I’m writing this article in the middle of August 2024 and am amazed that this legislative year is already coming to an end. The years seem to be going by faster and faster, and the number of issues that our industry contends with continue to grow. That said, it’s been a very successful legislative year and I have great expectations that we can and will surmount new challenges as they inevitably come our way.

I could take up the rest of this article pontificating about bills and issues of the day. While crucially important—and the reason why I am happily employed at Western Growers—I would like to instead dedicate the remainder of this article to expressing my overwhelming joy that Sonny Rodriguez has been selected for the 2024 WG Award of Honor. There will be many accolades and much honoring of Sonny in the months ahead, but I would like to offer my personal congratulations to an amazing person and agricultural leader.

I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Sonny through his many years on the WG Board of Directors. His engagement and insight have helped me to more effectively advocate for our membership on an array of legislative and regulatory issues, especially on the topic of farm labor. We’ve all had life and/or career experiences that have shaped our way of thinking or impacted us in ways far deeper than one might imagine. One of mine was the opportunity offered to me by Sonny to join him for a day in 2018 for farm tours in Yuma with the Arizona Center of Rural Leadership class. The background of the class participants was quite varied. A small number of people had some agricultural experience, but most were involved in non-agricultural related work, and a few were public sector employees. In short, it was a great group to spend time with and one that would ultimately benefit from Sonny’s deep knowledge, experience and engagement in Yuma agriculture.

My day with Sonny and the class members started in the early morning hours at the U.S. port of entry just south of Yuma. We met with border officials who gave us a tour of the facility as day farmworkers holding either green cards or H-2A visas waited in long lines for entry into the U.S. to commute to work on nearby farms. It was an eye-opening experience for me to also see countless elementary school children in line, who are also eligible to enter the U.S. given their parents’ work status, waiting for their turn to cross the border to attend their classes. Many of the farmworkers and their children had been up for hours starting their day prior to arriving at the border. Hard work, perseverance and dedication is the only way to describe their daily commute to work and school.

Following an incredible breakfast at a local food truck, we proceeded to several farm operations where Sonny was able to show the class participants the incredible technical skills involved in farm labor as well as the variety of crops that are grown in Yuma during the winter months. I learned a great deal about different farming practices and the logistics of leafy green planting and harvesting. Most importantly, so did others with little prior knowledge of agriculture.

What has really stayed in my mind all these years later, though, is the many smiles, handshakes, winks, nods and occasional jokes that the farm employees shared with Sonny and that he shared with them. Sonny knows not just the names of his workforce but the details of their stories. They loved having Sonny arrive on the worksite to showcase the operations, and he loved seeing and catching up with them. Ever humble, he pointed to the efforts of WG staff in helping further the success of farming in Arizona.

I’m ever so grateful to Sonny for letting me be just a tiny part of that day. California and Arizona agriculture has been made better because of his dedicated leadership and kindness. Congratulations on a well-deserved award, Sonny!