To celebrate their successes, Western Growers (WG) is honoring Miles and Garland Reiter during the Award of Honor Dinner at Western Growers’ 91st Annual Meeting in Hawaii. This is the first time in WG’s history that the Board of Directors has chosen two individuals to receive the award together, and there is no better pair worthy of this honor than the extraordinary brother duo who have established themselves as pioneers in the berry industry.

Together, the Reiter brothers have expanded the market for berries and developed new berry commodities for consumers. They have not only preserved the legacy that preceded them, but grown their companies to be among the leaders in the agricultural industry. Learn more about their achievements in the “A Family Tradition: Reiter Brothers Build a Berry Legacy” story recently featured in WG&S magazine.  

Join us in congratulating this year’s recipients of the Award of Honor!

To purchase a custom ad honoring the Reiters, contact Ryan Zilker by September 16, 2016. You can create your own congratulatory ad or work with Western Growers’ Marketing team to design a one-of-a-kind message in honor of Miles and Garland. Ads will be displayed in the 2016 Annual Meeting Conference Guide and all proceeds benefit the WG Foundation.

You can also reserve a table for 10 to receive preferred seating at the front of the room for the best view of our stage, entertainment and the Award of Honor recipients. Each table reservation includes two complimentary bottles of wine. To purchase your table, or for questions, please contact Ryan Zilker at (949) 885-2249. Proceeds of table purchases will also go towards the WG Foundation.

Also, don’t forget to register for the annual meeting! You can register and book your hotel on the Annual Meeting website. For questions about the Award of Honor or the Annual Meeting, contact Randy Hause at (949) 885-2265. 

Western Growers’ 91^st Annual Meeting in Hawaii is quickly approaching, and you will not want to miss out on this year’s lineup of events. Kicking off on November 6, the annual meeting will be jam packed with memorable workshops, activities, guests and entertainment.

Attendees will have the opportunity to partake in educational and interactive workshops, covering topics including: Foodborne Illness – Criminal and Civil Liability, Top Chef and Innovation Arena II. Additionally, the ever-popular Hawaiian Style Family Games will round out the program.

We’ll also be featuring headliners including PAC Lunch speaker Jim Nicholson, former Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs; celebrity impersonator Jeff Tracta, who will pay tribute to over 50 years of music, comedy and pop culture during the Award Dinner; and Major Lunch speaker Garry E. Hall, retired Navy Flag Officer.

Rooms are quickly filling up and are almost sold out! If you haven’t already done so, don’t forget to:

• register for the 91st Annual Meeting
• make your room reservation
• book your flights
• request an absentee ballot

For more information on the Annual Meeting or for sponsorship questions, contact Randy Hause at (949) 885-2263.

This is an update to the August 23, 2016 Spotlight article announcing that China added the United States to the list of countries that are required to perform anti-mosquito treatments for produce imports.

On September 2, 2016, China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) regionalized its Zika requirements for shipments of cargo from the United States based on a risk-assessment performed by AQSIQ and data supplied by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. AQSIQ has now determined that vessels originating from the United States, other than the state of Florida, do not require disinsection certification.

Full details can be found in the September 2 update provided by the USDA-Foreign Agricultural Service. For more information, contact Ken Gilliland at (949) 885-2267.

After Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 1066 (Gonzalez) into law today, Western Growers President & CEO Tom Nassif released the following statement:

“The Governor has set in motion a chain of events that will cause workers in our fields to lose wages.  It is one thing to dismiss the rationale for a seasonal industry to have a 10-hour overtime threshold rather than an eight-hour threshold.  It is something entirely worse to dismiss economic reality.  Our farmers compete with farmers in other states and countries with no overtime costs, far lower minimum wages, reliable water supplies and far less regulatory burden.  California farmers will have no choice but to avoid even higher costs of production and they will utilize a number of strategies, including reducing work shifts and production of crops that require large numbers of employees.  The box stores, grocery chains and restaurant companies that buy fresh produce can and will purchase from growers in other states and countries to keep prices down.  They don’t care about the high costs of operating in California.  Neither, apparently, do a majority of the California Legislature or the Governor.”

To celebrate their successes, Western Growers (WG) is honoring Miles and Garland Reiter during the Award of Honor Dinner at Western Growers’ 91st Annual Meeting in Hawaii. This is the first time in WG’s history that the Board of Directors has chosen two individuals to receive the award together, and there is no pair more worthy of this honor than the extraordinary brother duo who have established themselves as pioneers in the berry industry.

