Krout, with deep ag roots, serves farming community

Growing up in Penngrove, the fourth generation of a family of agriculturalists, Andrea Krout got an intimate look at how farmers and ranchers contribute to the local food system.

Her parents - a school administrator mother and fire chief father - also raised heifers to sell as replacement stock for dairy ranchers. Now 32 and with 50 head of cattle of her own, Krout recalls her childhood on the small Penngrove farm - working alongside her sister, taking care of the family’s cows - as a seminal experience that launched her career in agriculture.

“It laid the foundation for my passion in agriculture,” said Krout, who lives just outside of Petaluma with her boyfriend and dog, Monkey. “It was instilled in me at an early age that, raising cattle, you have to be responsible.”

For her efforts, which have included working to protect farmland, speaking on behalf of sustainable local food systems and leadership roles in local agricultural groups, Krout was bestowed the 2016 Petaluma Excellence in Agriculture award.

She said that she feels honored to have been selected from the community with deep agricultural roots and many worthy farmers and ranchers.

“I am just overwhelmed with gratitude,” she said. “Our county is rich with people involved in agriculture. We live in a food basket, and I’m happy to be a part of that system.”

From a young age, Krout became involved in 4-H, where she showed Holstein dairy cattle and horses. While at Petaluma High School, she was a leader in the local FFA chapter and was part of a farm business management team that won a statewide competition and competed at nationals in Louisville, Ky.

After two years at Santa Rosa Junior College, she went on to Fresno State University, where she earned a degree in agriculture business.

Returning back to the Petaluma area, Krout worked for the Sonoma-Marin Fair, and later for California Farm Link, working to match retiring farmers with young aspiring agriculturalists looking for land.

“The end goal was to keep the land in production,” she said. “I’m passionate about preserving land for future generations to farm.”

Through her work on land issues, she became involved in David Rabbitt’s successful campaign for Sonoma County Supervisor in 2010. Much of the county’s pasture land is in Rabbitt’s south county district, and he has been a strong supporter of the agriculture industry.

Krout continued working with Rabbitt after the election and is currently the supervisor’s district director.

Working in government and politics has given Krout a new platform in which to influence agricultural policy, though she is a rancher at heart.

“If I could be out in the field with cows all day long, sure, that sounds like a dream job,” she said. “But I enjoy my job with Supervisor Rabbitt.”

Krout will be given the Excellence in Agriculture award at the 2016 Petaluma Community Awards of Excellence, April 14 at the Petaluma Sheraton Hotel. In nominating her for the award, Maureen Highland, executive director of the Petaluma Educational Foundation, said Krout’s dedication to agriculture shows in her involvement in many community organizations.

“It is in her blood - literaly,” Highland wrote. “Andrea continues to demonstrate her passion for sharing updates on the many different ways the agriculture industry impacts not only our local community but worldwide economies.”

Krout is most proud of her volunteer work with several agriculture and community organizations. She is an appointee to the North Coast Regional Food System Network, a group that encourages increasing food production, identifying existing infrastructure and gaps in food infrastructure and providing greater market access to food producers.

She is on the board of the Petaluma Educational Foundation, Sonoma County Farm Trails - which her grandparents helped start - and is active in Young Farmers and Ranchers. She recently won the statewide Young Farmers and Ranchers discussion meet, which is similar to a debate competition, and represented the state at the national finals in Florida.

“I’m very passionate about talking about issues that affect agriculture and land use,” she said.

Besides ranching and government work, Krout loves running, hiking and riding horses at the coast. A singer/songwriter, she is currently playing with country group The Boot Band.

While she has a front row seat to local politics through her work with the Board of Supervisors, she doesn’t have plans to run for office anytime soon.

“At this point in my life, I’m happy working in a support role,” she said. “My passions lie with advocating for agriculture and a vibrant food system.”

(Contact Matt Brown at matt.brown@arguscourier.com.)