Ag & the Law: Does Your Company Need an Employer Handbook? Spoiler Alert: Yes, it Does!

March 15th, 2022

By Teresa McQueen, Western Growers Corporate Counsel

Agricultural employers, in addition to all the other tools needed to assist in running their businesses, need a written employee handbook to protect their company from legal risks, set forth policies and procedures to guide employees and supervisors, and provide information on company benefits.

Why Does an Employer Need an Employee Handbook?

While state and federal law do not require businesses to create or distribute employee handbooks, the law does require every business to memorialize certain workplace policies in writing. For example, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) requires that employers with at least five employees distribute written harassment, discrimination and retaliation prevention policies. As a risk management tool, the employee handbook can be an effective first line of defense against claims of discrimination and other wrongful conduct. Laws continue to change, placing more and more responsibility on employers. Having an employee handbook and reviewing it for updated legal compliance is critical for employers.

Employee handbooks typically provide an overview of personnel procedures, work rules and fringe benefits. Handbooks help with orienting and training new employees; create a legal document which can be used to defend the employer; increase consistent treatment of employees and help avoid favoritism or discrimination; as well as guide the actions of management and supervisory personnel. With more focus on promoting equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion, it is more important than ever that employers understand and follow state, federal and local equal employment laws.

As a resource tool the employee handbook serves as a one-stop shop for information on all the business’ most important policies and procedures. A place where employees can quickly find information about employer expectations, benefits, employee rights and learn about the consequences for failing to adhere to company policies/procedures.

When Should a Business Create an Employee Handbook?

The ideal time to create and implement an employee handbook is pre-employment or at the inception of the organization. But it’s never too late to introduce an employee handbook into an existing organizational structure. An employee handbook is integral to human resources operations—an often-overlooked aspect of business operations—and creation and maintenance of the company’s unique culture.

When rolling out a new employee handbook—or updating an existing handbook—employers should keep the following tips in mind:

  • Determine the most effective method of distribution. For example, when introducing a new employee handbook, a company-wide meeting might be most effective. For introducing an updated handbook or updated policy perhaps email communications might work best.
  • If the organization has been operating without a handbook, explaining which policies may differ from current practices will be important.
  • Whether introducing a new or updated handbook, employers will want to be sure to require all employees to sign an acknowledgment attesting to receipt of the new or updated handbook.
  • Never think of a handbook as something stagnant. Because employment laws are continually changing, the company’s employee handbook should be reviewed on an annual basis and updated as necessary. Annual reviews should include, among other areas, an overall review of the following areas:
  • Cultural changes within the company
  • Technical changes or updated protocols
  • Changes in the law
  • Changes necessary due to company growth

Implementing and Enforcing Handbook Policies/Procedures

Generally, an employer may implement and enforce its lawful policies/procedures so long as application or enforcement does not unlawfully discriminate or negatively impact any one employee or group of employees based on a protected classification (e.g., race, religion, sex, national origin).

Employers with unionized employees must also be careful that the policies reflected in their handbooks are consistent with any collective bargaining agreement(s) in effect. Employers should also be aware of the potential impact of the National Labor Relation Act and the Agricultural Labor Relations Act on various employee policies.

Busting Common Employee Handbook Myths

As discussed above, an employee handbook can be a resourceful tool and an effective first line of defense against claims of discrimination and other wrongful conduct. Not yet convinced? Let’s bust a few common myths.

Myth #1: When it comes to employee handbooks, one size fits all.

Your company is unique, and your handbook should reflect that uniqueness. Using an “off the shelf” handbook template may seem like the ideal time saving tool, but there are several ways it can also create liability. Standardized templates and policies lack the necessary customization needed to ensure compliance with not only federal, but state and local laws; rarely reflect actual company practices; and tend to be poorly written. All of this can lead to increased liability.

Myth #2: Having an employee handbook gives my employees a roadmap on how to sue me.

Some employers feel that an informed employee is something to be feared; that an employee handbook is nothing more than a roadmap to litigation. Let’s flip that perspective for a moment. Employees who understand the law—what it requires of employers and employees—are in a better position to understand the employer’s actions and are less likely to resent or mistrust an employer who follows the law.

Opening the lines of communication with employees (e.g., engaging with them during training sessions or when rolling out an updated handbook) is a great way to build trust and encourage employees to communicate with the employer when there is a problem. Building trust with employees is also a great risk mitigation tool. Having a strong rapport with employees increases the likelihood that when confrontation occurs, they will turn to the employer for answers or solutions as opposed to someone outside the organization.

Myth #3: My operations are too small to warrant an employee handbook.

Small employers may not be subject to certain state or federal laws, but they can still be liable for “bet the farm” violations relating to wage and hour laws and harassment based on protected classifications.* Having an employee handbook is also an easy way to create a more professional image and make sure even a small number of employees understand what the company expects from them and how they can help guide company culture.

The bottom line is a customized and legally compliant employee handbook, consistently enforced and updated, can be an invaluable resource for any business.

Western Growers now offers a hands-on workshop to build out a completed and customized legally compliant employee handbook ready to distribute to your organization’s employees. For more information about our workshops, please contact Teresa McQueen at [email protected].

*All employers are subject to state and federal wage and hours laws. In California, all employment provisions of the Fair Employment and Housing Act’s (FEHA) anti-discrimination provisions apply to all employers with five or more full-time or part-time employees. In addition, FEHA’s anti-harassment provisions apply to employers with just one employee.

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Science: Agricultural Water Management Evolution

March 15th, 2022

By Sonia Salas, WG Assistant Vice President of Science

The fresh produce industry exists to offer safe and nutritious food. Many investments and controls continue to be implemented with the goal of enhancing fresh produce safety. Contamination can come from different sources on and outside the farm, including agricultural water. Therefore, knowing how to manage water quality is critical to reducing produce safety risks during fresh produce production. However, questions remain regarding agricultural water management and where it is heading.

In addition to the risk associated with various water sources, the FAO/WHO committee also recognized the impact of irrigation timing on the fate of pathogens if they were introduced onto the crop via contaminated water. The committee noted that “pathogens have been shown to decline with time following cessation of irrigation before harvest,” and acknowledged that the influence of different irrigation systems was not well understood or studied but that overhead irrigation was likely riskier than any subsurface irrigation.

Food safety practices from the early 2000s to today have rapidly matured, consequently adding significant cost and complexity to food safety and irrigation management. Between April 2006 and April 2007, the leafy green industry’s approach to irrigation water safety moved from a voluntary system of recommended good agricultural practices to a mandatory system of measuring prior to use and monitoring during use to manage microbial water quality using science-based standards.

