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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Western Growers Seeks Shipper Input to Enhance Walmart’s Supplier Quality Excellence Program
Western Growers recently met with Walmart leadership to discuss Walmart’s Supplier Quality Excellence Program (SQEP). Walmart’s team is interested in learning more about how they can improve the quality of pallets that are entering the system before they make it to suppliers. They are also open to hearing more about the dispute resolution process for ...
“How to Prepare for AB 2183 ‘Card Check’” Seminars to be Held in Coachella and Orland, Calif. in January
Registration is now open for two upcoming labor law seminars to discuss the implementation of AB 2183, the agricultural employee unionization card check legislation that goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2023. The seminar, How to Prepare for AB 2183 “Card Check,” will be presented by Barsamian and Moody. It will cover the statutory changes ...
Arizona Gov. Ducey Bids Farewell and Boasts of Opportunity for All Before Exiting Office
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey delivered his farewell address to Arizonans last week, giving thanks to Arizonans for the last eight years he’s spent in office and listing his achievements. The governor said that when he took office, the state faced a billion dollar deficit, the economy was flat, and its schools were “mired in lawsuits.” ...
WG Women Profile: Marisol Moreno, Controller at Allied Potato
Not too many people can say that the owner of their company made them a sandwich, but that’s exactly what happened to Marisol Moreno when she discovered her passion for agriculture. At the time, she was working for a table grapes company as a senior accountant and was told she’d need to cover for the ...
How California Let Arizona Take the Driver’s Seat When It Comes to Using Autonomous Farm Vehicles
California is the top agriculture-producing state in the U.S., according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. But when it comes to autonomous vehicle ecosystem superiority, Arizona has not only taken a front seat—it’s also become the driver. The state has deployed a pro-business approach that has made it the hub for businesses in autonomous technology—and ...
Upon His Retirement, the Western Growers Family of Companies Celebrates David Zanze’s 38 Years of Service
When you start a new job with a company, the last thing you’re thinking about is the legacy you’ll be leaving behind. Rather, you may be thinking about how you’ll fit in with your new colleagues and hoping you’ll be successful in your new role, among others. When David Zanze joined Western Growers Family of ...
WGCIT Resident: Carbon Robotics
When the majority of Americans think about robotics and artificial intelligence, one of the last things that comes to mind right now is the farming industry. But Paul Mikesell, Founder and CEO of Seattle-based Carbon Robotics, is looking to change that. Founded in 2018, Carbon Robotics is an agricultural startup that builds innovative tools that ...
WGCIT Sponsor: Nutrien Ag Solutions
For most professionals involved in agriculture, they say ag is in their blood. For Carson Britz, his family started out in agriculture as a crop retailer in the 1940s. After working a number of years in areas that include production, growing, processing, food safety, R&D and ag tech, he’s come full circle, and is now ...
Highlights from the 2022 Western Growers Annual Meeting
The 96th Western Growers Annual Meeting continued its long tradition of being the marquee event in the fresh produce industry. Over four days in early November, hundreds of growers and industry stakeholders gathered at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas to strengthen the bonds that contribute to our continued collective success. The Annual Meeting also ...
Director Profile: Chad Amaral, D’Arrigo Bros. Co. of California
D’Arrigo California will be celebrating 100 years of business in 2023, and Chad Amaral, Vice President of Sales and Business Development for D’Arrigo and newly elected Western Growers Board Member, has been with the company for 25 of them. Amaral recently attended his first WG board meeting at this year’s 96th Western Growers Annual Meeting. ...
WGCIT Hosts “Lunch and Learn” Session with Taylor Farms’ Jason Sedano
The Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology hosted its October “Lunch and Learn” with Jason Sedano, Vice President of Innovation for Taylor Farms. More than 15 startups attended the event, where Sedano spoke to the attendees about the process of large farming operations, evaluating new technologies and working with innovators. At Taylor Farms, Sedano ...
Late Produce Industry Veteran Hank Giclas Honored at 2022 Food Safety Conference
The University of Arizona Food Safety Consortium’s annual 2022 Food Safety Conference honored and dedicated this year’s conference to the late Hank Giclas, former Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, Science & Technology at Western Growers. Hank’s wife Kathleen, father Henry L. Giclas Jr. and brother Patric Giclas were in attendance during the award ceremony. Hank ...
Western Growers 2022 Annual Meeting Recap
Last week, several hundred farmers and produce industry stakeholders gathered at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas for the Western Growers 2022 Annual Meeting. The four-day event was filled with top-of-the-line educational sessions, exciting networking and social events and compelling keynote addresses. Below were a few of this year’s highlights: Keynote speakers, including Admiral William…
Save the Date for the 2023 Western Growers Annual Meeting
We are pleased to announce the 97th Western Growers Annual Meeting will be held at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa November 12-15, 2023. Attended by key decisionmakers from Western Growers member companies, the Annual Meeting brings growers, shippers and processors together with allies and suppliers in the fresh produce industry. Be sure to ...
Register for the Desert Agriculture Research Symposium on Nov. 16
Registration is now open for the Desert Agriculture Research Symposium, held by the Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture. The symposium brings together desert agriculture industry professionals with the goal of stimulating conversations about how researchers can best apply their expertise to the desert growing system and form effective collaborations that lead to new ...
Save the Date: 2023 Salinas Biological Summit June 20-21
Western Growers and global agritech consultancy Wharf42 are pleased to announce the 2023 Salinas Biological Summit will be held on June 20-21 in Salinas, Calif. The two-day summit will bring together growers, scientists, researchers, startups, investors and industry experts from all over the word to discuss international solutions for improving soil and plant health, address ...
Western Growers’ Dennis Donohue Leads Panel on Emerging Tech at Gowan Global Gathering
The Gowan Company celebrated its 60th anniversary last week at the Gowan Global Gathering, where Dennis Donohue, Executive Director of the Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology, lead a panel on Emerging Tech. An estimated 600 attendees gathered at the event, which was hosted at Gowan’s headquarters in Yuma, Arizona. Gowan Group is a ...
Western Growers Mourns the Passing of Tom D. Bengard
The Western Growers Family of Companies mourns the passing of former board member Tom D. Bengard, patriarch of Bengard Ranch and a beloved agricultural industry veteran. Tom came from a family of true agricultural pioneers in the Salinas Valley. His grandparents, James Bardin and Wes Eade, journeyed to California in the late 1800s in search ...