Carson City resident Karen Denio will be using her childhood experiences on an apple orchard in her new post as director of agriculture promotion and marketing for the Nevada Association of Counties.
Denio accepted the post on Dec. 11 and is looking forward to helping the state's farming community.
"I'm very excited about this and I appreciate the opportunity to work with farmers and ranchers in Nevada, to promote their industry," she said. "Why shouldn't Nevada's agriculture be promoted like any other state's? Farmers and ranchers here work very hard at what they do and agriculture is very important."
A Carson City resident for 18 years, Denio has an impressive resume that includes working as rural coordinator for U.S. Senator Harry Reid. Most recently, she completed an 18-month appointment as the state executive director for the Farm Service Agency.
As such, she offered services for farmers aimed at sustaining American agriculture including disaster programs, price support and farm loans.
In her new position, she will serve as a liaison between the Nevada Association of Counties and the Nevada Department of Agriculture, in addition to managing statewide marketing and promotion programs to promote agricultural products.
"Karen brings a wealth of experience from working over the years in rural Nevada," said Bob Hadfield, executive director of the Nevada Association of Counties. "We're thrilled to have her continue in the agricultural sector throughout the state."
Nevada's Department of Agriculture received funding for two years from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the position. Denio will also host sustainable agriculture workshops and work with the Nevada Farmers' Market Association.
"Agriculture is a struggle no matter where you are. There are so many variables: The weather, the market and the economy, to name just a few. So much goes into it," she said.
More than 3,000 farmers and ranchers in Nevada produce a wide variety of products, growing everything from cattle and sheep to flowers and herbs, according to Denio, who grew up working in her family's apple orchards in Tonasket, Wash., a small town in the north central part of the state.
She graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, with a bachelor's degree in elementary education and special education, and taught in Carson City for four years.
In addition to her work promoting agriculture, she is chairwoman of the Carson City Library Board of Trustees and a member of the Nevada Day Committee, Kiwanis and American Association of University Women. She was also named Carson City Citizen of the Year in 1994-95.
She lives in Carson City with her husband, Galen, and has three grown daughters.