The leafy greens industry in California and Arizona has recognized the risk of contamination related to water sources along with the timing and method of irrigation and is committed to continuous improvement. The Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) members have adopted food safety metrics that are routinely reviewed and modified. The most recent modifications in 2019 and 2020 addressed agricultural irrigation water by implementing significant changes to further minimize the potential for irrigation water contaminating a field. Rather than only relying on testing and monitoring to ensure the safety of water sources, distribution systems and suitability for intended use, the LGMAs adopted a rigorous risk assessment protocol, limited the use of certain types of waters, enacted timing restrictions and required treatment of select waters in the field. Today, the LGMA-approved metrics embody the most stringent requirements for the use of agricultural irrigation water in the United States.

On Dec. 2, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the long-anticipated proposed changes to the agricultural water requirements (Subpart E) of the Produce Safety Rule. The agency is moving away from a prescriptive approach to a risk assessment-based approach for assessing agricultural water systems. This proposed approach provides flexibility but at the same time creates ambiguity when it comes to how each company conducts a hazard assessment.

As currently proposed, the new approach would require entities to comprehensively assess possible sources and routes by which known or “reasonably foreseeable hazards” are likely to be introduced in pre-harvest agricultural water and then apply mitigation measures. We expect diverse views on how entities define and manage “reasonably foreseeable hazards” and the burden to mitigate issues will fall heavily on the grower despite growers being unable to control adjacent land uses that can impact the quality and safety of agricultural water. We anticipate issues regarding what constitutes nearby areas, appropriate action(s), or mitigation measures that are not solely dependent on antimicrobial water treatments.

As the FDA moves towards a risk-based approach for managing agricultural water, we encourage the agency to work with federal, state and local agencies to support water quality and safety and consider their role and role of other users in water quality and safety. In addition, data-sharing and data analytics can play a key role in filling knowledge gaps and enhancing how farms manage agricultural water in the future. Western Growers will continue working with the produce industry to understand and address the risks associated with agricultural water through the use of data analytics, leading industry efforts and working with all stakeholders.

The role that data science and analytics play in filling knowledge gaps will provide insights and help improve the understanding of different aspects such as various water sources, application methods, and treatment and timing of water applications. Only through collaboration with agricultural neighbors in sharing knowledge, responsibility, and taking a holistic approach to managing water quality and safety can we support a sustainable and safe use of agricultural water.

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Trade Practices: Shipper Steps to Take When Verifying a Potential Rejection

March 15th, 2022

By Bryan Nickerson, WG Manager of Trade Practices & Commodity Services

As a shipper, it is prudent to fully understand both your contractual obligations and your rights when handling a potential rejection.

A shipment cannot be deemed rejected if it is either:

1.  Unloaded (except for the purpose of inspection); or

2.  Unilaterally diverted during transit

Under PACA law, both such actions constitute acts of acceptance. For proper cause, your buyer may reject a shipment by providing a prompt and proper notification to the shipper.

PACA defines timeliness in rejecting a shipment as:

•   If it is a truck shipment, the buyer has up to 10 hours after arrival at contract destination.

•   If it is a rail shipment, within 24 hours of arrival at contract destination.

For your customer to properly reject a shipment, there needs to be unbiased, objective evidence of a breach of contract. Unless you’ve agreed to it, an internal Quality Control (QC) or Quality Assurance (QA) inspection should not be deemed as a valid representation of the load’s quality and condition at the contract destination. The best practice—dependent upon where product is shipped—is to secure that evidence by obtaining a federal U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) or Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspection, indicating the product did not meet contract specifications upon arrival. Remember, on a Free on Board (FOB) sale, it is the buyer’s burden to request a USDA inspection and prove a breach of contract, not the shipper’s.

I often receive inquiries from shippers asking if their product arrived at the contract destination showing problems and the buyer is requesting to amend the original sales contract, can they (the shipper) take possession of the load and move it to another wholesaler or buyer that they feel can do a better job with the distressed product? The simple answer to that question is “no.” Once the product is sold to the buyer, it belongs to the buyer, and only if the buyer agrees to release it back to the shipper can the shipper move the product elsewhere. That said, the buyer cannot unilaterally amend the contract as there must still be a mutual agreement reached by both parties to change the original sale.

The takeaway is when product is rejected by a buyer back to the shipper, the shipper should immediately move the product to another buyer or wholesaler to minimize losses. If the shipper feels that the rejection was not a valid rejection, then he can place the buyer “on notice” that the rejection was wrongful. You must thoroughly document and memorialize the steps you are taking to mitigate damages. To mitigate losses, the product will then be moved to be sold for the account of whom it may concern. The shipper will look to the original buyer who rejected the product for any and all losses from the original sales contract.

Assistance with rejections and helping you understand your shipper rights is just a small fraction of the services offered by the Western Growers Trade Practices Department. In an effort to enhance the competitiveness and profitability of you, our members, Trade Practices is dedicated to being your one-stop shop for consultation and education on fresh produce contracts. Our goals are to ensure that WG members are not taken advantage of when differences occur and to provide assistance in recovering monies owed. Just last year, the Trade Practices team worked hard to represent members’ interests, ultimately recovering more than $920,000 on their behalf.

If you need guidance on the rights and remedies available to sellers of perishable commodities under PACA, please contact me at (949) 885-2392 or [email protected].

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Mental Health Awareness: A Community Approach is Vital to Saving Lives

March 15th, 2022

By Ann Donahue, WG Media Relations Manager

A recent study revealed that an encompassing perspective that includes individual, familial and societal factors is needed to address the increasing number of deaths by suicide in farmers.

The numbers are heartbreaking. In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report revealing that farmers and ranchers die by suicide at nearly three times the national rate. The issue is troubling, and pressures are increasing; National Public Radio (NPR) reports that research in Australia and India link climate change to significantly higher suicide risk for farmers.

What can be done?

A 2021 study by the National Institutes of Health examined how demographic, relationship, mental health and life stressors are associated with suicide among older male farmers. Researchers Kyle L. Bower and Kerstin Gerst Emerson of the University of Georgia Department of Human Development and Family Science and Institute of Gerontology found that depression was more prevalent among farmers older than 65. And those who contemplated suicide were significantly more likely to report physical health problems.

It is not a simple problem, nor is there one simple answer. But a treatment perspective that accounts for how individuals interact with their community is key, the researchers found. They concluded that the vulnerable require a systemic approach to address the overlapping factors that contribute to suicide contemplation.

