State Senator Melissa Hurtado, the youngest woman ever to be elected to the California State Senate and a representative of a new generation of Latina political leaders, will be the opening keynote speaker for the Agri-Pulse Food and Agriculture Issues Summit. She’s a passionate advocate for her Senate District — in California’s Central Valley — which is home to some of the richest and most fertile farmland in the world, one of the top oil-producing counties in the United States and resilient working-class families who power the Valley economy.
This year's Summit theme is "Reinventing Resiliency for California Food and Agriculture." The event will offer participants a full day of presentations and panel discussions at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento on July 11, 2022. Virtual attendance options are also available.
"If you are involved with food and agriculture, the concept of bouncing back from adversity and being resilient is likely not new. However, another year of western drought, supply chain disruptions, labor challenges and regulatory hurdles have prompted industry leaders to rethink how to adapt, transform and innovate in order to be resilient and stay in business," said Sara Wyant, Agri-Pulse editor and founder. "Our Summit will focus on the top economic and policy issues impacting California farmers and food companies, including innovations to produce more crops with less water, opportunities to advance climate-smart practices, new strategies for job training and political engagement, and much more."
The event will also feature engaging conversations with many other industry leaders and government officials. Speakers include Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Dept. of Food and Agriculture; Wade Crowfoot, Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency; Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives (invited); Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif. (invited); Senator Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) (invited); Karen St. Germain, Ph.D., division director of the earth science division, NASA; Dave Puglia, president and CEO, Western Growers; Richard Waycott president and CEO, Almond Board of California; Jamie Johansson, president, California Farm Bureau; Ian LeMay, president, California Fresh Fruit Association; Karissa Kruse, president, Sonoma County Winegrowers; David Magaña, Ph.D., senior analyst, RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness; Val Fishman, chief development officer, Common Good Water; Jonathan Destler, CEO, Opti-Harvest, Inc.; Adam Tarr, director, Invariant; Scott Dahlman, director, state government affairs, western region, CropLife America; Walt Duflock, vice president of innovation, Western Growers; Gabe Youtsey, chief innovation officer, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources; Ashley Swearengin, president and CEO, Central Valley Community Foundation; Michael Boccadoro, president, West Coast Advisors; and Julee Malinowski-Ball, partner, Public Policy Advocates.
Registration for the 2022 Agri-Pulse Food & Ag Issues Summit West is available here.
Sponsors include: Gold: California Farm Bureau Federation, Curious Plot and Western Growers Association; Silver: Bayer Crop Science, Blue White Robotics and Michael Torrey Associates; Bronze: CCI Marketing, Farm Credit, CropLife America, Nutrien, Pivot Bio and Valent.
Agri-Pulse is closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic, and the in-person event will follow all state and local directives and health precautions.
About Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc.: Agri-Pulse is the most trusted source for farm and rural policy information. With offices in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, Calif., and Camdenton, Mo. we provide a balanced perspective on a wide variety of issues including the farm bill, nutrition, trade, labor, food safety, water, environment, biotechnology, organic, conservation and crop insurance. Agri-Pulse publishes a subscription-only e-newsletter, the Agri-Pulse Daily Harvest early morning news summary, Agri-Pulse Daybreak, Agri-Pulse DriveTime podcast, Agri-Pulse Newsmakers and breaking news on www.Agri-Pulse.com.