WICHITA, Kan. – After a 33-year career with Cargill’s US beef business, Kenneth Bull announced his retirement as the vice president of procurement for the company’s 10 North America-based beef plants. Bull is scheduled to step down in the third quarter of 2012, after a successor has been appointed, according to a press release from the company.

In addition to his role overseeing procurement, the 55-year-old Bull has also been active in representing Cargill and the industry in a variety of legislative matters and regulatory negotiations in Washington, DC.

A Texas A&M Univ. graduate, Bull was hired by Cargill as a commodity merchant in 1979. About five years later, he worked in investor services as a futures manager and in 1986 was appointed director of beef market research at the Wichita headquarters for what was then Excel Corp. He was promoted to his current position in 1990.

“Ken is well known and respected throughout the beef business and he has done an outstanding job educating various audiences about our business, as well as being a voice of reason in the defense of free enterprise and open markets,” said John Keating, president of Cargill Beef. “His passion for the North American beef business has made him a champion for beef production and his legacy will benefit the industry, its customers, and consumers, for years to come. Ken will be missed.”