There are many non-profits and healthcare providers working together in Western Growers’ area of service dedicated to creating a comprehensive community to help those suffering from suicidal ideation and depression. Among these resources:

•   The Central Valley Suicide Prevention Hotline is available at 1-888-506-5991. Staffed by crisis counselors and volunteers, the hotline serves those in Fresno, Madera, Merced, Mariposa and Stanislaus counties and offers immediate support for the caller in crisis or for family and friends who are fearful that a loved one may be suicidal. It is operated by the Kings View Behavioral Health System. At its launch in 2013, Morrissa Holzman, director of the program, discussed the importance of volunteers from the community. “Most suicide hotlines rely on a robust volunteer base. We have an extensive and ongoing training program and internship for all of our telephone responders,” she said. “Our volunteers come from many walks of life, live in the communities we serve, and want to make a difference.” To volunteer, please call (559) 256-7678.

•   Pinnacle Health Management’s UpLift: Overcoming Depression Program. This program is available for free for all participants of the WGAT health plan. It offers a personalized approach to care management, including 12 months of guided calls and education resources and collaborative goal-setting as part of a curriculum created by a behavioral health expert and administered by healthcare professionals. More information is available at (844) 230-1121 or [email protected]

•   In addition, resources are available at any time at the national level. If you are someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255/1-800-273-TALK. The Crisis Text Line is a free confidential texting service for emotional crisis support and can be reached by texting HELLO to 741741.

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C.H. Robinson Predicts Supply Chain Pressures to Ease in 2022

March 15th, 2022

By Tim Linden

There is not a quick nor easy fix, but a trio of executives from C.H. Robinson recently predicted that the supply chain issues that have plagued the nation during the pandemic will ease some in 2022, especially in the latter half of the year.

The CHR experts—Steve Raetz, Director of Research and Market Intelligence; Christina Carroll, Vice President of LTL; and Alan Rowlett, Director of Global Operations—spoke during an hour-long webinar hosted by the company in early February. Raetz discussed the view from the 40,000-foot level and also covered domestic long-haul trucking, while Carroll addressed the situation for LTL (less than full loads), and Rowlett focused on overseas shipments via air and container ship.

Raetz said the good news is that the much-publicized shortage of drivers does appear to be easing. He noted that recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that December of 2021 had about 10,500 more trucking jobs than December of 2019. He explained that these statistics seem to show that the “trucking labor gap is in the rearview mirror.” (2021 was compared to 2019 rather than 2020 because the first year of the pandemic has proven to be a statistical anomaly and often data analysts are skipping it when making comparisons.)

Raetz said carriers, who have been focusing on attracting labor to the space, apparently have been successful, although it has come at a financial cost. Compensation for truckers has increased significantly. In fact, he said the carrier KLLM has reported having to give rookie drivers 30 percent more than their new hires were receiving in 2019.

The CHR executive added that the short-haul jobs are coming back at a much higher clip than the cross-country driving positions. In fact, he said the average length of haul was only 490 miles in Q3 of 2021 compared to 528 miles a year earlier. Raetz said the length of haul has been dropping for years as it was about 800 miles 20 years ago. Nonetheless, the 38-mile year-over-year drop was an unusually large decrease. The drop in length of haul over the past 20 years is mostly the result of supply chain redesigns, but the one-year seven percent drop shows that carriers are focusing on this driver lifestyle issue. Being away from home for days at a time has long been one of the major drawbacks of long-haul trucking. Unfortunately, is a very important and inescapable factor in a significant share of produce hauling.

As far as equipment is concerned, Raetz said there is expected to be about a three percent growth in tractors in 2022 and a 12 percent growth in trailers. Chassis, which are used to haul sea containers and other similar equipment, have been in a demand exceeds supply situation, which is one of the elements causing delays at the ports. Raetz said one major chassis manufacturer is bringing a new plant on board late in 2022, which he called a good sign and points to continued investment in the sector.

From that same overview perch, he said pricing of transportation is expected to continue to increase beyond historical norms through most of 2022. One of the major factors in freight pricing is, of course, demand. Raetz said that experts have estimated a three to four percent increase in truckload volume in 2022. “Another year of pretty good growth,” he observed. “We will have freight demand still in the marketplace if these forecasts are accurate.”

He said this growth in volume will continue to create a tension on supply and keep truck rates high. Raetz said the truckload pricing forecast estimates a six percent year-over-year growth in 2022. The good news is that this is significantly less than the rate increases of the past two years. Rates in 2021 were 35 percent greater than in 2020. The less-than-stellar news is that in December the experts estimated truck rates would increase four percent. In just two months, that forecast has gone up 50 percent to six percent. Raetz warned that it still may be too low.

The report about LTL service is not as relevant to produce hauls as the “driver” in that sector is often related to e-commerce and the package delivery process. For the most part, these are short distance or station to station hauls. This sector has dominated the increase in truck driver jobs, and it is most relevant to perishable cross-country hauling in that these employers can offer lifestyle benefits that truckers say they want—such as shorter hauls and less time away from home. These are advantages that local produce route haulers can compete against but not coast-to-coast carriers or shippers.

While the produce industry is largely dependent upon independent owner-operators who specialize in cross-country driving, that is an aging population and younger drivers seemingly have options they like better.

Carroll did report that the DRIVE Safe Act, which is designed to implement an apprentice program for drivers under the age of 21, has begun a three-year pilot program. The pilot program is available for 15,000 young drivers. If it is successful, it could open the door to a career as a truck driver for these potential employees before they head down another career path.

Discussing the ports and global freight situation, Rowlett revealed that, in 2021, the volume coming into the country through the top 10 U.S. ports was up 20 percent, which was a major cause of the port congestion. However, he said in the latter part of the year, volume actually dropped in some ports, such as Long Beach-Los Angeles, while it increased at some of the country’s smaller ports. That shifting created a reallocation of assets, such as chassis. Consequently, Rowlett said some of the current congestion at the larger ports is related to the lack of equipment on shore rather than the number of container ships waiting outside the harbor to unload. However, he said working through the logjam is a time-consuming process. Rowlett told the internet audience that it appears there will be little port relief in 2022.

One reason is the labor situation at the ports, which remains understaffed. The coronavirus created shortages and Rowlett said “ocean front labor remains volatile…remains strained.”

He added that 2022 could bring another challenge as the International Longshore & Warehouse Union contrct with West Coast employers expires on July 1 of this year. The ILWU and the Pacific Maritime Association have a history of contentious negotiations with lockouts and strikes, and there is no reason to suspect that agreeing to a contract will be any easier this time around. And one could certainly argue that the chronically congested ports will add another difficult dimension to the discussions.

Rowlett said no new capacity is expected in the ocean transportation sector with rates remaining flat or increasing only slightly.

