California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross Discusses Opportunities for Ag on Western Growers' Voices of the Valley Podcast



California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross Discusses Opportunities for Ag on Western Growers' Voices of the Valley Podcast



IRVINA, CA - Western Growers is continuing to bring exclusive industry insights to life through its Voices of the Valley podcast. Recently, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Secretary Karen Ross recently joined Dennis Donohue, the Director of Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology, and Candace Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of GreenVenus, on the podcast to discuss key opportunities for the agricultural industry in 2022.

Karen Ross, Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture"We need to change the narrative," Ross began. "We should be honored and valued and respected even more than Silicon Valley because people like to eat and drink."

Among the strategies Ross proposes to bolster the industry workforce is to emphasize the technology-heavy careers available in ag.

According to a press release, Ross previewed the January 26, 2022 AgTechX Ed Summit at Imperial Valley College, where she will speak alongside industry leaders on the creation of a tech-savvy agriculture workforce. This is the second event in a year-long series led by Ross and Western Growers to highlight the skills necessary to master emerging on-farm technologies.

Western Growers recently brought California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross on its Voices of the Valley podcast to discuss how technology is creating new ag workforce opportunities (Photo credit: AgTechX Ed)

“The best part of my day is when I get to meet with students," Ross added. "I get so excited about what they bring to the table—at younger ages, they have a much more global perspective. They are so advanced. They inspire me, and I want them to all fall in love with the opportunities agriculture can present to them."

Click here to listen to the full podcast and explore other episodes of Voices of the Valley, and keep reading AndNowUKnow for the latest in industry news.

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