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San Joaquin County agriculture commissioner outlines 100‑plus years of local ag programs and export work
Summary
Agriculture Commissioner Kamaljeet Bagri told the Board of Supervisors the office traces to an 1881 state act, now runs 36 programs and export-certification services that shipped to 98 countries; Bagri said the county’s agricultural economy is roughly $3.2 billion and the office employs 47 full‑time and 21 part‑time staff.
Kamaljeet Bagri, San Joaquin County’s agricultural commissioner and sealer of weights and measures, told the Board of Supervisors on Nov. 4 that the office’s roots go back to a March 1881 state act creating county horticulture commissioners. “I’m the tenth agriculture commissioner and the first woman to serve San Joaquin County,” Bagri said during a presentation on the office’s history, functions and staffing.
Bagri outlined 36 programs managed by the office, including pesticide regulation, pest detection and exclusion, export certification and weights and measures. She said the county issues certificates to support exports to 98 countries, with Japan, Korea and India among the top destinations, and that last year the office issued 2,157 certificates for Japan, 2,063 for Korea and 1,117 for India.
The commissioner described the department’s role in protecting public health and marketplace equity through inspections and certification. She said the office supports a local agricultural economy she described as approximately $3.2 billion and employs 47 full‑time and 21 part‑time staff to run programs that include direct‑marketing oversight and certified farmers markets.
Bagri recounted historical changes in titles and responsibilities — including placement under the California Department of Food and Agriculture in 1920 and a 1929 title change to agriculture commissioner — and described modern pest‑detection work that places thousands of traps across urban and rural areas to catch exotic pests early.
Why it matters: The presentation offers a compact view of county services that directly affect growers and food businesses, from export documentation to pest monitoring. The office’s export and weights‑and‑measures functions affect producers, processors and consumers across the county.
What’s next: Bagri said she hopes the board will continue funding educational programs such as the AgVenture program, which educated more than 12,000 third graders this year about agriculture.
