About Henry Gonzales, LLC
Mission
The mission of Henry Gonzales, LLC is to provide agricultural businesses with intelligence that will inform their success.
Meet Our Founder and Principal Consultant
Henry S. Gonzales, a retired California county agricultural commissioner and sealer of weights and measures, is now in business as an agriculture consultant. He served five years as agricultural commissioner and sealer of weights and measures for Monterey County, until retiring at the end of 2022. The previous ten years, he served as agricultural commissioner for Ventura County.
Before serving as agricultural commissioner for Ventura County, he worked his way up through the ranks of the agricultural commissioner’s office in Monterey County. In both counties he worked as an agent of the county and the state implementing and administering programs regulating the agricultural industry.
In his executive management position of agricultural commissioner, he led the agriculture department of each county. Both coastal counties grow upwards of two hundred different agricultural crops, with rural areas surrounded by urban, suburban development, in highly politicized environments. Monterey County is the fourth highest agricultural dollar generating county in the nation. Ventura County perennially ranks in the tenth spot for agricultural production value.
Education
He earned an Associate of Science degree in Agricultural Mechanics from Hartnell College, Salinas; a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Science from California State University, Fresno; and an master’s degree in public administration from Golden Gate University, San Francisco.
In addition to his formal education and years of experience working within the California county agricultural commissioner’s system, he worked as a farmworker. As the child of a migrant farmworker family, he began working in Salinas Valley fields at age fourteen thinning lettuce seedlings with the now banned short-handled hoe called El Cortito (the short one) in Spanish.
He started his professional career as an agricultural aide monitoring insect traps for quarantine pests for the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office. Later, he was promoted to the positions of agricultural inspector/biologist, deputy agricultural commissioner, and chief deputy agricultural commissioner.
In Monterey County, he oversaw the fourth highest grossing agricultural producing county in the nation. In his role of agricultural commissioner, he was both promoter and regulator of agriculture. His education and experience gave him the necessary background to lead the complex issues faced by the agriculture industry. He collaborated with members of the agriculture industry, environmentalists, labor advocates, elected and appointed individuals, and others to address issues of shared interest.
Among his first in the nation accomplishments were launching a web-based fumigation notification system, 24/7 staffed pesticide action phoneline,
He administered the department’s $13.5 million budget, three offices, and oversaw eighty staff. He also administered pest detection, exclusion, eradication, and management activities for exotic invasive species such as the Light Brown Apple Moth and the Asian citrus psyllid that adversely impact farming.
He served as staff to the County Agricultural Advisory Committee which oversaw agricultural land-use issues. He also provided land use recommendations to the Planning Department, Planning Commission, and Board of Supervisors. His experience engaging in outreach activities resulted in greater communication and understanding of the needs of agriculture and the local community.
To learn more about what a county agricultural commissioner and sealer of weights and measures do, visit CDFA - CA Ag Commissioners.
While serving as agricultural commissioner he was also a member of the California Agricultural Commissioner’s and Sealer’s Association (CACASA). As a member of CACASA he served on the Pesticide Regulatory Affairs, Finance, Pest Prevention, Nursery, Seed, and Apiary Committees. He also represented CACASA on the California Department of Pesticide Regulation Worker Safety Regulation Work Group. He was a member of the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Ad Hoc Advisory Committee to the Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis. He served on the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program Advisory Committee. He served on the Monterey County Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights Advisory Commission. He also served on the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) study Community Advisory Board.
To learn more about CACASA visit CACASA | California Agricultural Commissioners and Sealers Association.
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Innovative Business Solutions
I offer innovative business consultation to help you start, maintain, grow, and be successful. I am dedicated to providing you with personalized services that cater to your unique business needs.
Consulting Services for Agriculture Businesses
Agriculture
Consulting services to help businesses plan, develop, and implement a roadmap for growth from the ground up. I work with you to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and create a tailored plan to achieve your business goals.
Land Use
Consulting services in land use to promote the long-term protection, conservation, and enhancement of productive and potentially productive agricultural land and to minimize potential conflict between agricultural and non-agricultural land uses
Pesticide Use Regulation
Consulting services to help you better understand pesticide use regulation including how the county and state exercise their enforcement programs. Providing insights into enforcement sources and methods.
Agricultural Commodity Exportation
Consulting services to help you export or import agricultural commodities. My county, state, federal and international experience can help you gain a full understanding of the intricacies of the multilayered system.
Organizational Management
Consulting services in managing your organization from line staff to external partners and others. Specializing in reaching best outcomes in union environments including negotiations and staff performance.
Government Relations
Consulting services in establishing and maintaining positive working relations with the many government entities encountered while doing business. Providing direct contacts and agency system familiarity.