Marin County appoints new agricultural commissioner

Marin County has a new leader for its Department of Agriculture/Weights and Measures, an agency with broad responsibilities for regulation enforcement and consumer protection.

Joe Deviney, who started on July 22, carries the titles of agriculture commissioner and director of weights and measures. His department has 14 full-time employees and an annual budget of about $3.3 million.

Deviney, who has more than three decades of experience in the field, said he was drawn to Marin for its reputation in land conservation and addressing climate change.

“I did a lot of research and comparisons, and Marin just seems to win on all levels,” he said. “It seems like a very special place to be and I feel quite privileged to be a part of it.”

The Marin County Board of Supervisors approved Deviney’s appointment at its meeting on July 16. His starting annual salary will be $208,728.

The appointment comes four months after Stefan Parnay, the county’s previous agricultural commissioner, announced his retirement. Deviney was selected after a statewide search and interviews with stakeholders, county department heads and the Board of Supervisors.

The agriculture commissioner’s responsibilities include enforcing local, state and federal agricultural laws and regulations on health and safety, pesticides and the environment. The office also produces an annual report on livestock and crop production.

The weights-and-measures field involves consumer protection. The staff verifies the accuracy of advertising and works to ensure that customers are being charged correctly for items such as gasoline, taxi fares, propane and packaged commodities.

“I am excited to have Joe Deviney join the team,” said Marin County Executive Derek Johnson. “He joins a strong team and has demonstrated that he can positively support Marin’s agriculture community and provide customer service and protection in his capacity overseeing weights and measures.”

Deviney said the market is one of the challenges Marin County faces. He said the Marin livestock sector — a “biologically based” model where the quantity of livestock is balanced with what the land can support — is great for the environment. However, it also tends to drive up the price of products, and price is ultimately the deciding factor for most consumers.

“The industry we have is more resilient and sustainable and proper, but they get nudged out because they can’t compete with the huge dairies,”  Deviney said. “The business models in Marin are very sustainable and very environmentally conscious and it may cost a little bit more, but it’s true to what it should be, instead of the highly industrialized situations.”

Deviney also sees drought conditions and the rise of bird flu as challenges. He said there will be more inspections and measures to ensure the county is staying on top of the issue.

Anja Raudabaugh, chief executive officer of the Western United Dairies trade organization, said it is “very excited” about Deviney’s appointment because of his work in previous roles.

“He has provided excellent leadership on the state’s Agricultural Commissioners and Sealers Association, so this is a great next step,” Raudabaugh said. “We know Joe will preserve the local dairy food culture and protect working lands that provide both farm-to-table products and beautiful ecological diversity in Marin County.”

Deviney spent part of his childhood in the southeastern United States and moved to California when he was 15. He got his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from California State University, East Bay.

Deviney said he was always interested in insects and plants. It wasn’t until he was working in a plant nursery and he met an inspector that he began thinking about a career in county government.

“I was like, ‘Wow, how do you get your job?’” Deviney said. “I pursued it and then I became a seasonal insect trapper and invasive weed eradicator. That was my humble beginnings, then I got more formally into the system. I worked in all the programs.”

His career includes eight years as deputy agricultural commissioner and sealer of weights and measures in Contra Costa County and 12 years as agricultural commissioner and sealer of weights and measures in Santa Clara County.

Deviney said he is eager to get more in touch with the environment, especially because his last role was in an urban setting. He said Marin County was also appealing because of partnerships, institutions and programs such as the Agricultural Institute of Marin, the Marin Resource Conservation District and the UC Cooperative Extension.

“They are really just an elite team, so I was really excited to have the opportunity to work with them,” he said.

Nancy Scolari, the executive director of the Marin Resource Conservation District, said she is excited about Deviney’s hiring. She said the commissioner is an important liaison among the district, the county government and the community.

“For example, this year the annual crop report will feature the subject of carbon farming, which is the primary stewardship program offered to agricultural producers in their efforts to meet county climate goals,” Scolari said.