California Ag Network

Tag: Emily Rooney

  • Plant California Alliance Rebrands as California Association of Nurseries

    The Board of Directors of the California nursery industry organization formerly known as Plant California Alliance (PCA) recently announced the organization has officially changed its name to the California Association of Nurseries (CAN).

    “California Association of Nurseries is instantly recognizable and clearly communicates who we are and what we do,” said John Keller, Chairman of CAN. “Over the years, we found ourselves continually explaining the Plant California Alliance name, and the acronym ‘PCA’ created confusion within the agricultural community due to its other industry meanings. Returning to California Association of Nurseries brings clarity, continuity, and renewed purpose.”

    Although CAN is a century-old organization, the issues have grown in number and complexity.

    “CAN is playing an active role in California’s multifaceted plastics regulation, working with the state and regional water boards to protect the interests of the nursery industry and has a leadership role in advocating in the State Capitol,” Emily Rooney, Executive Director of CAN said. “It is more important now than ever that the nursery sector is engaged in our statewide policy process.”

    CAN also hired a part-time contractor, Lydia Nattey, to assist with program and grant execution. With more than a decade of combined experience leading workforce development initiatives, grant programs and public affairs efforts, Nattey brings a background in managing initiatives that support industry growth and community impact.

    The California Association of Nurseries traces its roots back to June 1911, when the organization was founded to address pressing issues facing the nursery industry, including fruit tree nursery stock standards, nursery stock cleanliness, quarantines and inspections.  Today, the California nursery industry is the largest in the nation and together with floriculture accounts for 7.5 percent of the state’s farm sales.

    In 1919, CAN became a founding member of Agricultural Council of California (Ag Council) to strengthen the industry’s advocacy efforts and statewide influence. More than a century later, the organization’s transition to Ag Council management in 2025 represents a “full-circle moment” that further reinforces its mission and leadership within California agriculture.

    While the industry’s challenges continue to evolve, CAN’s mission remains unchanged: advocating for and supporting California nurseries and growers through industry leadership, representation, and member engagement.

    Keller said, “As in 1911, today’s nursery industry needs a strong and unified voice. That is exactly what CAN provides.”

  • Reinforcing Buy American Food Act in California School Districts

    Finding that California school districts have not been following the Buy American Act regarding food purchases, Ag Council of California sponsored legislation to reinforce the provision with successful results.  Watch this brief interview with Emily Rooney, President of Ag Council, for more details and how this will support California agriculture and the local economy.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Progress on Prop 1 Funded California Water Projects

    California is in the midst of a serious drought, which is taking a major toll on our local agricultural industries. The Water Quality, Supply & Infrastructure Improvement Act (Prop 1) passed back in 2014, yet no construction of any of the funded projects has commenced.  Watch this brief interview with Emily Rooney from the Ag Council of California as she shares a progress report on these projects and how they will help address California’s water crisis.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • California Ag Coalition Requests Immediate State Action on Water Needs

    Due to an economically crippling drought and the overwhelming regulatory demands of California, several agricultural groups formed a coalition and recently sent a letter to the governor and state legislature, both informing them of the challenges impacting farming families and requesting immediate action and funding to boost water storage and supplies. Watch this brief interview with Emily Rooney from the Ag Council of California as she explains.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Ag Council of California Celebrates Centennial

     

    100 anniversary

    Agricultural Council of California’s Annual Meeting, which was held March 4-5 in Monterey, marked a historic event this year as the organization celebrated 100 years of working on behalf of farmers and farmer-owned businesses. The event was held in conjunction with CoBank’s Pacific West Customer meeting.

    “Reaching 100 years as an organization is a remarkable accomplishment,” said Carl Hoff, Ag Council chairman and president and CEO of Butte County Rice Growers, during his address. “Our founders had vision and foresight, and we are proud to have continued to fulfill their mission to provide our members a valuable service as they engage in the noble effort of feeding the world.”

