Posts By: Stephanie Metzinger
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HUMMINGBIRD TECHNOLOGIES: Going Above and Beyond to Increase Yield
Drones and satellites are the technology. They are not the solution. “There has to be the interpretation of the data gathered from drones or satellites,” said Jack Williams-Ellis, head of California & Mexico at Hummingbird Technologies. “Then, that data needs to be presented as either analytics or as a service. That’s where Hummingbird Technologies fits ...
Meet Your Future Volunteer Leaders: Amber Strohauer
Amber Strohauer, Chief Operating Officer, Strohauer Farms As a 4th-generation farmer, Amber works alongside her father day in and day out to learn how to keep her family legacy going. She joined the family farm in May 2015 and is responsible for oversight of business development, sales and marketing, food safety compliance and logistics. She ...
Meet Your Future Volunteer Leaders: Garret Powell
Garret Powell, Sales & Operations, Peter Rabbit Farms Previously handling business development for tech giant Oracle, Garret has applied his operational intelligence and strong business acumen to further solidify his family farm as one of the premier produce grower/shippers in the Coachella Valley. Garret serves as a key player in the sales and operations team ...
WG Goes All in for Agtech Workforce Development
By Stephanie Metzinger Agriculture has a shortage of labor to perform key functions such as harvesting, weeding and thinning. This decades-long labor shortage is exacerbated by the lack of immigration reform and an aging workforce. As a result, there is a critical need for leading-edge innovation from startups, established agtech equipment makers and solution providers. ...
Soulmates: Power Couples Running the Farm
By Stephanie Metzinger In an industry that has historically embodied family values, couple-owned enterprises bring a unique, homegrown aspect to agriculture. Family-owned businesses currently account for 64 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product, with husband-wife teams running an estimated 1.2 million companies. These dynamic duos have led organizations and companies that have triumphed…
WHAT’S TRENDING: Maximizing Traditional and New Media to Cut Through the Clutter
Newspapers once reigned as king as the primary source of information for consumers, but with the introduction of social media in the late-‘90s, the communications landscape has rapidly transformed. According to a study by Backlinko, social networking platforms nearly tripled their total user base in the last decade—from 970 million in 2010 to 4.48 billion ...
A Podcast for the Agtech Masses: Voices of the Valley
By Stephanie Metzinger “The story here from a startup perspective is that it’s not about ag or robotics. It’s about getting our MVP (most valuable product) out to customers as early as possible so you can really define where that product needs to go,” said Bear Flag Robotics CEO and Co-Founder Igino Cafiero in a ...
Legislator Profile: Long Beach Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell on the Supply Chain Bottleneck
By Stephanie Metzinger As the protector of twin ports Long Beach and Los Angeles, California State Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell has long advocated for efficiencies in and support of the ports. O’Donnell, a Democrat, has served as the 70th District Assemblymember since 2014. Throughout his term, he has accelerated the protection of natural resources, advanced state ...
What’s Trending Column: What Does Peanut Butter Have to Do with Social Media Strategy? Everything.
By Stephanie Metzinger, Senior Communications Manager Social media platforms are a dime a dozen. A plethora of new platforms and apps come online each year, leaving marketers to guess at which one(s) to pursue—all in hopes that their gamble pays off and their blind choice will be the winning platform that gains sudden popularity. As ...
Steve Mangapit on Driving Operational Excellence in 2022
Wielding more than 20 years of experience, business mogul Steve Mangapit steps in as Western Growers (WG) first Chief Operating Officer. He focuses on advancing and elevating operational efficiencies, improvements and innovations throughout the Western Growers Family of Companies. Q. Can you share a snapshot of your professional background? A. When I was younger, I ...
Meet Your WG Women Ambassador: Lacy Litten
Lacy Litten Teixeira Farms, Santa Maria, Calif. Lacy initially started her career in agriculture as a human resources manager. Hungry to learn more about the industry, she quickly added on responsibilities in safety and food safety, and eventually was selected to head up food safety at Innovative Produce. Today, she serves as a “jack of ...
AgTechX Events Advance Workforce Development and Food Safety Tech
By Ann Donahue and Stephanie Metzinger The Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology (WGCIT) kicked off 2022 with a “bang” by hosting two AgTechX events that resulted in tangible solutions to move the industry forward. AgTechX Ed at Imperial Valley College was first up, followed by AgTechX Food Safety in Yuma, Ariz. Below is ...
The Farmer’s Second Job: Being an Agricultural Advocate
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…
Meet Your WG Women Ambassador: Sarah McClarty – Chief Financial Officer, HMC Farms
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. ...
New Strategic Alliance with JLT Expands WG’s Worldwide Insurance Offerings
Western Growers Insurance Services is expanding its global reach through a new strategic alliance with JLT Specialty USA, one of the world’s leading insurance brokerages. The alliance provides Western Growers the ability to now offer agribusiness and food clients direct access to global insurance carriers. This relationship also provides the opportunity to tap into offices ...
Organic Grower Summit Next Week Features Farm-Smart Sessions
The Organic Grower Summit, which will be held next week in Monterey, Calif., will include education and networking opportunities aimed at supporting the organic community and bolstering innovation on the farm. Western Growers, who is the presenting sponsor of this year’s Organic Growers Summit, is thrilled to be included in numerous sessions and activities including ...
WG Offices Closed on November 25 and 26 for Thanksgiving
Western Growers would like to wish you and your family a happy, enjoyable and safe Thanksgiving! As a reminder, our offices will be closed on Thursday, November 25 and Friday, November 26 in recognition of the Thanksgiving holiday. Offices will reopen on Monday.
WG Innovation at Forefront of World Ag Robotics Forum
Western Growers Vice President of Innovation Walt Duflock will be discussing the advances of automation and robotics in the specialty crop industry during World FIRA, the ag robotics forum, on Dec. 7-9, 2021. The conference, which will be a hybrid live-online event, features robotics demonstrations and pitch sessions from startups around the world. There also ...
WG Leaders to Speak at 2022 Annual APMA Forum
Register today for the 41st Annual APMA Forum, which will host numerous events featuring Western Growers experts including Jason Resnick, Dennis Donohue, Anna Bilderbach and Don Anderson. This conference for human resources, labor and safety professionals in the agricultural industry will be held on January 19-21, 2022, at the Monterey Plaza Hotel in Monterey, Calif. ...
WG Offices Closed on December 24
Merry Christmas from Western Growers. As a reminder, our offices will be closed tomorrow, December 24. All WG offices will reopen on Monday, December 27, 2021.