We are delighted to be joined by the Undersecretary of the California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA), Christine Birdsong, as we formally launch the 2023 Salinas Biological Summit in San Francisco on 14 March.
Undersecretary Birdsong was appointed by Governor Newsom as Undersecretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture in 2021. Previously, she was Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Director of People and Culture for the Sun Valley Rice Company. She has also served as General Counsel for the National Cotton Council of America, Counsel for the Committee on Agriculture for the United States House of Representatives and Federal Government Affairs Leader for CropLife America. Undersecretary Birdsong earned a Juris Doctor degree from the UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and is a UC Berkeley alumni.
Undersecretary Birdsong’s presence reinforces the CDFA support for June’s Summit. This was further highlighted in this Western Growers press release issued on 2 March.
Jacqui and I will be spending 10 days in California as we build on the Summit program. We have already lined up 22 amazing speakers from government, research, industry and investment. You can view them here. Over the coming weeks, we will be announcing more local and international experts who will add their voice to this essential conversation.
Regulators and consumers are driving the move towards increased use of biological solutions to improve soil and plant health. Next week’s launch will provide the platform to share the significant opportunity that June’s Summit will bring.
We hope you can join us. For more details, email Peter Wren-Hilton at peter@wharf42.co.nz