    Hoff took a retrospective look back at California’s agricultural industry in 1919 and compared it with the present environment. Vast changes in technology, farming methods and California’s population mean that many of the issues that Ag Council addresses on behalf of its members are different than they were in 1919, but the mission to ensure a better business environment for its members has not altered. During his address, Hoff also recognized the four cooperatives who have been members the entire 100 years-Blue Diamond, Sunkist, Sun-Maid and Sunsweet.”

    Our steadfast commitment is to focus on the issues and ensure a sustainable future for our industry,” he added. “Agriculture has changed, our members’ businesses have changed, but we have made the hard choices and thrived through the years.”

    In her annual address, Emily Rooney, president of Ag Council, also underscored the changes that have occurred since the founding of Ag Council, but also quoted the organization’s original charter mission, which has served as a roadmap for the last 100 years: An organization shall “be formed for the purpose of drafting beneficial legislation and guarding against vicious or dangerous laws which might affect agricultural interests.”

    conference “While sometimes many of us feel like we are under attack in California, I believe it is not our principles, but our practices, that are under scrutiny. And, innovation can help us address those concerns,” she said.  “As challenging as that can be, Ag Council has been successful in finding opportunities to address these issues while creating the change that optimizes our future.

    “Rooney discussed Ag Council’s efforts in several policy areas, and a more detailed accounting of the organization’s advocacy work can be found in the Centennial Impact Report, which was released during the annual meeting. A full copy can be accessed at www.agcouncil.org.

    This year’s Annual Meeting featured a Centennial Celebration on Monday evening. Gonzales FFA provided a presentation of the colors, and students Amy Aceves and Cynthia Ruiz spoke about their experiences with FFA and thanked Ag Council and its members for their support. The evening also included a presentation of a U.S. Senate Resolution by Shelly Abajian, director of Senator Dianne Feinstein’s Central California Office as well as the release of a video chronicling the history of Ag Council. Prior Ag Council Presidents Lee Ruth and Don Gordon were in attendance to help celebrate this historic event.

    The General Session held the following day, and moderated by Jackson Gualco of The Gualco Group, featured Dr. Daniel Mountjoy, of Sustainable Conservation who spoke about the role of groundwater in California agriculture and his work to promote a sustainable future via various innovative methods; Dr. Joseph Castro, president of California State University, Fresno; and, Chuck Conner, president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives.

    The 100th Annual Meeting concluded with a luncheon that honored California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross as the recipient of the prestigious 2019 California Cultivator Award. As a Nebraska native and former staff person of Ag Council, Ross offered a heartfelt acceptance of the award. “Working at Ag Council was an important chapter in my career. The members and leadership opened my eyes to the miracle of California agriculture and that has become the best part of my job to reflect on how lucky we are to be involved in this industry.

    “For more information about Ag Council’s Annual Meeting, visit www.agcouncil.org.

    About Ag Council

    Founded in 1919, Agricultural Council of California is a member-supported organization advocating for more than 15,000 farmers across California, ranging from farmer-owned businesses to the world’s best-known brands. Ag Council serves as the farmers’ voice in California government. Ag Council works tirelessly to keep its members productive and competitive, so that agriculture can remain California’s number-one industry and members can continue to produce the highest quality food for the entire world. For more information, visit www.agcouncil.org.

  • 2018 Election Losses for CA Ag & Where to Go from Here

    There were some successes, but a lot of disappointments in California’s 2018 elections.  So where do we go from here? What’s a farmer to do in an askew state like California?  Check out this brief interview with Emily Rooney, President of the Ag Council of California as she shares her insights from the election and some considerations moving forward.

    Enjoy our Ag video news?  Be sure to let our sponsor Duarte Nursery know & thank them for their industry support!

  • Ag Council of California Works to Ensure Buy American Provision

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    Emily Rooney, President of the Ag Council of California recently spoke at the annual Almond Alliance Convention, sharing their organization’s efforts to defend California Agriculture in Sacramento. One of their recent successes has been working with Dr. Pan on the Buy American Provision to ensure that school lunches are not coming from commodities produced outside of the country when they are locally grown in California. Watch her video interview with California Ag Network here to learn more.