WESTERN GROWERS OFFICERS – 2023 ALBERT KECK, Chair STUART WOOLF, Vice Chair NEILL CALLIS, Treasurer DON CAMERON, Executive Secretary DAVE PUGLIA, President & CEO DIRECTORS – 2023 GEORGE J. ADAM Innovative Produce, Santa Maria, California CRAIG ALAMEDA Topflavor Farms Inc, Salinas, California ALEXANDRA ALLEN Main Street Produce, Santa Maria, California CHAD AMARAL D’Arrigo Bros Co of California, Salinas, California KEVIN S. ANDREW Illume Agriculture, Bakersfield, California ROBERT K. BARKLEY Barkley Ag Enterprises LLP, Yuma, Arizona STEPHEN J. BARNARD Mission Produce, Inc., Oxnard, California BARDIN E. BENGARD Bengard Ranch, Salinas, California BRIAN BERTELSEN Cove Ranch Management, Reedley, California GEORGE BOSKOVICH III Boskovich Farms, Oxnard, California RODNEY BRAGA Braga Ranch, Soledad, California NEILL CALLIS Turlock Fruit Company, Turlock, California DON CAMERON Terranova Ranch, Inc., Helm, California EDWIN A. CAMP D. M. Camp & Sons, Bakersfield, California CAROL CHANDLER Chandler Farms LP, Selma, California LAWRENCE W. COX Lawrence Cox Ranches, Brawley, California STEPHEN F. DANNA Danna Farms, Inc., Yuba City, California THOMAS DEARDORFF II Deardorff Family Farms, Oxnard, California TIMOTHY ESCAMILLA Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc, Monterey, California CATHERINE A. FANUCCHI Tri-Fanucchi Farms Inc., Bakersfield, California DAVID L. GILL Rio Farms, King City, California ROBERT GIRAGOSIAN Kern Ridge Growers, LLC, Arvin, California BRANDON A. GRIMM Grimmway Farms, Arvin, California JOHN JACKSON Beachside Produce, LLC, Nipomo, California A. G. KAWAMURA Orange County Produce, LLC, Fullerton, California ALBERT KECK Hadley Date Gardens, Thermal, California J.P. LABRUCHERIE LaBrucherie Produce, El Centro, California STEPHEN MARTORI, JR. Martori Farms, Scottsdale, Arizona HAROLD MCCLARTY HMC Farms, Kingsburg, California TOM MULHOLLAND Mulholland Citrus, Orange Cove, California DOMINIC J. MUZZI, JR. Muzzi Family Farms, LLC, Moss Landing, California THOMAS M. NUNES The Nunes Company, Inc., Salinas, California STEPHEN F. PATRICIO Westside Produce, Firebaugh, California JOHN POWELL JR. Peter Rabbit Farms, Coachella, California RON RATTO Ratto Bros. Inc., Modesto, California CRAIG A. READE Bonipak Produce, Inc., Santa Maria, California ERIC T. REITER Reiter Affiliated Companies, Oxnard, California KYLE RICHARDSON Gary Richardson Farms, Bakersfield, California JOSEPH A. RODRIGUEZ The Growers Company, Inc., Somerton, Arizona BRUCE TALBOTT Talbott’s Mountain Gold, LLP, Palisade, Colorado RYAN TALLEY Talley Farms, Arroyo Grande, California BRUCE C. TAYLOR Taylor Farms California, Salinas, California JACK VESSEY Vessey and Company Inc, Holtville, California MIKE WAY Prime Time International, Coachella, California STUART WOOLF Woolf Farming & Processing, Fresno, California ROB YRACEBURU Wonderful Orchards, Shafter, California
Verdant Robotics
it makes the most sense, where you’re removing a worker from danger and replacing it with autonomy and reducing safety concerns,” said Joani Woelfel, President and CEO at Far West Equipment Dealers Association (FWEDA), an advocacy group for equipment dealers in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. But there are many people who are familiar with the issue who feel that lack of safety data isn’t the issue, but rather the concern comes from labor. According to Woelfel, the only way around that concern is through education and engagement. “Unless the industry invites labor, regulators and legislators to participate and engage in this process, they’ll have a hard time getting them on board,” Woelfel said. In November, Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema toured JV Smith Farms in Yuma, 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. Woelfel agrees that more of this needs to happen to increase education. “If the industry really made a concerted effort to engage legislators and regulators, similar to Sinema’s visit, and get them out there more, we’re happy to facilitate. Sometimes it’s just about connecting all the appropriate parties together to start that conversation,” Woelfel said. Naturally, as technology evolves, there are some concerns about automation replacing workers. But many in the industry see automation as an opportunity to create more jobs. “The way I see it, California may have just walked away from thousands of great paying, high-tech jobs in the motor vehicle industry generally and the agriculture industry specifically,” Duflock said. “We’re missing out on jobs that support the design, development, sales and
maintenance of equipment, even when California still has a lead in the early R&D stages for many of the new autonomous vehicle companies. There are engineering needs up and down the stack. We have to look at it as an opportunity—what’s being created is new jobs and greater opportunities for workers. In turn, farms can become more profitable and successful and create new jobs.” Woelfel explained that when it comes to automation, it still involves people— but with a different set of skills as well as a need to change the way we educate up-and-coming workers. “What these workers do is very different, so the industry needs to work together to identify the skills needed to work the equipment and improve their skills,” she said. But until we engage with and educate decisionmakers and labor and improve the messaging on safety, things will be slow to progress. Western Growers will continue supporting its members and the industry, through the Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology (WGCIT), to move toward market adoption and get funding and scale. “We need to make sure their roadmap makes sense, and their economic model makes sense for the growers, and once they do a field trial, we need to spread the word and educate growers that there’s an opportunity to make a change,” Duflock said. In the meantime, California will have to continue to sit in the backseat while Arizona drives the ecosystem of autonomous technology that advances the industry. “Autonomy is coming. It’s a major growth area and tech driver and will push the industry forward. California can only lead if it doesn’t over-regulate, and if we don’t change course, Arizona will continue in its current leadership position,” Duflock said.
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2023
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Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com
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