Event Speakers and Topics

A.G. Kawamura
Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture, Sacramento
Secretary Kawamura will open the day’s event discussing CDFA’s vision of pest exclusion.

George Soares
CANGC Advocate, Kahn, Soares and Conway, Sacramento
Soares will present pest exclusion from the view of many interests. He will address concerns shared by various agricultural commodities and will indicate what he believes are the biggest challenges in achieving meaningful reform.

Louie Brown
CANGC Advocate, Kahn, Soares and Conway, Sacramento
Brown will discuss the industry’s efforts on funding pest exclusion programs, specifically the challenges to the adequate funding aspects of pest exclusion at the state level.

Tom O’Brien
CANGC/NGA Advocate, DC O’Brien, Washington, D.C.
O’Brien will discuss the role of the farm bill in bolstering pest exclusion and prevention efforts, providing details of his activities on behalf of the California nursery industry in amending the Farm Bill and how that could help in the increasing the effectiveness of our pest exclusion system.

Craig Regelbrugge
Vice President for Research and Government Relations, American Nursery and Landscape Association
Regelbrugge will deliver ANLA’s perspective and efforts, describing his activities as an industry advocate at the national level. He will discuss how the nursery industry needs to be to positioned to affect positive change in the pest exclusion system.

Gray Hahn
President, National Plant Board
Hahn will describe the role of the National Plant Board and his perspective of regulatory requirements for the interstate transportation of plant material.

Rebecca Bech
Deputy Administrator, United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Washington, D.C.
Bech will look into the future on plant regulatory issues. She will impart to attendees a look into the future of pest exclusion and what may be on the horizon in the regulatory arena regarding the transport of nursery stock.

Panel Discussion
Panel will cover the implementation of quarantine programs, providing a view from federal, state and local officials. Panel speakers include:

Helene Wright, State Plant Health Director for California, United States Department of Agriculture

John Connell, Director of Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services, California Department of Food and Agriculture

Bob Atkins, San Diego County Agricultural Commissioner