Ann Donahue
Western Growers, Director, Marketing and Communications
Ann Donahue serves as Director, Marketing and Communications for Western Growers, where she is responsible for external communication efforts and publicizing the Association’s executives, initiatives, and members across all media platforms. Ann spent more than 20 years as an editor and reporter covering entertainment journalism, with bylines at publications including Variety, the L.A. Times, Billboard, […]
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Western Growers Commends Governor Newsom for AB 616 Veto
IRVINE, CALIF. (September 22, 2021) – In response to Governor Newsom’s veto of AB 616, Western Growers President & CEO Dave Puglia issued the following statement: “We commend Governor Newsom for rejecting the most recent UFW-backed attempt to dismantle the secret ballot election for farmworkers. In vetoing AB 616, Governor Newsom has preserved the integrity of ...
A Podcast About Technology and Agriculture: Voices of the Valley Returns to Explore the Real-World Impact of Innovation
IRVINE, CALIF. (October 6, 2021) – The first two episodes of the new season of Voices of the Valley, hosted by Dennis Donohue, the Director of Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology, and Candace Wilson, the Vice President of Business Development of GreenVenus, are now available. Each week, Donohue and Wilson will interview leading entrepreneurs, ...
Almond Grove Recycling and the Second Life of an Orchard
IRVINE, CALIF. (October 20, 2021) – As the drought continues to devastate California almond growers, Almond Board of California Chief Science Officer Josette Lewis is looking for a silver lining by studying ways to give almond groves a sustainable second life. In the most recent episode of Voices of the Valley, the podcast hosted by ...
Western Growers SVP, Science De Ann Davis Reappointed to Prestigious National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods
IRVINE, CALIF. (October 21, 2021) – Western Growers Senior Vice President, Science De Ann Davis, PhD, will serve a second two-year term as a member of the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). The Committee provides impartial scientific advice to federal agencies to use in developing integrated food safety systems from farm ...
Burro: From AgSharks Winner to $10.9 Million Series A Round, Charlie Andersen is Building a Company for the Long Haul
IRVINE, CALIF. (October 27, 2021) – On the heels of closing a $10.9 million Series A round of funding, Burro CEO Charlie Andersen said his company is set to meet the needs of growers – even as those needs are constantly changing and close to impossible to predict. In the most recent episode of Voices of the Valley, ...
AgVoice: Turning a Perpetual Ag Pain Point into Patented Technology
IRVINE, CALIF. (November 3, 2021) – Hands-free access to digital technology is a ubiquitous problem in the agriculture industry, said Bruce Rasa, CEO and Co-founder of AgVoice, and his company’s solution to the issue was just awarded a patent three months ago. AgVoice is the world’s first voice-to-data service that allows farmers and the ag specialists that ...
Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Delivers Major Water Improvements for West
IRVINE, Calif. (November 6, 2021) – In response to passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by the U.S. House of Representatives, Western Growers President & CEO Dave Puglia issued the following statement: “Western fresh produce growers and indeed farmers throughout the West have reason to celebrate passage of this bipartisan infrastructure bill. The inclusion ...
Albert Keck is Elected New Western Growers Chairman of the Board
IRVINE, Calif. (November 8, 2021) – Albert P. Keck II, President of Hadley Date Gardens, Inc., will serve as the Western Growers Chairman of the Board of Directors for a one-year term. Keck, a third-generation Californian and farmer, is a lifelong native of the Coachella Valley. He is Chairman of the California Date Administrative Committee ...
How the Agriculture Industry is Guiding Technology to Change Biologics and Drones
IRVINE, CALIF. (December 1, 2021) – Disheartening tales of agtech companies who focus on tech at the expense of ag are legendary, and a new generation of entrepreneurs are emphasizing that they approach agriculture with a respect for growers’ needs – and the economic data to back up their claims of efficacy. In the most recent episodes of ...