The CHR expert touched on air freight only lightly as it is not expected to play an important role in 2022. He said that for the most part airliners are not expecting passenger travel to return to pre-pandemic levels this year. It is passenger planes that account for much of air cargo space and while air travel remains underused, compared to pre-pandemic times, cargo capacity will also be at the low end of the spectrum.

The speakers did discuss the Canadian trucking issue and the potential for that spilling over to the United States. For the past several weeks, Canadian truckers have been protesting Canada’s vaccine mandate, which requires cross-border truckers to have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. U.S. regulators enacted a similar rule in January for U.S.-based truckers. Raetz said the “foundational attributes” of the Canadian and U.S. trucking industries are dissimilar so he does not believe similar protests will erupt in the United States.

He noted that cross-border traffic is a very significant factor for Canadian truck drivers as 80 percent of that volume is carried by Canadian-flagged trucks, which amounts to a sizeable portion of Canada’s truck traffic. On the other hand, cross-border traffic is only a small portion of the volume carried by U.S. truck drivers who have many other options.

The speakers only spent a few minutes discussing strategies companies impacted by the logistics issues might employ. Concerning long haul loads, Raetz suggested utilizing digitally-enabled spot market services, be open to diversified modes and focus on building strong relationships with carriers. For container traffic, a similar strategy was suggested: build strong relationships with carriers, maximize container capacity and be flexible in considering different options.

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The Farmer’s Second Job: Being an Agricultural Advocate

March 15th, 2022

By Stephanie Metzinger, WG Senior Communications Manager

Beyond growing food that feeds the nation, farmers also are business owners, scientists, agronomists, entomologists, meteorologists, environmentalists and so much more.

The “second job” that elevates above the rest, however, is being an advocate for the industry. Advocating for the future of farming (also known as “agvocacy”) and meeting with lawmakers to provide a first-hand account of how laws directly affect agricultural operations go hand-in-hand with being a farmer.

“It is important to ‘humanize’ the issues,” said Colby Pereira, Vice President of Operations at Braga Fresh Family Farms. “At the end of the day we are farmers, but we are also human individuals and that can sometimes get lost in context as legislators and decision-makers are considering policy. It is important to contextualize the faces behind all ag production.”

For centuries, America’s food heroes have been on the frontlines of fighting for resources and support that will allow them to farm for years to come. This includes everything from urging lawmakers to pursue immigration reform to ensure a reliable source of labor, to pressing for a steady supply of water to allow crops to grow, and to battling restrictions on crop protection tools that hinder growers from protecting fruits and vegetables from pests and diseases.

“Farmers, especially those of us in Western agriculture, have to be smarter about literally everything today than we had to 25 years ago,” said Neill Callis, General Manager at Turlock Fruit Company. “This includes everything from regulatory matters, water use, employee well-being, tax policy and commodity markets. You name it, and we have to be experts on it to remain viable. And that’s aside from the actual farming we do!”

Whether it is partnering with advocacy-driven associations such as Western Growers (WG) or proactively creating deep relationships with lawmakers who represent the local region, today’s farmers are the heart of agvocacy. However, the current generation of farmers is aging. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average age of all U.S. farm producers in 2017 was 57.5 years—up 1.2 years from 2012. In California, the age of an average farmer has increased by five years compared to 20 years ago.

As farmers retire, one question arises: who will pick up the “agvocacy baton” and continue to fight for the future of agriculture?

The next generation will.

In the past five years, the number of young farmers and agricultural champions who have stepped up to the plate to play ball in Washington, D.C., Phoenix and Sacramento has slowly increased. In that same timeframe, the industry has seen a significant shift in the composition of boards of directors for powerful advocacy commissions and associations. For example, Stephen Martori III was elected to the WG Board of Directors in 2017 following his participation in the association’s Future Volunteer Leaders (FVL)—a program that guides the next generation of leaders to become more informed and effective advocates for the fresh produce industry. FVL graduates Neill Callis of Turlock Fruit Company Inc., Brandon Grimm of Grimmway Farms, Alex Muller of Pasquinelli Produce Company, J.P. LaBrucherie of LaBrucherie Produce, Eric Reiter of Reiter Affiliated Companies, and Kelly Strickland of Five Crowns Marketing soon followed, and now 16 percent of WG’s board is comprised of next-generation farmers.

“If we’re not in legislative offices making our case for our industry, you can be absolutely sure someone else will be in there making their case against us,” said Callis. “It’s not a level playing field, and it’s not a guarantee of political success. But we can’t help the industry by staying on the sidelines pouting. We have to roll up our sleeves and participate in the broader political process at the local, state and federal levels.”

Callis first cut his teeth on advocacy during his 17-year career at NASA when he joined several colleagues from the NASA Ames Research Center on a “Space Day” visit to legislators in Sacramento to highlight and promote the value of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (or STEM) education. Since then, he has joined WG’s Board—where he has made the case for national legislators to support R&D funding for agtech—and regularly hosts legislative farm tours.

“One of my favorite farm tours was when our friend Joe Del Bosque brought then California Assembly Minority Leader Kristin Olson and California Speaker of the Assembly Toni Atkins to tour our asparagus operation,” he said. “Having the chance to spend a few minutes with them helped make the case that farmers are generally political centrists who want a ‘win-win-win’ scenario—a win for our businesses, our employees and their families, and our communities.”

Beyond WG, up-and-coming agricultural leaders are taking center stage in organizations across the industry. More than half of the California Avocado Commission’s 19-member board are next-generation producers. Government relations organizations, such as California Fresh Fruit Association and California Citrus Mutual, recently elected presidents under the age of 45. Young movers and shakers, like Colby Pereira, sit on numerous boards simultaneously to ensure that decision-makers hear the voice of farmers.

“It’s all about relationships, and I found that developing those relationships is key in making the advocacy part come easy. Behind every elected official is a human being, just as behind every farmer is a human being. When you have a mutual understanding that two human beings can come together to discuss issues, with the goal of finding common ground, the discussion seems to flow quite smoothly,” Pereira said.

A powerful 21st century tool that Pereira has used to engage with broad audiences on the current state of the industry has been social media and digital platforms. For example, to bypass the challenges that COVID-19 posed with in-person meetings, Pereira has led the charge at Braga Fresh in leveraging technology to hold virtual tours. Last year, she hosted the California Senate COVID-19 Response Committee for a virtual session where she was able to share how Braga Fresh had responded to COVID-19 as well as share many of the processes the farm had developed for its team and worksites.

“One of the best ways to support advocacy efforts is to keep an open-door policy and invite guests to visit, both in-person and virtually, to see what we do on a day-to-day basis,” she said. “The more that we are able to connect the ‘face(s) behind the food,’ the bigger platform we will have for ag.”

