Michelle Rivera
Western Growers, Communications Manager
E: [email protected]/P: 949.885.4778 EXT 4778 Michelle Rivera serves as the Communications Manager for Western Growers, where she is responsible for ensuring effective internal and external communications for Western Growers members, industry partners and consumers across all platforms. Michelle has more than 15 years of marketing and communications experience in various industries, including adtech, consumer products […]
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Join us at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa for the 2023 Western Growers Annual Meeting
Don't miss Western Growers’ most popular annual event. Western Growers is proud to bring together the key decision-makers among America's premier growers, shippers and processors, including suppliers and fresh produce-industry allies, for Western Growers’ 97th Annual Meeting on Nov. 12-15, 2023. Surrounded by the beauty of Hawaii at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, attendees…
WGCIT Takes a Tour of the Rebuilt Taylor Farms Foodservice Plant
The Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology (WGCIT) in Salinas had the opportunity to tour the re-opened Taylor Farms Foodservice Plant on June 12 following the devastating fire that destroyed its facility in April of last year. Hosted by Tano Padilla and Jason Sedano from Taylor Farms’ Innovation team, 15 WGCIT startup representatives were in attendance to view the rebuilt…
Biological Product Registration Expert Amy Roberts to Speak at Salinas Biological Summit
Amy Roberts, Director of Regulatory Affairs for Lallemand Plant Care, a business unit of Lallemand Inc., will be joining the 2023 Salinas Biological Summit to contribute her more than 30 years of expertise in biopesticide registration for products in the U.S. and internationally. Through her strong working relationships with U.S. and international regulators, Amy focuses on policy…
Rick Melnick to Bring Biopesticides and Crop Protection Expertise to Salinas Biological Summit
Rick Melnick, Partner and VP of Global Business for DunhamTrimmer, will be speaking at the Salinas Biological Summit on June 20-21, 2023. A 30-year veteran of the global commercial ag space, Rick has a deep understanding of biopesticides, crop protection, branding, marketing and strategic marketing communications. Previously, Rick served as the Corporate Editorial Director for Meister Media…
Mark Trimmer to Speak at Salinas Biological Summit
Mark Trimmer, Ph.D., will bring his more than 35 years of expertise in research, product development, registration, technical service and technology licensing in the crop protection industry to the Salinas Biological Summit on June 20-21, 2023. Mark is a Managing Partner of DunhamTrimmer, a premier market research, market data and strategic consulting firm focused exclusively on the global…
Registration Now Open for 2023 FIRA USA Event in September
FIRA USA organizers hosted a press conference on April 27, 2023 at the Salinas Rodeo Grounds to announce the opening of registration for the second edition of FIRA USA, set for Sept. 19-21, 2023, in Salinas, Calif. The three-day event aims to bring together startups and growers in the agtech automation community for a showcase of the latest in robotic farming solutions, including…
Join CA Tomato Research Institute’s Zach Bagley at the Salinas Biological Summit
Zach Bagley, Managing Director of the California Tomato Research Institute, will be speaking at the Salinas Biological Summit on June 20-21, 2023. Bagley has been in the processing tomato industry in California for 10 years and brings an array of experience and insight in agricultural innovation to the Salinas Biological Summit. In his current role with the California Tomato Research…
Digital Edition of May/June Issue of Western Grower & Shipper Magazine Now Available
The May/June digital issue of the Western Grower & Shipper magazine is now available and can be accessed here. This issue’s theme encompasses everything about seeds and soil. The cover story, titled "How The Wonderful Company and other ag industry leaders support their communities through education," talks about how ag industry leaders are investing and supporting their workers and…
Dr. Josette Lewis, Almond Board of California CSO, Joins Salinas Biological Summit
Chief Scientific Officer for the Almond Board of California Dr. Josette Lewis will be one of the featured speakers at the 2023 Salinas Biological Summit on June 20-21, 2023. Dr. Lewis brings more than 25 years of experience working in agricultural research and policy in government, academic, nonprofit and tech-based sectors. Before joining the Almond Board, she led the Environmental Defense…
California DPR Director Julie Henderson Joins Salinas Biological Summit
