Western Growers Member Internship Program

Welcome to Western Growers Arizona Internship Program.  The goal of this program is to provide an opportunity for University of Arizona students to explore career options in the fresh produce industry through management-level internships with Western Growers member companies. Participating companies will provide qualified students with full-time, supervised, hands-on internships covering a range of farming activities related to the growing, packing and shipping of fresh produce.  During the course of the program, interns will have the opportunity to assist one or more of the managers, supervisors and/or foremen (i.e. farm manager, field supervisor, irrigation foreman, cold storage or cooler manager, shipping supervisor) responsible for the diverse aspects of a modern farming company.

Each internship will be individually designed and developed as a collaborative effort between the hiring company and selected student.  The structure, specific job duties, work schedule, length of experience) of the internship will be dependent on the workforce and seasonal needs of the hiring company, and the skills, knowledge, interests and academic schedule of the student. Generally, interns will be exposed to one or more of the following areas of operation: planting (could include pre-planting activities such as land preparation, irrigation, soil amendments), growing (could include activities such as irrigation, pest and disease management, soil amendments), harvesting, cooling and packing, shipping, and sales and marketing.

For 2012’s Internship program, our member companies include:

Al Harrison Company, Nogales

The Al Harrison Company began in 1938 in Southern California as a wholesale produce operation. In 1955, the Harrison brothers set up one of the first produce houses in Nogales, Arizona, offering watermelons, corn and cherry tomatoes grown in Mexico. After building a distribution facility in Nogales, Al Harrison became the leader in the watermelon distribution business and was known as the “The Watermelon King. The nickname stuck and is still used today to when referring to the company. The Al Harrison Company is now in its third generation and offers tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and squash in addition to watermelons.  They also have a strong greenhouse program and offer a variety of organic produce.

For more information, visit Al Harrison Company at: http://www.alharrison.com/

Martori Farms, Scottsdale

Martori Farms is a fourth generation grower and shipper with a century of experience in fresh fruit and vegetables.  What began with the first Martori in the U.S. earning a living as a fruit vendor on the streets of New York City has grown into a vertically integrated operation, shipping fresh fruits and vegetables year round throughout North America. The major commodities grown by Martori Farms include melons and broccoli. 

For more information, visit Martori Farms at: http://www.martorifarms.com/.
 

Pura Vida Farms, Scottsdale

More information coming soon.

For more information, visit Pura Vida Farms at: http://www.pvfarms.com/

Rousseau Farming Company, Phoenix

The Rousseau Farming Company has been a part of the Arizona community for generations.  Their roots in the Salt River Valley date as far back as 1878.  Rousseau families have had their hands in Arizona soil since they first came to Arizona – they started in cattle, then expanded to cotton, hay and corn, and finally transitioned to vegetables.  The Rousseau Farming Company farms 10,000 acres in the Phoenix area, 600 acres of which are dedicated to organic farming. They offer over 20 different fresh fruits and vegetables that can be found in local markets – everything from carrots, broccoli, leaf lettuce, red and rainbow chard, cilantro, parsley, celery, leeks, watermelon and cantaloupes.

For more information, visit Rousseau Farming Company at: http://www.farmfreshaz.com/.

 
Skyview Cooling/J-V Farms, Yuma

Skyview Cooling is a large vertically integrated vegetable grower and processor headquartered in Yuma, Arizona with operations in Arizona, Colorado, and Mexico across the border from Yuma, Arizona.  Skyview Cooling encompasses the cooling operations as well as being the holding company for various other cooling entities. J-V Farms encompasses the majority of the farming operations. J-V Farms is responsible for farming vast acres of vegetables during the winter and thousands of acres of secondary crops in the summer in the Yuma area.

For more information, visit Skyview Cooling/J-V Farms at: http://www.jvfarms.com/