving his B.S. in Agricultural Education from North Carolina State University and a J.D. from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
Before assuming the role of Chief of Staff, Starling served as Tillis’ chief counsel and then-Speaker Tillis’ general counsel and senior agriculture adviser in the North Carolina General Assembly and as general counsel for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
According to a joint 2016 report from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and USDA, broiler chickens are the number one agricultural commodity in the state in terms of cash receipts from farming, $3.5 billion, or 29.7 percent of total farm income sales.