The clever incorporation of technology is just one of the modern techniques that the next generation is adding to the agvocacy toolbox. Ag producers have also tapped podcasts to relay messages from the farm. In just the last three years, podcast listeners increased by 29.5 percent; farmers including both Callis and Pereira have utilized this audio boom to get their messages out to policymakers as well as the general public by being featured in episodes on several podcasts.

As the onslaught of regulations facing farmers shows no signs of slowing down, the next generation’s passion for joining the agvocacy ranks will be key in the fight for agriculture.

“Having a voice in the fight for ag and being involved every step of the way is a philosophical matter of defending our country’s founding heritage: farming. Pure and simple,” said Callis.

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Meet Your WG Women Ambassador: Sarah McClarty – Chief Financial Officer, HMC Farms

March 15th, 2022

By Stephanie Metzinger, WG Senior Communications Manager

Born into a farming family in the Central Valley, agriculture runs in Sarah McClarty’s blood.

Sarah grew up helping out on her family farm, Gillette Citrus Co., and went on to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to pursue a degree in business, with a concentration in accounting. After graduation, she landed a position at accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers in Orange County.

However, the pull to return to the agriculture industry proved too strong. She returned to the Central Valley and accepted the position as Corporate Controller at HMC Farms. Sarah, who has now been at HMC Farms for 18 years, serves as the farm’s Chief Financial Officer and handles everything from accounting/financial oversight and grower accounting to process development and strategic planning.

“I find educating people on the business of being in agriculture very rewarding,” said Sarah. “Most people have no clue what it takes to be a ‘farmer’ these days and I feel like the more people who understand what ag is facing daily, the more likely it is we can make changes is this state and country.”

Sarah is among the first women to complete WG Women, a leadership program that provides pathways for women to achieve the highest levels
of leadership within the agriculture industry.

Journey with Sarah in the images below as she gives a sneak peek into her life.

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Necessity Led to Founding of Organic Marketing Specialist

March 15th, 2022

CA Member: Homegrown Organic Farms, Porterville, California
Member since 2019

By Tim Linden

Background: John and Cindy France were farmers in the San Joaquin Valley in the mid-1990s who were continually increasing their production of organic fruit crops. But they kept running into trouble marketing their output.

“They had a number of bad experiences with other marketers,” said Scott Mabs, the company’s CEO. “They were struggling to find a company that could market organic fruit.”

So, in 1998 the couple hired a salesman and started Homegrown Organic Farms to sell their own production. “Like many things, the company was born out of necessity,” Mabs said.

Soon Homegrown also was selling the production of other organic growers in the area. “John had a simple philosophy,” said Mabs. “He told his fellow growers that he can’t change market conditions or whatever the realities are at a given time, but he would live by his motto of ‘no surprises.’ Transparency was the key.”

The company slowly grew both by increasing its own acreage and representing more and more organic farmers up and down the West Coast.

Years of Exponential Growth: It was in 2007 that Mabs joined the team as Director of Sales and Marketing. He oversaw sales for about five years before being elevated to the CEO position in February 2013. Over time, the company has experienced excellent growth. “We are about four times the size, in terms of dollars, than we were when I started,” he said.

Under Homegrown’s corporate structure, Agrivision, Inc., is the umbrella or parent company with several entities, including AgriCare Inc., which is a land and farm management company, and Homegrown Organic Farms, which is the sales and marketing arm of the operation.

To quantify the size of the company, Mabs revealed that they farm more than 4,000 acres and he believes Agrivision is the largest organic permanent crop grower in the United States.

Challenges Along the Way: During the first 10-12 years of its existence, Homegrown would take on most items, according to Mabs. If it was grown organically, the company would try to sell it. “We sold everything including organic lettuce, organic garlic and other organic vegetables. We soon discovered vegetables were not our knowledge base; our expertise was in fruit.”

As Homegrown settled in to its second decade of existence, the company eliminated its vegetable production.

Fruit-Forward Focus: With its focus clearly on fruit, the company honed its business structure. “One of our key decisions was to structure the company into two separate categories,” Mabs said. “We have the citrus and grape team and blueberry and treefruit team.”

The CEO explained that it is difficult to be an expert if you wear too many hats. The two teams focus on their commodities and have become specialists. Mabs said the result has been unparalleled growth.

The two categories represent many different organic options, including many grape and citrus varieties as well as a full array of stone fruits and fall fruits, with kiwifruit being its newest addition.

Geographic Footprint and Growth: Homegrown was started as a California-centric grower shipper and that’s not changing. Almost all its production comes from California, but it has expanded into the Northwest for blueberries. Mabs said further geographic expansion is always on the table. “What has been most important to us as we have grown is to have the right partners,” he said. “That’s the same philosophy we have when we branch out. It is partnering with the right people that drives success and we will continue to look for opportunities in organic production.”

While expanding sourcing is always of interest, Mabs said the company is also eyeing the other end of the spectrum and looking to grow sales. He said organic produce sales have grown tremendously over the last 20 years and it is difficult to maintain the same percentage of growth as the base increases. “The next big thing for organics is growth in the export market,” he said.

California: California’s inherent advantages in producing crops must be weighed against some of the challenges that are inherent in a state that is also the nation’s population leader. “The ideal growing conditions in California are hard to beat,” said Mabs. “We live in one of the best places on the globe to grow produce. Just look around the country this week (early February) and you see the storms that are devastating the Southeast. That happens on a regular basis in that region. Even Texas had a devastating freeze last year. We just don’t have to put up with that.”

But Mabs noted that lack of labor and water and an ever more-challenging regulatory environment are cause for pause. “Those issues are curtailing the ability for growth in California. California will continue to be a major producer of fresh produce, but I do worry about growth opportunities.”

Planning for the Future: One way Homegrown Organic Farms and its Agrivision parent company are planning for the future is the recent change in corporate structure to an ESOP (an employee stock ownership plan). “That was a big move for us,” said Mabs. “It was a very strategic foundational move designed to help us survive and move forward.”

In today’s business environment, Mabs said there must be an exit strategy for the founders and owners. An ESOP allows the principals to sell the company to its employees. Of course, another option would be to sell out to a larger company but that is not what the founders wanted to do. “They did not want the company culture to change,” he said.

The ESOP gives employees a stake in the operation and its success. He said it essentially functions as a retirement program, and is an excellent incentive to both retain employees and attract new ones. If the company performs well, the value of the holdings by each employee increases.

