U.S. COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION 

RENEWAL CHARTER OF THE AGRICULTURAL 

ADVISORY COMMITTEE 

(1) Committee’s Official Designation. 

The advisory committee's official designation is the Agricultural Advisory Committee 

(“AAC”). 

(2) Authority. 

The AAC is a discretionary advisory committee established by the authority of the U.S. 

Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“Commission”) in accordance with the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act (“FACA”), as amended, 5 U.S.C. App. II. 

(3) Objectives and Scope of Activities. 

The AAC’s objectives and scope of activities shall be to assist the Commission in identifying 

and assessing issues affecting agricultural producers; consumers; processors; lenders; other 

major market participants, including derivatives intermediaries, buy-side representatives, and 

exchanges; regulators; and others interested in or affected by the agricultural derivatives 

markets through public meetings, and Committee reports and recommendations. 

(4) Description of Duties. 

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. App. II § 9(b) of the FACA, the duties of the AAC shall be 

solely advisory. The AAC may, by simple majority vote, call for reports and/or 

recommendations by the AAC or AAC subcommittee(s), adopt reports and/or 

recommendations, and transmit reports and/or recommendations to the Commission. AAC 

reports and/or recommendations shall be developed in consultation with all members of the 

AAC and any transmission to the Commission shall include dissenting or minority views, if 

any. AAC subcommittee reports and/or recommendations shall be deliberated on by the 

AAC before transmission to the Commission. No determination of fact or policy shall be 

made by the AAC on behalf of the Commission. Determinations of action to be taken and 

policy to be expressed with respect to the reports and/or recommendations of the AAC shall 

be made solely by the Commission. 

(5) Agency or Official to Whom the Committee Reports. 

The AAC shall submit its reports and recommendations to the Commission. The AAC will 

also have a “Sponsor,” who may be the Chairman of the Commission, a Commissioner, or a 

designee of the Commission, and who will be responsible for ensuring that the advice and 

recommendations of the AAC are provided to the Commission. 

(6) Support. 

The Commission shall provide necessary support services for the AAC. 
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(7) Estimated Annual Operating Costs and Staff Years. 

The estimated annual operating costs for supporting the AAC are approximately $60,000. 

This cost estimate includes costs associated with meeting expenses as well as the cost of .30 

of one full-time Commission employee needed to support the AAC on a continuing basis. 

AAC members will not be compensated by the Commission for their services and will not be 

reimbursed or receive per diem from the Commission for travel-related expenses to attend 

AAC meetings. 

(8) Designated Federal Officer. 

The Commission shall appoint a full- or permanent part-time Commission employee to serve 

as the Designated Federal Officer (“DFO”) of the AAC and any established AAC 

subcommittees. The Commission may appoint additional full-time or permanent part-time 

Commission employees to serve as alternate DFOs (“ADFOs”) for the AAC and/or any 

established subcommittees. The DFO or ADFO shall prepare and approve all meeting 

agendas; approve or call all AAC and subcommittee meetings; attend all AAC and 

subcommittee meetings; adjourn any meeting when the DFO or ADFO determines 

adjournment to be in the public interest; chair meetings when directed to do so by the 

Sponsor; and assist in the preparation and certification of meeting minutes. 

(9) Estimated Number and Frequency of Meetings. 

The AAC shall meet at such intervals as are necessary to carry out its functions. It is 

estimated that meetings of the AAC will occur at least annually; meetings of subcommittees 

of the full AAC may occur more frequently. 

(10) Duration. 

The AAC will continue until two years from the date of renewal, unless the Commission 

directs that it terminate on an earlier date. 

(11) Termination. 

The AAC shall terminate two years from the date of renewal, unless the charter is renewed 

prior to its expiration in accordance with Section 14(a)(2)(A) of the FACA. 

(12) Membership and Designation. 

Members shall be appointed and may be removed by vote of the Commission. Members may 

be appointed or removed at any time. The Sponsor shall designate a member of the AAC or 

AAC subcommittee to serve as the Chair absent the objection of a majority of the 

Commission. The Sponsor may also designate another committee or subcommittee member 

to serve as a co-Chair absent the objection of the majority of the Commission. 

Each member who is not a regular government employee shall serve on the AAC either as a 

special government employee (“SGE”) or as a representative of an organization or 

identifiable group of persons with interests affected by the work of the AAC. 

SGE members provide advice to the Commission on the basis of their expertise and best, 

independent judgment in a manner free from conflicts of interest. The Commission shall not 

appoint any federally registered lobbyists to serve as SGEs on the AAC. 
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Representative members serve on the AAC primarily to convey to the Commission and to the 

AAC the views and interests of the organizations and/or groups that they represent. The 

Commission may appoint individuals to serve as representative members. In addition, the 

Commission may authorize an organization that is affected by the work of the AAC, or 

whose members are affected by the work of the AAC, to serve as a member and designate an 

individual (with final approval by the Sponsor) to represent the organization and, where 

relevant, the organization's members. The member organization may also designate 

alternates with Sponsor approval. 

Members will represent a wide range of perspectives and interests and may include the 

viewpoint categories listed below. The members will be selected to represent a balance of 

viewpoints that are necessary to effectively address the issues to be considered by the AAC. 

Though the viewpoint categories and precise number of members in any category may vary 

over time due to the AAC’s work, the Commission anticipates that the AAC will have no 

more than 35 members, who may represent the following viewpoint categories: 

(i) agricultural producers and/or direct or indirect users/consumers of agricultural 

products; 

(ii) providers of agricultural credit; 

(iii) other major market participants, including derivatives intermediaries, buy-side 

representatives and exchanges; 

(iv) other regulators or representatives from relevant government agencies; and 

(v) academia or public interest groups. 

(13) Subcommittees. 

The Commission may establish and dissolve AAC subcommittees. The number of members 

on any AAC subcommittee will not exceed the number of members serving on the AAC. 

Current AAC members may, with the Sponsor’s approval, serve on any AAC subcommittee 

without Commission reappointment to a subcommittee. Other subcommittee members shall 

be appointed in the same manner as AAC members. Subcommittee members shall be 

removed in the same manner as AAC members. Any subcommittees shall report to the AAC 

and may not provide reports and/or recommendations directly to the Commission or to any 

Commission officer or employee. An AAC subcommittee may, by simple majority vote, 

adopt its reports and/or recommendations, and transmit reports and/or recommendations to 

the AAC. AAC subcommittee reports and/or recommendations shall be developed in 

consultation with all members of the AAC subcommittee and any transmission to the AAC 

shall include dissenting or minority views, if any. AAC subcommittees shall have no 

authority to make decisions on behalf of the AAC. No determination of fact or policy shall 

be made by any AAC subcommittee on behalf of the Commission. 

(14) Recordkeeping.

Records of the Committee and any subcommittees shall be maintained in accordance with the

General Records Schedule 6.2 and other Commission records guidance. Records of open 

AAC meetings will be made available to the public on the Commission’s website. 
(15) Filing Date. 

This charter has been filed with the Commission; the Senate Committee on Agriculture, 

Nutrition and Forestry; the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture; the 

Committee Management Secretariat of the U.S. General Services Administration; and the 

Library of Congress on August 10, 2022. 

Dated: August 10, 2022 

Washington, D.C. 

02-.4 /i 1-.~ 

Christopher J. K.Yrkpatrick 

Secretary of the Commission 

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