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- Ross
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- Beshear
Karen Ross is one of three possible candidates to become Hillary Clinton’s Agriculture Secretary, according to the Hagstrom Report. It says Ross and Steve Beshear, along with another unnamed candidate, are the top choices for the position should Clinton win the presidential election next month. The third candidate was not named to the Hagstrom Report, but a source described the person as “more surprising.” Beshears is a former Democratic governor of Kentucky. Ross is a former chief of staff for Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and is the current California Food and Agriculture Secretary. It is safe to say the candidate is not current Secretary Vilsack, as he told AgriTalk last week “I have no idea what is in my future, adding “I do think it’s time for someone else to take a crack” at USDA.
From the CDFA:
Karen Ross was appointed Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture on January 12, 2011, by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Secretary Ross has deep leadership experience in agricultural issues nationally, internationally, and here in California. Prior to joining CDFA, Ross was chief of staff for U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a position she accepted in 2009. Prior to that appointment, she served as President of the California Association of Winegrape Growers from 1996-2009, and as Vice-President of the Agricultural Council of California from 1989-1996. Before moving to California, Ross served as Director of Government Relations for the Nebraska Rural Electric Association and as Field Representative for U.S. Senator Edward Zorinsky.
Parts of this story are from the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.