Western Growers Involvement: Homegrown Organic Farms has long been a supporter of industry organizations, and has been actively involved in organic specific associations. Mabs said the attraction to Western Growers is fueled by its member services. “Western Growers is extremely strong in the member services it provides. The organization provides practical, real-life help in many different areas. The specific training and educational opportunities are great.”

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President’s Notes: A Resilient American Food System

March 15th, 2022

By Dave Puglia, WG President and CEO

Back in July 2020, I wrote in this column about the increasing use of the term “resilience” in water policy circles. Looking back at that column, I wondered if I had been a little snarky and dismissive. After all, we all want and need a water infrastructure and governing system that is, among other things, resilient. Especially as we endure the changing climate impacts on our snowpack throughout the West.

Then again, if one were to embark on a mission to fundamentally change the water policies that have enabled California and other Western states to grow and prosper over their history, asserting that those very systems—water infrastructure and governance—no longer provide resiliency would be a smart way to create broad acceptance of the need for reforms.

Sure enough, calls to reform the state’s water rights and governance are bubbling to the surface.

In a similar vein, it is impossible to miss in progressive circles a growing drumbeat to build “resiliency” in the nation’s food system. This began to become more apparent with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the sudden shutdown of the foodservice sector.

With restaurants, resorts, K-12 schools and college campuses suddenly closed, the normal flow of food to those outlets was largely stranded, especially in the early days. This caused a shock to our sensibilities. Americans have long been accustomed to a highly reliable, abundant and affordable supply of an amazing variety of foods at grocery stores, restaurants, schools, etc.

My own experience during those first months of the pandemic shutdowns demonstrated a system that quickly adapted to the shock of the foodservice sector shutdown and realigned itself to the emerging demands of the pandemic-dominated marketplace. One reason is that we don’t have a monolithic “food system.” We rely on a huge network of diverse channels and people, guided by private sector actors, that are highly attuned to changing demands and capable of rapid adaptation. Perhaps not every grower and shipper would share that view but judging from the collective feedback and experiences of Western Growers members, our industry adapted quickly and well—and continues to as consumer demand evolves post-pandemic.

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, an open-source journal featuring peer-reviewed research, posted a paper in September 2021 that left no real doubt about the authors’ prescription for food system resilience. With the headline, “Achieving Food System Resilience Requires Challenging Dominant Land Property Regimes,” the paper’s authors zeroed in on private property rights, stating:

“[P]owerful actors in the food system attempt to leverage legal and cultural norms of property to legitimize their control over the resources that drive agricultural production. Our formulation suggests that visions for food system ‘resilience’ must embrace the reform of property relations as much as it does diversified farming practices.”

To a committed advocate of private property, enforceable contracts and the virtues of the free market, those words land with a disturbing thud.

The voices seeking to alter private property rights and free market dynamics under the guise of food system resiliency do no favors for the many other serious people exploring notions of resilience for agriculture that are entirely appropriate and needed. For example, the effects of climate change are straining water storage, conveyance and governance systems throughout the American West. A new adaptive approach to water management is undeniably needed, and though we may find strong disagreement as to the how, having a shared understanding of the real risk to agriculture and ecosystems in the West can motivate all parties to work toward a new consensus that does in fact enhance resiliency in our domestic food production and ecosystem management.

Similarly, a focus on the economic resilience of America’s food producers is entirely appropriate. How resilient can our farmers be when increasingly faced with rising input costs for labor, water, electricity and fuels, crop protection materials and other factors? With retail and foodservice companies having sourcing options in several countries, securing economic resiliency for American farmers should be the overriding imperative we all share.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization describes resilience as “the ability to prevent disasters and crises as well as to anticipate, absorb, accommodate or recover from them in a timely, efficient and sustainable manner.” Certainly, we can all learn from the COVID crisis to better anticipate and plan for future crises impacting American food production and supply chains. We will not, however, consent to attempts to redefine the very things that provide food system resilience—private property ownership, private investment and risk capital, and the forces of a free market—as vulnerabilities that demand “food system reform.”

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Update from Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology

March 15th, 2022

Five years ago, Western Growers launched its Center for Innovation and Technology (WGCIT), housed in the Taylor Farms building in downtown Salinas. WGCIT brings together the ag industry and firms operating in the technology space to actively work on some of agriculture’s most vexing problems.

Below is update from some of the startups housed in the WGCIT.

Agtools

Agtools has recruited more computer science engineers from the rural areas of California and Washington state. All of the company’s engineers come from families in the agricultural industry and have worked at harvesting crops or have worked in packing houses. Agtools now has more than four billion reliable, verified, curated datasets of specialty crops from the United States and around the world. Research teams lead by agricultural scientists from the U.S. and Mexico have reviewed all phenological stages and embedded those stages in Agtools to provide better forecasting for customers. Subscription renewals by customers are always welcome, especially when those customers are from different parts of the world.

Boost Biomes

Boost Biomes is developing high-performance microbiome products sourced from the native biodiversity of relevant natural environments. The company takes biologicals to the next level: ecology. The company believes its unique approach overcomes traditional limitations of microbial and biological crop inputs. Its first product is a biofungicide that prevents diseases like powdery mildew, downy mildew and botrytis. In more than 30 field trials in grapes, the win rate is greater than 85 percent and when used alone it is often as effective as a standard Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practice. The product is expected to come to market late in 2022. To learn about grower trials (especially in grapes) for the 2022 season, contact: [email protected].

Clean Works Inc. (Biomax Microbes)

Clean Works Inc. has launched a new website, biomaxmicrobes.com. Jim McClain, owner of the company, believes understanding and knowing how the soil works will help growers better understand their crops and what they need to thrive. Soil health gets to the root of the problem, and he says the company’s product will help growers decrease chemical fertilizer use and improve water efficiency. “Our microbes will kick-start your soil and get it back on the right track so your crops will grow in higher quantities and have higher quality,” he said on the company’s website. He said the microbes are essentially feeding the soil and storing nutrients for future crops vs. putting fertilizer down every year for that one crop. He urges growers to reach out to him to start a conversation: [email protected].

Hummingbird Technologies

Hummingbird Technologies has hired Cody Ruiz as a trials and operations manager. Ruiz brings a wealth of experience in the fresh produce industry. Hummingbird is an artificial intelligence business that provides advanced crop analysis to its customers by using proprietary machine learning algorithms applied to remote sensing captured imagery. Hummingbird generates variable rate fertilizer applications to increase the uniformity of plant sizes across the field before peak nitrogen uptake. These applications are delivered through side-dressers and allow growers to reduce nitrogen usage by up to 70 percent while increasing yield by up to 10 percent. Hummingbird has been working with selected partners in California and Mexico over the past year and is expanding its trials network for 2022.

iFoodDS

iFoodDS has launched its new Shelf Life Monitoring Solution. It allows users to capture the data they need to verify that their produce meets buyer shelf life requirements. The solution helps monitor fresh food deterioration and manage variability over time. Available as a standalone solution or bundled with iFoodDS Quality Insights, it is highly configurable to various workflows. The program delivers historical data to predict shelf life of certain commodities, and allows users to further leverage data to improve the quality and freshness of produce. Interested parties can request a demo from iFoodDS.

