“We’re educating lawmakers on the contribution our industry makes to the state and on our values.”
—Jana McKamey, Oregon Winegrowers Association
By Laura Ness
The scion of sugar beet farmers going back three generations, Jana McKamey has agriculture in her genes. Her father’s parents were Scots Irish, emigrating first to the southern United States before eventually settling in Wyoming. As a child, her mom came with her family from Finland to Astoria, Ore., in search of farmland. Her parents met at Oregon State University, and her dad was engaged in agricultural policy work during her childhood.
Reflecting on her upbringing, she laughs, “I didn’t realize not everyone is as obsessed with the weather as I am! We were always checking the skies for hail. It’s just part of the deal.”
Studying abroad in Germany under a Fulbright grant, she pursued a bachelor’s degree in history and German, graduating summa cum laude from University of Northern Colorado. Being in Europe put her in touch with the culture of wine. “I loved how wine reflected and connected to the place, the food, the climate and the history,” says McKamey. “It is, essentially, telling a story.”
After also discovering international affairs during that time abroad, she went on to earn her master’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. This career path led to a senior advisory role with the European Union’s diplomatic mission in Washington, D.C. As a side passion, she sold wine at a wine bar in London, England, and at a wine shop in Washington, D.C.
Although she initially traded a job on the family farm for an international relations career, she’s now back in ag — in a big way — as executive director of the nonprofit Oregon Winegrowers Association (OWA).
Back to the land
After 10 years of Beltway Life in D.C., McKamey was ready for a slower pace. “D.C. is a wonderful place, but it is not a forever home for me,.” she says. Initially, she thought to parlay her work in renewable energy for the European Union into a job in Oregon, where she had family connections. Instead, she threw her hat in the ring for a government affairs and relations manager position with the Oregon Winegrowers Association in 2012, and she climbed the ranks until becoming executive director of OWA in 2020.
“We are the lobbying arm of the Oregon wine industry,” explains McKamey, who advocates at state and federal levels on behalf of the organization’s more than 400 members. OWA serves as a vital advocate for the health, growth and economic sustainability of Oregon’s wine industry, which, although being less than 2% of the nation’s overall wine production, is the state’s largest value-added agricultural economic impact sector.
OWA works in concert with the Oregon Wine Board, which is the industry’s marketing and research arm, as well as with other state and regional wine associations to help the wine industry address challenges and thrive.
Both her agricultural acuity and lobbying experience come in handy when dealing with the important issues facing wineries and growers in Oregon. Among them:
-
- climate change and its far-reaching impacts;
-
- intensifying pressure from anti-alcohol factions and a push to raise privilege taxes to fund addiction and recovery services;
-
- dynamics of wine glass packaging recycling;
-
- workforce and labor challenges; and
-
- regulation of activities and events at wineries on farmland.
Addressing major issues
“Climate change is really impacting us,” says McKamey. “We’ve had heat domes and atmospheric rivers. We get a lot of rain and then drought and wildfires — and more high heat days and frost events — along with pest pressures. That’s where research is so important. We advocate for research funding in every Farm Bill and for special projects at the state level.”
The lack of ability to analyze winegrapes for smoke impacts in 2020 was so devastating, OWA obtained $2.7M from the state legislature for smoke analysis capabilities at Oregon State University. “We’ve also been successful collaborating at the federal level with Washington state and California to get research money from USDA to fund research into adaptations and techniques to mitigate smoke impacts,” says McKamey. OWA also established a Water Subcommittee to articulate water policy priorities. “Vineyards are efficient water users and have a vested interest in encouraging conservation,” she says.
Oregon’s privilege taxes on wine, cider and beer producers, ostensibly to fund addiction and recovery programs, are under scrutiny. McKamey is part of a 21-person task force appointed by the governor to examine whether there is need for additional funding and impacts on these sectors.
“We’re educating lawmakers on the contribution our industry makes to the state and on our values,” says McKamey. “There has been an effort to paint us as part of Big Alcohol, but we have a very different story. We’re connected to the land and support sustainable farming practices. We encourage moderate consumption and food pairing, and we care about our communities.”
OWA refutes the case for additional taxation, when only 3% of current taxes are dedicated to addiction and recovery services. Tracking the funding is another issue, and McKamey is advocating for more oversight of the Oregon Health Authority, along with evaluation metrics to ensure funding is well invested.
Recycling, labor and land use
Recently, there has been talk about shifting responsibility for packaging recycling to the manufacturers across many industries. In Oregon, branded product companies are being asked to help with end-of-life packaging. Specifically with regard to wine producers, an assessment will be levied as of July 1, 2025, on producers with more than $5 million in annual sales.
McKamey says wineries instead have the option to join the very robust bottle bill that already exists in Oregon, but there is opposition. She and others are trying to address stakeholder concerns so wine producers can be part of a well-managed system that will achieve the best environmental outcomes and let all wineries participate in a sustainability program.
Labor costs are another big issue both in the vineyard and in hospitality. Oregon is phasing in overtime pay for agricultural workers. OWA supported the policy with a long phase-in and financial tools to help mitigate costs, but the transition is difficult. To help OWA members be more competitive to attract and retain workers, OWA just launched a group 401K plan. “This helps our members to be employers of choice,” says McKamey. “OWA offers a group healthcare plan as well. Healthcare options are so important.”
Oregon has a long history of protecting farmland and regulating activities on those lands. The wine industry is a serious tourism driver and balancing protections with economic development is always a touchy issue. It took three legislative sessions to get Senate Bill 841 enacted (in 2013); it sets the rules for commercial activities and events at wineries on farmland. Now the Department of Land Conservation and Development is undertaking a rulemaking that could greatly impact what certain current and future permit holders can do. OWA is once again looking to find the right balance among member views in different parts of the state.
Says McKamey, “We are always analyzing weighty topics and evaluating the impact on our members. Each year, we ask our members to help us rank the issues, and we get them to engage in committees on land use and public policy, so our board can make the best decisions to help the industry grow and thrive.”
Like the weather, says McKamey, “It’s never boring!”
_____________________________________________________________________
Laura Ness
Laura Ness is an avid wine journalist, storyteller and wine columnist (Edible:Monterey, Los Gatos Magazine San Jose Mercury News, The Livermore Independent), and a long time contributor to Wine Industry Network. Known as “HerVineNess,” she judges wine competitions throughout California and has a corkscrew in every purse. However, she wishes that all wineries would adopt screwcaps!
