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Stuart Woolf Takes Over as Chair of Western Growers GROWING AG’S VOICE
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WESTERN GROWER & SHIPPER Published Since 1929 Volume XCV | Number 1
To enhance the competitiveness and profitability of Western Growers members
16 GROWING AG’S VOICE Stuart Woolf Takes Over as Chair of Western Growers 20 New Traceability Regulation: Is Two Years Plenty of Time? 22 A Test is Never Just a Test: The Psychology of Foodborne Pathogen Testing Features
Dave Puglia President & CEO Western Growers davep@wga.com
Editor Ann Donahue 949.302.7600 | adonahue@wga.com Contributors Cory Lunde 949.885.2264 | clunde@wga.com Julia Nellis 949.885.2270 | jnellis@wga.com Michelle Rivera 949.885.4778 | mrivera@wga.com Kara Timmins 949.885.4786 | kmtimmins@wga.com Circulation Marketing 949.885.2248 | marketing@wga.com Advertising Sales Dana Davis 302.750.4662 | dana@tygermarketing.com
Articles 24 MEET YOUR FUTURE VOLUNTEER LEADERS Sal Parra, Jr.
Departments
4 President’s Notes 6 Agriculture & the Law 8 Advocacy | California
TOGETHER.
10 Human Resources 12 Advocacy | Federal 13 Science 14 Director Profile 18 WG Member Welcome & Anniversaries 26 Updates from the WGCIT 28 WG News You Can Use 30 Connections 31 Contact Us 32 Inside Western Growers 34 Farm Dogs and Barn Cats of Western Growers
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Western Grower & Shipper ISSN 0043-3799, Copyright © 2024 by the Western Grower & Shipper is published bi-monthly by Western Grower & Shipper Publishing Company, a division of Western Growers Service Corp., 6501 Irvine Center Drive, Suite 100, Irvine California 92618. Business and Editorial Offices: 6501 Irvine Center Drive, Suite 100, Irvine California 92618. Accounting and Circulation Offices: Western Grower & Shipper, 6501 Irvine Center Drive, Suite 100, Irvine California 92618. Call (949) 863-1000 to subscribe. Subscription is $25 per year. Foreign subscription is $50 per year. Single copies of issues, $2. Periodicals postage is paid in Irvine, California and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Western Grower & Shipper, PO Box 2130, Newport Beach, California 92658.
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A New Way for the FDA By Dave Puglia, President & CEO, Western Growers
My interactions with the California Department of Motor Vehicles—the dreaded DMV—have been increasingly hassle-free and efficient recently, even with some complicated transactions. Maybe it was just luck, but it feels like real change has taken hold in the DMV. Could it be that the person appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019 to modernize and improve this calcified bureaucracy—a Silicon Valley entrepreneur named Steve Gordon—has made real reform a reality? I doubt that the relatively new Commissioner of
best technology, staff, and unrivaled infrastructure to advance its mission.” Beyond resources, the panel pointedly observed that the Food Safety Modernization Act (2011) “was meant to move food safety towards prevention rather than reaction but making the regulatory paradigm shift envisioned has yet to be realized.” The panel called out cultural deficiencies and diffused decision-making authority that undermine the needed shift from an enforcement-first approach to food safety to one that emphasizes collaboration, both internally and with industry, to facilitate the shift to a more effective focus on prevention. For some FDA veterans, much of the content of the Reagan-Udall report had to be tough to read, and that’s where I think things could get interesting. Bureaucracies are notoriously resistant to change, especially when that change is seen as being imposed by the political appointees at the top of their organizational chart. Having worked for seven years as a political appointee of a large state agency (the California Attorney General’s Office), I saw firsthand the myriad ways public employees, shielded by civil service laws, could thwart the policies and directives of the person elected by the voters to lead that agency. I have no way of knowing whether the reform outline suggested by Reagan-Udall, or at least those elements now embraced by Commissioner Califf, will be thwarted by recalcitrant FDA employees. It certainly helps that Califf has a broad coalition of interests backing him up. Western Growers has been collaborating for about a year with an odd- bedfellows coalition of organizations that have aligned on this FDA reform agenda, ranging from consumer, environmental and food safety groups to industry associations. By all accounts, Califf is committed to reform and has clarity as to what a prevention approach to food safety could deliver: A constantly improving and safer food supply based on collaboration and trust between the regulators and the regulated. The recent appointment of Jim Jones as FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods appears to confirm Califf’s seriousness about this. Jones, a 30-year veteran of the U.S. EPA, served on the Reagan-Udall expert panel, and has already traveled to Salinas to meet with industry members. Many have pointed to the example of the airline industry. In the 1990s, the industry began
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would appreciate the DMV comparison, because the scope and responsibilities of the FDA are entirely different. But there are some significant parallels. Dr. Robert Califf was confirmed as the new Commissioner of the FDA in early 2022, following a close Senate vote. Having served as Commissioner once before—for about one year during the Obama Administration—one might wonder what could possibly motivate a highly accomplished cardiologist in his early seventies to return to lead a public agency beset by controversy and criticism from voices across the spectrum.