Insero

Insero and Blue White Robotics are working towards total sprayer automation by fully integrating the AgOtter spray controller into Blue White Robotics’ Managed Farm. The company believes the benefits of an autonomous farming operation are clear regarding increased safety and added reliability. Additionally, Insero officials believe the improvements in productivity and efficiency are near-limitless. The connectivity is achieved from a Blue White Robotics-managed farm. The added cost-efficiency is through a seamlessly integrated AgOtter spray controller, which fine-tunes the spray process. Speed variations and uneven terrain, plugged nozzles, calibration, proof of application, and more are all managed through a sprayer that’s upgraded to be dynamically controlled on an integrated platform. The application becomes uniform regardless of speed or pressure. A record is available from work order to a verified spray map of crop blocks with built-in proof of application rate. The company asserts that this alliance of two separate companies will dramatically reduce labor costs while helping eliminate costly errors.

Inteligistics

Inteligistics has been offering its services to the ag industry to convert the manually managed fresh produce supply chains into digitally transformed smart supply chains. The company believes that digitizing the supply chain can provide users with the real-time visibility they need to deliver the superior customer experiences that buyers demand. In addition, the company believes digital transformation of complex supply chains, such as the highly perishable fresh produce, ensures high quality, maximizes operational and labor efficiency, reduces waste, and helps to sense demand in fast changing market conditions and manage the supply accordingly. Digitizing supply chain improves supply chain visibility, sustainability, traceability and food safety capabilities. Inteligistics has been working with many of the major fresh produce companies and retailers throughout the world, implementing its end-to-end visibility solutions and supply chain digitization processes. The company urges potential users to contact them for a brief supply chain digitization demonstration at [email protected].

iTradeNetwork

iTrade reveals that it is in the midst of some significant developments for its customers. In addition to preparing to launch its next-gen trading platform, the company has released OrderMaestro—a new order management and sales solution tailored to dining operators and distributors; a new freight module that optimizes load planning/optimization and makes every purchase order more profitable; and a new trace solution for enhanced farm-to-fork visibility and food safety event responses.

NAÏO Technologies

Following substantial press coverage at CES 2022, Naïo Technologies is scaling up: its brand-new multi-crop/multi-task robot Orio was selected among TOP 10 New Products at the recognized World Ag Expo 2022. Naïo Technologies has been active in the United States since 2019 with Dino, its mechanical weeding robot for vegetables. The company has recently taken things to the next level, with its vineyard robot Ted that was presented during CES 2022. Now with Orio, Naïo has a new autonomous high precision robot, dedicated to large vegetable production. Orio is GPS and camera guided, equipped with multiple sensors running on an algorithm based on AI. Orio offers high precision weeding (inter-row and intra-row) and a very precise guidance of the implements attached in the center of the robot. Orio can also carry any implement at the rear of the robot with its three-point attachment. High accuracy seeding is an additional service Orio can provide to the growers allowing enhanced results when combined with weeding. Fully electric, Orio’s work rate is up to 24 acres per 24 hours. To schedule a demo, email: [email protected]

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ChysaLabs: Eliminating the Guesswork When it Comes to Soil Health

March 15th, 2022

Real-time diagnostic soil sampling can result in higher yield and optimized fertilizer costs.

By Ann Donahue

There is the classic business school lesson about the legs of a stool, where each leg represents one element of getting a product out the door: speed, precision and cost. An organization needs to balance all three, or else the stool is unstable and can’t support weight.

For Montreal-based ChrysaLabs, the element that is frequently missing from agtech advancements—and thereby making the output of those companies unstable—is speed. The soil sampling company believes there should be no time gap between taking a sample from a field and the availability of results. The quicker data is available, the better decisions can be made—and getting results in minutes after field sampling is the best way for growers to proceed.

ChrysaLabs developed a portable probe that allows for fast and precise soil mapping. It can measure in real-time soil nutrients and health with the same accuracy of a laboratory. This information is relayed in seconds to growers and agronomists through the company’s data management platform. In addition, there is no limit to the number of soil samples the probe can make, which ChrysaLabs says results in higher yield and optimized fertilizer costs.

In real time, the probe can measure moisture, pH, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, organic matter, cation-exchange capacity and minor nutrients. The data is instantly transferred wirelessly to the ChrysaLabs management platform, and each test can be geo-referenced, allowing the creation of immediate fertilization maps. All of this occurs in less than a minute, and the analysis depth can be adjusted as required.

This process occurs in three steps: A grower can login to the platform, select the field and then identify that area that will be sampled. Using a mobile phone, the grower can then follow the checkpoints that were selected for sampling and follow through in the exact location that was mapped out. Finally, the results will be seen in real-time, with maps generated, which allows for fast decision making on next steps for treatment, if required.

Samuel Fournier, the Co-Founder and CEO of ChrysaLabs, says that what sets the company apart is that its product eliminates the guesswork that often comes with soil health. With the lack of lag time in data results, better decisions can be made and implemented quickly.

“We want to be perceived as the real-time soil analysis company,” he said. “When you think about information from the soil, we want people to think about ChrysaLabs.”

ChrysaLabs is a member of the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology in Salinas, Calif., and through networking events the company has access to the thousands of Western Growers members interested in new technologies. Most recently, the company presented at the WGCIT booth at the World Ag Expo in February in Tulare, Calif. According to a Global Harvest Automation Report recently commissioned by WG, 65 percent of participating farmers in the study have invested in agtech in the past three years to use in their operations.

 

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CA Government Affairs: COVID-19 and Advocacy in California

March 15th, 2022

By Matthew Allen, Vice President, State Government Affairs

 

The arrival of 2022 brings with it renewed hope that the COVID-19 pandemic is waning and that daily life will return to a recognizable normal. This anticipation is bolstered by both state and federal officials, who are increasingly discussing the need to treat COVID-19 as an endemic disease and that we need to learn to live with this unfortunate virus much like we do with the cold and the flu. This acknowledgement, combined with effective vaccines and new therapies, is expected to allow our society to move forward in a much more productive manner.