Together, the Reiter brothers have expanded the market for berries and developed new berry commodities for consumers. They have not only preserved the legacy that preceded them, but grown their companies to be among the leaders in the agricultural industry. Learn more about their achievements in the “A Family Tradition: Reiter Brothers Build a Berry Legacy” story recently featured in WG&S magazine.  

Join us in congratulating this year’s recipients of the Award of Honor!

To reserve a custom ad honoring the Reiters, contact Ryan Zilker by September 16, 2016. Final ads are due by September 23, 2016. You can create your own congratulatory ad or work with Western Growers’ Marketing team to design a one-of-a-kind message in honor of Miles and Garland. Ads will be displayed in the 2016 Annual Meeting Conference Guide and all proceeds benefit the WG Foundation.

You can also reserve a table for 10 to receive preferred seating at the front of the room for the best view of our stage, entertainment and the Award of Honor recipients. Each table reservation includes two complimentary bottles of wine. To purchase your table, or for questions, please contact Ryan Zilker at (949) 885-2249. Proceeds of table purchases will also go towards the WG Foundation.

Also, don’t forget to register for the annual meeting! You can register and book your hotel on theAnnual Meeting website. For questions about the Award of Honor or the Annual Meeting, contact Randy Hause at (949) 885-2265. 

To celebrate their successes, Western Growers (WG) is honoring Miles and Garland Reiter during the Award of Honor Dinner at Western Growers’ 91st Annual Meeting in Hawaii. This is the first time in WG’s history that the Board of Directors has chosen two individuals to receive the award together, and there is no pair more worthy of this honor than the extraordinary brother duo who have established themselves as pioneers in the berry industry.

Together, the Reiter brothers have expanded the market for berries and developed new berry commodities for consumers. They have not only preserved the legacy that preceded them, but grown their companies to be among the leaders in the agricultural industry. Learn more about their achievements in the “A Family Tradition: Reiter Brothers Build a Berry Legacy” story recently featured in WG&S magazine.  

Join us in congratulating this year’s recipients of the Award of Honor!

To reserve a custom ad honoring the Reiters, contact Ryan Zilker by September 16, 2016. Final ads are due by September 23, 2016. You can create your own congratulatory ad or work with Western Growers’ Marketing team to design a one-of-a-kind message in honor of Miles and Garland. Ads will be displayed in the 2016 Annual Meeting Conference Guide and all proceeds benefit the WG Foundation.

You can also reserve a table for 10 to receive preferred seating at the front of the room for the best view of our stage, entertainment and the Award of Honor recipients. Each table reservation includes two complimentary bottles of wine. To purchase your table, or for questions, please contact Ryan Zilker at (949) 885-2249. Proceeds of table purchases will also go towards the WG Foundation.

Also, don’t forget to register for the annual meeting! You can register and book your hotel on the Annual Meeting website. For questions about the Award of Honor or the Annual Meeting, contact Randy Hause at (949) 885-2265. 

As previously reported in Spotlight, the Interstate-8 westbound off-ramp at 4th Ave/Winterhaven is closed until at least December due to a CalTrans road construction project. 

Cal Trans recently provided a detour notice and alternate route map for the farm traffic restriction​ on I-8 westbound traveling from Yuma to Bard, and the closure of the Winterhaven/4th Ave. exit. The City of Yuma has provided alternate routes for farm equipment from the Giss Parkway Exit through town and across the 4th Ave. bridge.

This closure will last until at least December 1st. Please help us spread the word, and share this information with your industry contacts.

For more information, contact AnnaMarie Knorr at (602) 451-0658. 

I recently ran across an article by Elliot Abrams that hit close to home: The United States Bars Christian, Not Muslim, Refugees From Syria. Abrams notes how “the United States has accepted 10,801 Syrian refugees, of whom 56 are Christian. Not 56 percent; 56 total, out of 10,801.”

This shocking figure just confirms what I recently wrote in my column for WG&S Magazine. The United States needs to boost its efforts to protect Christians and preserve Christianity in the Middle East—and they need to do it quickly. Radical Islamic extremists are viewing Christians as infidels, and Christians are being murdered all across the Middle East.

