Grainswest - Winter 2024

Winter 2024 grainswest.com 17 BY IAN DOIG • ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY CHU Province’s top plant official co-ordinates response to pest threats and emergencies Green guardian C hief provincial plant health officer since October 2022, Krista deMilliano is only the second person to hold the job since it was created in February 2019 within the Crop Assurance and Rural Programming branch of Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation. Following scares such as the appearance of jimsonweed in 2015, the Province created this dedicated position to co-ordinate preparedness and response for situations that involve weeds, insects and plant diseases. Though the public may not be familiar with the existence and activities of deMilliano’s office, she deals with critical agricultural pest issues and has considerable resources and personnel at her disposal. Staff within the Edmonton office hold expertise in plant pathology, entomology, agri- cultural policy and emergency response. deMilliano also works with the Alberta Plant Health Lab diagnostics team, which supplies pest data and expertise to the province’s ag industry. GrainsWest: What are your job responsibilities? Krista deMilliano: First, providing input on policy and legis- lative changes. I also think about monitoring for emerging pest issues within the province, preparing for and responding to the next plant health emergency. GW: What existing or emerging threats concern you? KD: All of the provincially regulated weeds and pests are on my radar. For example, clubroot, grasshoppers and scentless cham- omile as well as invasive species such as spotted lanternfly or Palmer amaranth that are brought forward to national commit- tees by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada or by my provincial counterparts. GW: When did you discover you were a plant person? KD: I was raised on a cattle and grain farm in the Lamont area of northeastern Alberta. I helped my parents a lot on the farm growing up, fixing fence, raking hay, helping in the garden or just keeping my mom and dad company on the combine. It was through those experiences I became interested in how the seed you put in the ground becomes a fully mature plant and then turns into food on our table. So, I decided to follow that interest. GW: How did you find the path to this job as Alberta’s top plant official? KD: It’s through the experience I gained in school and work that led me here. I attended the University of Alberta for my bachelor