New Voices of the Valley: Six Generations of Farming in California’s Central Valley On the latest episode of Voices of the Valley, Western Growers hangs out with Cannon Michael, President and CEO of Bowles Farming Company, and the sixth generation to run his family’s farm. Cannon takes us behind the scenes of a truly unique operation that grows everything from tomatoes and melons to pistachios and cotton, while also caring for thousands of acres of wildlife habitat. Cannon also discusses the importance of water to California agriculture, his work on regional
waterboards and how Bowles Farming is investing in sustainability and leadership to shape the future of farming. -Michelle Rivera
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IR-4 Project Workshop Sets Pest Management Priorities with WG Input
Western Growers’ Gustavo Reyes Among the 2025 “40 Under 40” Leaders in Food Safety
On Sept. 9 - 11, 2025, the IR-4 Project hosted its annual priority setting workshop in Denver. Western Growers staff were on hand to help ensure that our members’ priorities were included in this year’s outcomes. We appreciate the expertise from Western Growers members and their trusted Pest Control Advisors to guide our efforts. Some upcoming projects we look forward to will provide much needed registration and residue work for crops, including weed and thrip control in onions, aphid control in potato, lace bug control in avocado, Phytophthora control in strawberry, husk split control in pecan and fusarium control in onion. For more information on IR-4 please visit: https://www.ir4project.org/ or reach out to Western Growers staff to share your latest pest pressures so we can advocate for new control opportunities. -Jonathan Sarager
We are excited to celebrate Gustavo Reyes, Senior Manager of Food Safety and Predictive Analytics at Western Growers, for being named to the 2025 “40 Under 40” by the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness. This recognition honors rising leaders under 40 who are making significant contributions to food safety. At Western Growers, Reyes develops data programs through the GreenLink® platform, leads science-based updates to leafy greens safety standards and creates accessible resources that support proactive decision- making across the fresh produce industry. -Anna Ramirez-Castro
47 Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com November | December 2025
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