Karen Giovannini

Education

BS Agriculture Management, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

Typical Day

I assist farmers and ranchers who would like to diversify their operations, usually with value-added products. I help them determine the regulatory requirements. I also work with the regulatory departments in order to try to streamline process and support ag businesses and diversification.

Most Memorable Moment

Giving a presentation about a regulatory success story at Agriculture Innovation Network's Regulatory Summit in Davis. That story became Success Story #1 in the resulting publication: Regulating for Agricultural and Public Outcomes.

Background

I grew up on a ranch in Sonoma County. I raised beef cattle and participated in many leadership opportunities through 4-H and raised market sheep with Forestville FFA. I majored in Ag Management at Cal Poly. I spent most of my career in the financial industry, my career with UCCE is my first job in the ag industry. This job appeals to my big picture outlook and a way to give back to the ag industry that I love.

I was hired to look at Ecosystem Services on Rangeland in California. I worked on that project for about a year and created a website to share much of the research I conducted. When that grant ended in 2012, I started working on Ag Ombuds-type projects. The ombudsman position had been called for by many in the ag community. The UCCE office worked with Sonoma County to make this a permanent position. I also work on our website and social media. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest.