As executive vice president for the Torrey Advisory Group, Tara Smith has 25 years of experience in agricultural policy and leads a team of talented staff focused on developing and implementing legislative and regulatory strategies, building coalitions and informing policymakers on client priorities. She serves as deputy executive vice president for the Crop Insurance and the Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) in addition to serving clients in the forestry, commodity and credit sectors. Key wins for clients include the defense of the crop insurance program through the building of a Crop Insurance Coalition and the addition of the Timber Innovation Act to the 2018 Farm Bill.
Before joining the Torrey team in August 2013, Tara worked as senior professional staff for the Senate Agriculture Committee under Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) where she covered commodity programs, crop insurance and disaster assistance. Tara was also previously director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau where she handled the farm bill and commodity issues. Tara has past worked for Monsanto Company and Promar International, an agribusiness consulting firm.
Tara grew up on a corn and soybean farm in central Illinois. She has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Davidson College in North Carolina and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan.