As one of WG’s California lobbyists, I’m ecstatic that some level of normalcy will be returning to life in the Golden State. Being an effective advocate for our members has been a daunting challenge since COVID-19 shutdown our economy in 2020. One of the institutions that “virtually” closed was the California State Capitol. In an instant, lobbying as we knew it shifted from in-person meetings and interactions to phone calls, emails, and endless Zoom discussions.

I am very proud that our entire advocacy team made this transition appear seamless. However, there have been great challenges in the ability to collect, decipher, analyze and advocate on both legislative and regulatory issues. An issue that once took a day or two to analyze and then mobilize a lobbying response, now takes up to a week since legislators and their staffs have been unable to hold meetings in person. This lag time is created by the time-consuming process of getting formal meetings scheduled across multiple offices, legislative committees and coalition groups. It is not unusual to have 50 or more meetings over a 10-day period for just one bill. Committee hearings are also taking unusually long; often eight hours or more to give people time to queue into the clogged phone system to testify. This is a critical part of the lobbying task, but ties advocates down for many hours at a time. A normal, pre-COVID-19 schedule provided the ability to juggle many more tasks within a shorter time frame.

Am I complaining? Yes! But not for the reasons that you might expect. The work has been hard, challenging and rewarding but I want the ability to work even harder for our industry. I want to get back to the Capitol to have lengthy in-person meetings with legislators and their staffs. I relish getting back to the days when you can stop by a state agency for a quick meeting to immediately address an emerging issue. I’m not alone in this feeling. Most of the lobbyists that WG interacts with daily cannot wait for the ability for traditional lobbying to return.

Just being present in the Capitol offers the opportunity for legislators to stop and visit with you in the hallways in order to catch up or to provide a pitch on whether, or not, a bill concept will be helpful for the agricultural industry. There have been countless times when WG lobbyists have been able to preemptively stop new legislation from even being introduced because of these informal hallway meetings. These meetings are so critically important because they build additional rapport with legislators and the “third-house” (lobbyists).

The lack of transparency in the state budget process since COVID-19 has been especially glaring with legislative offices either being closed or operating with a skeleton crew. Unfortunately, we have seen several instances where budget bills have been introduced at the last possible deadline hour and subsequently passed; thereby avoiding the opportunity for stakeholders to make substantive comments and amendments. While this is legal, it violates the fundamental concept of open government, which allows the public the ability to legitimately engage in the legislative process. Transparency on this process will become much greater with the reopening of legislative offices.

In closing, I see a very bright future for a renewed ability to continue our effective advocacy for California agriculture in the halls of the state Capitol.

 

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FDA Guidance on Preparing for Voluntary Recalls Now Available

March 3rd, 2022

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has developed a guidance document to help companies prepare to quickly and effectively remove violative products from the market. The final guidance, Initiation of Voluntary Recalls Under 21 CFR Part 7 – Subpart C, can be downloaded here.

The guidance outlines the steps companies should take to develop recall policies and procedures before a recall is necessary. This includes training, planning and record-keeping to reduce the time a recalled product is on the market and, thus, limit the public’s exposure to risk. Additionally, it explains how companies should have adequate product coding and maintain distribution records to facilitate faster, more accurate recall actions.

For more information about the guidance, read FDA’s press release here.

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USDA Offers March 30 Webinar on Drought and Farm Loan Programs

March 24th, 2022

In response to the ongoing drought in California, the USDA Kings, Tulare and Kern County Farm Service Agency (FSA) and USDA Office of Partnerships & Public Engagement are partnering to conduct a short webinar on FSA programs that offer drought benefits to farmers and ranchers.

The webinar will take place on March 30 from 10-11 a.m. PT on Zoom, and a link to register can be found here.

In additional to the FSA drought information, there will be a short presentation on FSA Loan Programs.

For questions, please contact [email protected] or [email protected].

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March 29 Webinar to Focus on Using Microgrids as Practical Energy Solutions for Food Processors

March 24th, 2022

Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology Executive Director Dennis Donohue will speak at a March 29 webinar hosted by Microgrid Knowledge and entitled “Microgrids for the Food Industry: Simple and Practical Energy Solutions for Food Processors.”

The panel will cover what the typical components of a microgrid are and related forms of on-site generation; how energy as a service might improve your productivity and cost structure, and how to recognize the common criteria needed to determine if you company is a good fit for energy-as-a-service solution.

Donohue will be joined by:

Elisa Wood, Editor-in-Chief, Microgrid Knowledge 

John Larrea, Director, Governmental Affairs, California League of Food Producers

Brian Brogan, Director, Business Development, GreenStruxure

The webinar will be held March 29 at 11 a.m. PT. Please register here.

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Assemblymember Adam Gray (D-Merced) Asks for Investigation Into the Department of Water Resources

March 29th, 2022

In an opinion piece that was published Monday in CalMatters, Assemblymember Adam Gray (D-Merced) called for the California State Auditor to investigate the Department of Water Resources’ operations and management.

“In the 2021 water year, California water officials disastrously miscalculated the moisture content of the Sierra Nevada snowpack,” Gray wrote. “Because the Department of Water Resources didn’t know how much water was in the snow, or how much would be absorbed by the parched ground beneath, the department grossly overestimated how much would flow into reservoirs. That led the department to allow nearly 700,000 acre feet – some say much more – to flow to the ocean.” 

Gray said the waste of water “malfeasance” and asked for the State Auditor to include in its investigation “the accuracy of its data collection, predictive models, reservoir operations, pumping regimes and the role of decisionmakers.”

The entirety of Gray’s article can be read here.

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VofV Podcast: How AI on the Farm Can Sense What Humans Can’t

March 31st, 2022

In this week’s episode of the Voices of the Valley podcast, Larry Taylor, Co-Founder of The Yield Lab Asia Pacific, and Mark DeSantis, CEO at Bloomfield Robotics, bust the myth that artificial intelligence isn’t as adaptable as human intelligence when it comes to managing the health of specialty crops.

With the right kind of technology, AI can mimic the boots-on-the-ground approach favored by humans – but it adds the capacity to learn from each individual plant to find patterns that can improve the output of the whole harvest.

Listen as the duo delve into the specifics of how AI works in the field, citing real-world successes Bloomfield has had with vineyards in Bordeaux.

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Final Weeks: Deadline Extended to Complete Compensation and HR Practices Survey

March 31st, 2022

The deadline for completing the Western Growers’ annual Compensation and HR Practices Survey has been extended by two weeks to April 15, 2022.

The Compensation and HR Practices Survey provides key insights, analytics and data that are vital to keeping pay programs, human resource practices and employee programs current and competitive. Your participation contributes to sound, robust, industry specific data to help you take the guesswork out of  H.R. decision-making.

The survey can be taken here.

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