Supes to honor agriculture official
John Young ended his 29-year career Friday
The Yolo County Board of Supervisors will honor John Young, now former agricultural commissioner and sealer of weights & measures, during Tuesday’s meeting in light of his recent retirement.
Young retired
Friday after completing a 29-year career in the service of agriculture and its many stakeholders.
In Yolo County, agriculture is
especially significant, as it’s the county’s leading industry. According to the Yolo Land Trust, the county has 250,695 acres of prime farmland, which is by far the most of the counties in the region.
Chief Deputy Agricultural Commissioner Dave Guerrero is serving as the interim agricultural commissioner until a replacement is selected.
The board is set to ratify a resolution in Young’s honor, recognizing his retirement and long-standing career and accomplishments with the county.
“John, through his leadership and example over the course of his long career, has earned the respect and admiration of his many colleagues and the trust of agricultural producers while protecting the residents of Yolo County,” the resolution states.
After passing 12 state agricultural exams, attending numerous management courses and working in various positions within the Yolo County Department of Agriculture, Young started as agricultural commissioner in September of 2009.
In 2017, Young helped create the Yolo County Cannabis Task Force, helping Yolo County “become a leading county in the state,” according to the resolution.
The task force investigates illegal marijuana activities — like grows conducted without a county permit — and monitors compliance of permitted growers and distributors.
The Department of Agriculture and the task force often help the county’s District Attorney’s office in cannabis-related investigation and prosecution.
In 2018, the task force provided “significant assistance” in the case of an Antioch man who was ordered to pay $2.8 million for growing hundreds of cannabis plants without a license.
Young is a Yolo County native, born in Woodland and raised on a ranch outside Madison, according to the county’s website.
Young graduated from Esparto High School and started his employment in with the county in 1991 after completing his studies at Sacramento State, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration, with a concentration in management.
“(Young) will now be able to spend more time with his wife Shannan and his sons Derek, Travis and Will, going four wheeling, hunting and fishing, hiking, camping, wine making, gardening, and traveling throughout the state of California,” the resolution states.