Julie Henderson, Director of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, will bring her agricultural and public health expertise and insight to the Salinas Biological Summit on June 20-21, 2023. Henderson was appointed as DPR Director in December 2021 after serving as its Acting Director since July that same year. She previously served as the California Environmental Protection…
Driscoll’s Senior VP of Global R&D, Scott Komar, to Speak at Salinas Biological Summit
Scott Komar, Senior Vice President of Global R&D for Driscoll’s, is slated to speak at the Salinas Biological Summit on June 20-21, 2023. Scott has been with Driscoll’s for more than 11 years and is currently responsible for all elements of R&D across North and South America, EMEA, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. His leadership extends to the global R&D group, which comprises…
Early Bird Registration Now Open for the 2023 WG Annual Meeting
We are excited to announce that early bird registration is now open for the 97th Western Growers Annual Meeting to be held at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, from Nov. 12-15. Attended by key decision-makers from Western Growers member companies, the Annual Meeting brings growers, shippers and processors together with allies and suppliers in the fresh produce industry. This year,…
FDA Publishes Final Rule for Food Traceability
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its final rule this week in establishing traceability recordkeeping requirements for those who manufacture, process, pack, or hold certain foods, including leafy greens, nut butters, fresh-cut fruits and vegetables and ready-to-eat deli salads, for inclusion on the Food Traceability List (FTL). The requirements established in…
WGCIT Hosts November “Lunch and Learn” Session with Driscoll’s Matthew Hoffman
The Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology (WGCIT) hosted its November “Lunch and Learn” series on Nov. 15 with speaker Matthew Hoffman, PhD, Plant Health Technology Lead of Research and Development with Driscoll’s. Nearly 15 startups attended the session, where Hoffman spoke on his area of concentration in technology and outreach program leadership at ...
Register for the Sustainable Nutrient Management & Soil Health Field Day
Register today for the Sustainable Nutrient Management & Soil Health Field Day, which will be held on Friday, December 9. Items on the agenda include climate-smart nutrient management, co-composed biochar application, the latest developments in measuring and assessing soil health and avenues for improving nitrogen recycling in vegetable production. EVENT DETAILS What: Sustainable Nutrient…
Western Growers Joins Effort Asking Congress to Reaffirm Pesticide Preemption
More than 330 agricultural and environmental stakeholder groups called on Congress in a letter sent on Nov. 14 to reaffirm that states will not impose pesticide regulation in a manner that contradicts federal findings. Signers of the letter, which includes Western Growers, expressed their concern that some states have begun to regulate pesticides in a ...
WG Member JV Smith Hosts Senator Kyrsten Sinema for Farm Tour and Roundtable
Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema toured JV Smith Farms in Yuma this week, hosted by Western Growers member and former Board Chair Vic Smith, CEO of JV Smith Companies, for a chance to see cutting-edge technologies used by farmers in the field. In particular, the tour focused on technologies employed by JV Smith, including Carbon Robotics’ ...
Western Growers Continues to Engage on California Department of Pesticide’s Proposed Notification System
Western Growers has provided comments on the California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s (DPR) proposed design elements for its statewide Pesticide Application Notification System. In 2021-2022, California’s state budget allocated $10 million to the DPR to begin the development of a statewide system that provides information to the public about pesticides being used in their areas.…
Support the Next Generation of Food Safety Scientists
Agriculture professionals have the opportunity to support the future of food safety scientists by donating to several Center for Produce Safety (CPS) programs. The Center for Produce Safety offers programs that encourage science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students to pursue a career in produce food safety. CPS 2023 Research Symposium: You can sponsor a ...
Update on Produce Safety Rule Inspections
Since routine inspections of farms subject to the Produce Safety Rule (PSR) began in 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Association of Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) have worked closely with state and industry partners to prepare regulators and farms for inspections through training, technical assistance, educational visits, and On-Farm Readiness Review ...