California Governor Jerry Brown announced Karen Ross, a longtime agricultural advocate, was appointed as secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
“Karen Ross is a well-known and dedicated advocate for California’s diverse and dynamic agriculture,” California Farm Bureau Federation President Paul Wenger said. “We look forward to working with Karen in her new position, leading a department that oversees the fifth-largest agricultural economy in the world and a source of much-needed economic stimulus throughout California.”
The California Department of Food and Agriculture is the largest in the country. Ross currently serves as the chief of staff to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Prior to her government position she was the president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers and a member of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture.
“Karen Ross is well-suited for the role of food and agriculture secretary. She has firsthand knowledge about the many challenges farmers and ranchers face each day, not just in California but throughout the nation,” Wenger said. “Her experience working at USDA will provide her with important insights on how government can better assist our diverse agriculture in California, which not only provides so much of the fresh fruit and vegetables enjoyed throughout the United States but whose products also create positive trade activity worldwide.”
The farm bureau acknowledges the long road ahead of Ross with the department and the many struggles she will help the state’s agriculture industry overcome.

This article courtesy of Farm Plus Financial.  For information regarding agricultural finance opportunities contact our offices at 866-929-5585. 

Written by: Melissa Warner / Farm Plus Financial staff writer