Whether it be advancing religious security in this region through our diplomatic and military clout like I mention in my column or allowing Christians to apply directly to the U.S. (rather than UN) for refugee status like Abrams mentions in his article, we need a solution to protect Christians in the Middle East.

We’re less than 50 days away from the start of the 91^st Annual Meeting being held at the Grand Hyatt Resort & Spa in Kauai. This fun-filled and informative event is bringing hundreds of Western Growers’ members together to mix and mingle amid Hawaii’s lush tropical setting. As always, the Annual Meeting would not be possible without the support of our sponsors. As we prepare to don our Hawaiian shirts and dresses, Western Growers would like to thank all of our sponsors for their generous support! See a list of all of our sponsors below.

Please consider using our sponsors’ professional business products and services as an additional way of saying ‘Thank you!’ for their support and commitment to our organization and industry.

Feel like you’re missing out on an opportunity to get your company name in front of Western Growers’ members? It’s not too late to participate!  Contact Randy Hause at (949) 885-2265 for more information on available sponsorships.

Award of Honor Ads and Tables

We would also like to remind attendees that you still have an opportunity to reserve a custom ad honoring Miles and Garland Reiter, co-recipients of this year’s Award of Honor. This is the first time in WG’s history that the Board of Directors has chosen two individuals to receive the award together. Create your own ad or work with WGs’ marketing staff to design your thank you to the Reiters. Final ads are due by September 23, 2016.

You can also reserve a table for 10 to receive preferred seating at the front of the room for the best view of our stage, entertainment and the Award of Honor recipients. Each table reservation includes two complimentary bottles of wine. Proceeds of table purchases will also go towards the WG Foundation. For ad info or to purchase a table, please contact Ryan Zilker at (949) 885-2249.

Absentee Voting Ballots

Don’t forget that this year’s event is being held during the Presidential Election
(Tuesday, November 8). That means that anyone who is planning to vote needs to request an absentee ballot if you are also attending the Annual Meeting. Obtain info on absentee voting ballots in Arizona, California and Colorado.

Registration and Book Room

If after reading all of this you realized you still haven’t registered for the 91^st Annual Meeting, well here’s your chance! Register and book your room today before it’s too late!

91^st Annual Meeting Sponsors

Platinum Sponsors

Anthem Blue Cross

Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Bayer, Crop Science

C.H. Robinson

Crop Production Services

Dow AgroSciences

Farm Credit

Amercian AgCredit

Farm Credit West

CoBank

Fresno Madera Farm Credit

Golden State Farm Credit

Monsanto

Pinnacle Claims Management

Rabobank

syngenta

Wells Fargo

Western Growers Insurance Services

Gold Sponsors

John Deere

Prudential Agricultural Investments

Rynn & Janowsky LLP

Western Growers Financial Services

Silver

International Paper

RDO Equipment & Water

Trical Inc

Bronze Sponsors

Amvac Chemical Corporation

ARMSRx Pharmacy Benefit Consulting

Bank of the West

Booth Machinery

Braga Fresh Family Farms

CASE IH

Change Healthcare

Emerald Packaging Inc

First Health Network

Green Rubber Kennedy Ag LP

Healthstat Inc

iFoodDecisionSciences

JLT Specialty USA

Konica Minolta Business Solutions USA

Marrone Bio Innovations

Nelson Irrigation Corporation

Netafim USA

North American Pipe

Ocean Mist Farms

Ramsay Highlander, Inc.

Raub Brock Capital Management, LP

Sambrailo Packaging

The Gowan Company

Valent USA Corporation

Western Power Products

Western Precooling Systems

WestRock

Wilbur-Ellis Company

Willowood USA LLC

Suppliers

Agrian, Inc

Barkley Ag Enterprises LLC

Blue Book Services

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP

Fruit Growers Supply

Grimmway Enterprises Inc

Growers Company Inc, The

JS Ag Packaging

LaRiviere, Grubman PC

Law Offices of Shawn E. Caine, APC

Marsh Risk & Insurance Services

MIXTEC Group

Southern Valley Chemical Co

Sturdy Oil Company

Styrotek Inc

Tuttle Taylor & Heron

Weather Tec Corporation

Associate member ballots were mailed recently to associate and national members. Ballots must be received by September 29. Please take a moment to complete your ballot and return to Western Growers for tabulation.

For more information, contact Randy Hause at (949) 885-2265.