Californian Appointed to AMS Post
After many weeks of wondering whether or not a Californian would get a key USDA appointment, Rayne Pegg (formerly Rayne Thompson) was named by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack as the new Administrator for the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS.) The AMS houses an array of important national and international programs related to commodities, marketing orders, research and promotion, market news, food purchases and transportation.
Rayne began her career in agriculture when she came to work for the Ag Council in 2001 as director of governmental relations. In 2004, she joined the California Farm Bureau Federation as Director of International Trade and Plant Health. In 2008, she was appointed as the Deputy Secretary of Legislation and Policy for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
Ag Council acted as the coalition lead in support of Rayne’s nomination and subsequent appointment to the AMS administrator post and looks forward to working with her in her new role.
Ag Council Monitors Fiscal Crisis
California’s fiscal meltdown and the subsequent impact it has on every program conducted by state and local government means that budget-related issues will be an ongoing focus for the foreseeable future. A list of proposed agency consolidations and reforms that will be reviewed by the appropriate Senate policy committees provides one example of how extreme the circumstances have become.
The Senate Food and Agriculture Committee is examining a proposal to dismantle the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The proposal eliminates and transfers pest control activities to the Department of Pesticide Regulation, transfers Weights and Measures activities to the Department of General Services, and transfers oversight and administration of fairs and expositions to counties.
Additionally, 54 agricultural marketing order and commissions would be abolished with the intent of re-establishing them as private, non-profit corporations. Although it’s unlikely this specific proposal will gain much traction, the enormity of the budget crisis may trigger a significant restructuring of state government. If this proves to be the case, many programs of importance to agriculture will be impacted. Ag Council remains fully engaged in the budget crisis as developments unfold.
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