A Day In The Life Of An Agricultural Economist At California Department Of Food And Agriculture
A day for an Assistant Agricultural Economist at the California Department of Food and Agriculture involves extensive travel throughout the state for meetings, acting as a liaison to provide "economic and regulatory guidance" to various agricultural programs. This role also includes tasks such as preparing public hearings, certifying program votes, conducting bill analyses, and contributing to the annual "California Agricultural Statistics Review," showcasing a blend of regulatory oversight and technical analysis.
Regulatory Affairs, Public Policy, Data Analysis, Meeting Management, Report Writing
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Miranda Townsend
Agricultural Economist
California Department of Food and Agriculture
UC Santa Cruz, 2020
UC Davis, Agricultural and Resource Economics Masters Program
Environmental & Related Sciences
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, Government & Public Sector
Research and Development (R&D)
Pell Grant Recipient
Video Highlights
1. Attending meetings across California to provide economic and regulatory guidance to agricultural programs.
2. Reviewing and approving actions taken by agricultural programs to ensure compliance with regulations.
3. Preparing public hearings, such as for the California Walnut Commission, and conducting statistical analysis for reports like the California Agricultural Statistics Review.
Transcript
What does a day in the life of an assistant agricultural economist look like?
My branch's economists, like myself, attend many meetings throughout California, from Mendocino down to San Diego. I act as a CDFA liaison at the board meetings for the seven programs I oversee, out of 49 total programs. There are several economists like me who do the same work, attending meetings across California for these programs.
Being a liaison involves providing general economic and regulatory guidance to the programs. I also review and approve their actions, as we are their government oversight point. We ensure these programs follow the food and ag code and other applicable state regulations.
I also help prepare public hearings for the marketing programs. For example, I recently organized a public hearing for the California Walnut Commission. Walnut farmers testified to provide their input on whether the program should continue to operate. This is a regulatory requirement for the programs every five years.
Additionally, we tally and certify any voting, election, or referendum activities the programs undertake. I work on tabulating and certifying program votes, elections, and similar matters. Occasionally, I analyze proposed state regulations that might impact our programs, performing a regulatory and fiscal impact analysis on the bill.
Another significant project we undertake annually is the California Agricultural Statistics Review. This is a comprehensive statistical report that CDFA publishes each year. That's the more technical aspect of my work, along with these day-to-day responsibilities.