Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/62409
GRAPE GRO WING Grapegrower Interview KAREN ROSS K aren Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, has deep roots in ag. She grew up on a farm in western Nebraska, where her family still grows wheat, sunflowers, feed grains and cattle. After graduating from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and holding several jobs in that state— including directing state operations for the late U.S. Sen. Edward Zorinsky—she moved west to California in 1989. Ross is probably best known to people in the wine industry because of her 13-year tenure as president of the California As- sociation of Winegrape Growers in Sacramento, where she par- ticipated in the creation of the California Sustainable Winegrow- ing Program. Before that, she was vice president of government affairs for the Agricultural Council of California, representing farmer-owned cooperatives. In 2009, she became chief of staff for U.S. Agriculture Secre- tary Tom Vilsack, a job she held until Gov. Jerry Brown appoint- ed her as secretary of the CDFA in 2011. Brown's administration has had to navigate a budget crisis affecting all areas of govern- ment, including the CDFA. Wines & Vines: Given your background as president at the California Association of Winegrape Growers, people involved in the wine and grapegrowing industries must have been happy with your appointment. In your current role, what goals and objectives do you have for those industries? Karen Ross: I would like to address several points. We have a governor who is engaging the public in an important conversa- tion about the appropriate role of state government. He is very serious about fixing the budget so we can focus on growing the economy and creating jobs. Our immediate goal at CDFA is to evaluate the agency within those guidelines. We are in the process of making general fund reductions called for by the governor. In so doing, we must make sure our comprehensive surveillance and rapid response systems are preserved so we can ensure food safety and protect agriculture from invasive pests and diseases. The California wine community knows first-hand the critical importance of the state's ability to conduct early pest detection and rapid response to stop the movement of invasive pests (i.e., glassy-winged sharpshooter, light brown apple moth, European grapevine moth) and prevent their spread. My years of experience working for the wine industry have prepared me well for my current responsibility of protecting California from invasive species. One of my top priorities in this job is process improvement. We are undertaking department-wide initiatives to streamline 96 Wines & Vines JAnUARY 2012 California's secretary of agriculture is a wine industry veteran By Laurie Daniel California Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Karen Ross (above) secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture in 2011. our systems and look for smarter, more efficient ways of pro- viding our services. These systems have been built over several decades, and we should not be afraid to carefully examine them for areas of overlap and duplication and think about new ways to provide the same levels of protection. This approach will benefit producers of all California commodities, including wine and winegrapes. W&V: How is California's current budget situation likely to impact the state's wine and grapegrowing industries? For ex- ample, could the state's integrated pest management program be threatened, as it was for a time in New York?