Chairman's Page
It is my great honor and a great responsibility to serve the membership of Western Growers as the 83rd Chairman of the Board of Directors this year. As Chairman, I am privileged to head a board of exceptional industry leaders from the fresh produce and tree nut industries in California and Arizona. The board and the talented staff of Western Growers take their roles of representing you, our members, and the western specialty crop industry, very seriously.
Western Growers’ mission is clear: to enhance the competitiveness and profitability of our members and to lead our members and the fresh produce industry toward a healthy, sustainable and profitable future. In 2008, Western Growers will continue fighting the good fight on many fronts: despite the political delays and challenges of a presidential election year, we continue to press for Comprehensive Immigration Reform and AgJobs, a national Food Safety standard that is area and crop specific, for Specialty Crop funding in the Farm Bill (near realization at the time I write this), health care reform in California, Arizona employer sanctions relief, dealing with the likelihood of competing water bond issues in California this fall, in addition to the full gamut of local politics that every election year brings.
But Western Growers is not just about politics and policy (though we do these things quite well) – it is about people: the families, and family farms, and family stories behind the food our nation eats, and also exports. It is about you, our members. Your stories resonate around this country and the world, and they connect us as people, to other people. We plan to bring that message to our membership and those we interact with at all levels of industry and government.
Thank you for trusting me and my fellow board members to serve you this year. I encourage you to take a few moments and learn a little bit more about Western Growers and what it is doing by visiting our website, subscribing to our e-newsletter, “Spotlight,” by participating in events, surveys, and other appeals for direction and support whenever you can, but most of all by reaching out to board members and staff. We need and want to hear from you.
The greatest of good wishes to you and your families in 2008,
Bob Gray
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