The next agricultural commissioner for Stanislaus County will make history
Kamaljit Bagri will be the next agricultural commissioner for Stanislaus County, the first woman in the post.
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday appointed Bagri to succeed Milton O’Haire as of March 29. He will retire after eight years.
Bagri is now assistant ag commissioner for San Joaquin County. She will make $145,000 a year to start in Stanislaus.
The 40-person office helps protect the diverse farming at the foundation of the local economy. It monitors for pests and issues spraying permits with safeguards for workers and the public.
The commissioner also serves as sealer of weights and measures, assuring that scales and other devices are accurate. And the staff compiles an annual report on gross income to farmers — $3.6 billion as of 2019.
“As the ag commissioner of a county which ranks fifth in agricultural sales throughout California, I will strive to guide the county in supporting the ag industry locally,” Bagri said in a news release.
State law requires a commissioner in every county. The California Department of Food and Agriculture provides a list of candidates who are licensed for this line of work.
Bagri has bachelor’s degrees in education and science from Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar, Punjab, India.
She started her career in 1999 as a seasonal pest trapper for the Merced County commissioner. She was promoted to biologist and later worked for the Stanislaus County office before her current post in San Joaquin.
