Main Responsibilities of an Agricultural Economist at California Department of Food and Agriculture
Miranda, an Agricultural Economist at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, provides administrative oversight for seven agricultural marketing programs, including the California Walnut Commission and California Blueberry Commission. These programs, "industry initiated...government sanctioned," allow farmers to collectively address issues like research, advertising (such as the "Got Milk" campaign), and quality control, which would be impossible individually.
Agricultural Policy, Economic Analysis, Program Oversight, Marketing and Promotion, Industry Collaboration
Advizer Information
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Job Title
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Undergrad
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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. Miranda works in the Marketing Services Division of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), focusing on agricultural marketing programs. These programs are industry-initiated and government-sanctioned, helping farmers collectively address issues they couldn't solve individually.
2. These agricultural marketing programs support various activities, including research, advertising (like the 'Got Milk?' campaign), quality assurance, and establishing industry standards.
3. Miranda's main responsibility is providing administrative oversight to seven California agricultural marketing programs, including those for blueberries, walnuts, Lake County wine, dry beans, melons, and salmon. This highlights the diverse range of agricultural products in California and the role of government in supporting the industry.
Transcript
What are your main responsibilities within your current role?
My current role is Assistant Agricultural Economist at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, or CDFA.
Within the CDFA, there are eight divisions, and each division is split into branches. I work in the Marketing Services Division, specifically in the marketing branch. It's not marketing in the typical sense, like PR, communications, or advertising.
The "marketing" in our name stems from the work we do with agricultural marketing programs. The overall purpose of my branch is to assure the proper and sound operation of these programs.
Ag marketing programs are industry-initiated. For example, the walnut, orange, or blueberry industries create these programs. They allow farmers in a specific industry to solve specific issues that would be impossible to solve individually.
These programs allow farmers to band together to solve collective issues, and they are government-sanctioned. That's where my role and the branch come in.
These programs support activities like research and industry-wide advertising and promotion. For example, the "Got milk?" commercials came from one of our ag marketing programs. They also handle quality assurance, testing, and standards.
My main responsibility is to provide administrative oversight to seven of these California Ag marketing programs. These include the California Blueberry Commission, the California Walnut Commission, the Lake County Wine Commission, the California Dry Bean Board, the California Melon Board, the Cantaloupe Board, and the California Salmon Council.