Western Growers Celebrates U.S. House of Representatives Passage of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021
IRVINE, Calif. (December 9, 2021) – The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4996, the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 on December 8 with an impressive 364-60 vote, making clear its support for U.S. farm exporters that are reliant on maritime shipping transport. OSRA aims to crack down on unreasonable practices by container shipping lines, bolster U.S. enforcement…
Focus on Worldwide Water Usage: Diving into Israel’s Technological Innovation
IRVINE, CALIF. (December 15, 2021) – The most recent episode of Voices of the Valley, the podcast hosted by Dennis Donohue, the Director of Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology, and Candace Wilson, CEO of GreenVenus, explores global water management innovation with Ethy Levy, Fund Manager at Kinneret Impact Ventures, As Israel has long been…
CDFA Secretary Karen Ross: “We should be honored and valued and respected even more than Silicon Valley.”
IRVINE, CALIF. (January 5, 2022) – In the most recent episode of Voices of the Valley, the podcast hosted by Dennis Donohue, the Director of Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology, and Candace Wilson, CEO of GreenVenus, CDFA Secretary Karen Ross discusses the meaningful opportunities 2022 offers for the agriculture industry in the state.…
Western Growers Awarded $750,000 CDFA Grant to Develop Next-Gen Ag Workers Curriculum
IRVINE, CALIF. (January 11, 2022) – Western Growers received a $750,000 grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s 2021 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (HR 133) to develop and implement a curriculum to provide California college students with best-in-class agtech training. Besides the 2,750 students that will be assisted by the program, the grant will ...
Voices of the Valley: When NASA and Farming Collide
IRVINE, CALIF. (January 12, 2022) – In the most recent episode of Voices of the Valley, the podcast hosted by Dennis Donohue, the Director of Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology, and Candace Wilson, CEO of GreenVenus, Turlock Fruit Company General Manager Neill Callis talks about the intersection of space tech and agtech. Prior to farming,…
Voices of the Valley: Inside the Brave New World of Pest Management
IRVINE, CALIF. (January 26, 2022) – In the most recent episode of Voices of the Valley, the podcast hosted by Dennis Donohue, the Director of Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology, and Candace Wilson, CEO of GreenVenus, entrepreneur Pam Marrone, founder of Marrone Bio Innovations, discusses why everyone wants to go into biologicals these days for pest…
Western Growers Announces Food Safety Cohort to Quickly Develop Cutting-Edge Prevention and Diagnostic Technologies
The AgTechX Food Safety Cohort is comprised of innovators who will receive exclusive resources to help them launch and scale YUMA, ARIZ. (February 3, 2022) – As part of the inaugural AgTechX Food Safety event hosted by the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology, the Center for Produce Safety and the Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture, WG…
Voices of the Valley: Building a Resilient, Safe Food Supply
IRVINE, CALIF. (February 23, 2022) – The past month’s episodes of Voices of the Valley, the podcast hosted by Dennis Donohue, the Director of Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology, and Candace Wilson, CEO of GreenVenus, feature three agricultural leaders discussing how they are working in their respective spheres to ensure the nation maintains a safe food…
FDA Will Not Conduct Broad Sampling of Leafy Greens in the Salinas Valley in 2022
IRVINE, CALIF. (March 10, 2022) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will not conduct broad sampling of leafy greens grown in the Salinas Valley region of California for the 2022 growing season. The decision was made based on data from Western Growers, the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture inspection ...
Voices of the Valley: How Technology Can Increase Farming’s Impact
IRVINE, CALIF. (April 4, 2022) – The past month’s episodes of Voices of the Valley, the podcast hosted by Dennis Donohue, the Director of Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology, and Candace Wilson, Regional Director at Farmers Business Network, feature six agricultural leaders discussing how they use technology to increase food safety, crop yield…
Voices of the Valley: Exploring the Future of Agtech Innovation
IRVINE, CALIF. (May 3, 2022) – The past month’s episodes of Voices of the Valley, the podcast hosted by Dennis Donohue, the Executive Director of Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology, and Candace Wilson, Regional Director at Farmers Business Network, feature four agricultural leaders discussing cybersecurity, climate change and the ways to…