The fresh produce industry and the FDA together face the difficult challenge of further reducing the incidences of foodborne illness outbreaks.
Almost immediately, Dr. Califf requested an independent analysis of the FDA’s Human Foods Program (HFP) from the respected Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA. Implicit in his request was an admission that the agency’s convoluted structure and perhaps its culture were failing to enhance the safety of America’s food supply even as the ability to detect the presence of pathogens in fresh produce and other food items has dramatically increased with technology advances. The report—labeled an “operational evaluation”— was clear and compelling in urging a reform of FDA’s Human Foods Program, beginning with an unsurprising call for additional funding for “the
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a collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration to evolve from enforcement-first to transparent data sharing and system-wide safety improvements that dramatically reduced airline safety incidents. Tim York, CEO of the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, has been an especially effective advocate for a version of that model.
Robert M. Califf M.D., MACC, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, FDA
In a meeting last year, Califf pointed to a slightly different example. As a young pioneer in open heart surgeries, Califf witnessed incredibly rapid improvements in health outcomes following open heart surgeries thanks to an information and data sharing model that the medical industry and its regulators adopted in the 1970s. As a relatively new and risky procedure, there was much to learn from every adverse experience, and the rapid and transparent sharing of those experiences, with a no-blame framework (excepting for negligence) among cardiologists, researchers and public health authorities, led to rapid improvements in open heart surgery techniques and patient outcomes. The stakes are similarly high this time, as the fresh produce industry and the FDA together face the difficult challenge of further reducing the incidences of foodborne illness outbreaks. Turning a ship as big and unwieldy as the FDA won’t be easy but for the sake of consumers and every aspect of the fresh produce supply chain, we need to help Robert Califf succeed. If the California DMV can be reformed, anything is possible.
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Card Check Certification Update: ALJ Narrows Focus to Process Issues Amidst Rising Tensions By Jason Resnick, Senior Vice President and General Counsel In the latest development of the case involving the first card check certification in California, the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) has made a crucial ruling that the scope of the hearing is limited to issues of process. This decision comes amidst ongoing tensions between the employer, DMB Packing Corporation and the United Farm Workers (UFW) union. The case has been under scrutiny since the
As the case progresses, it highlights a novel issue before the ALRB: the lack of specific procedures in the amended Act or current ALRB regulations governing the Regional Director’s actions. The outcome of this hearing could set a significant precedent for how such disputes are handled in the future, particularly in the context of the ALRB's evolving legal landscape.
UFW was certified by the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board’s (ALRB) Regional Director following a Majority Support Petition, commonly known as a card check election. DMB Packing Corporation filed objections to the UFW’s certification, primarily focusing on the Regional Director's acceptance of declarations from 31 workers not on the employer’s eligibility list. The employer contends that these workers were not eligible as they did not work during the critical period preceding the filing of the Majority Support Petition. Since the UFW barely achieved majority status, the inclusion of these workers’ authorization cards is a pivotal point in the dispute. In an interesting turn of events, both parties— the employer and the UFW—issued subpoenas to challenge voter eligibility determinations made by the ALRB’s Regional Director. The employer aims to contest names not on their payroll, while the UFW seeks to address names struck by the Regional Director. This move signals a deepening complexity in the case, focusing on the eligibility of workers to participate in the unionization process. The employer’s argument hinges on the notion that the standards for challenging ballots in an ALRB secret ballot election should be equally applicable to Majority Support Petitions. This perspective underscores a broader debate about the fairness and transparency of unionization processes under the ALRB’s jurisdiction. Both parties have also raised concerns about the lack of due process in the hearing. The ALRB’s General Counsel previously filed a pre-hearing motion against both parties to exclude farmworker testimony regarding their employment during the eligibility period. This motion has been a point of contention, with the employer arguing that such exclusion lacks transparency and violates their due process rights. The ALJ ruled in favor of the General Counsel, even though both parties (the employer and the UFW) argued that the General Counsel and the Regional Director are not parties to the hearing and should have been banned from making motions.
In summary, the DMB Packing Corporation case represents a critical moment in the interpretation and application of existing ALRB regulations and procedures and the lack of specific regulations or procedures governing the new card check petition process. The decision of the ALJ to limit the hearing to process issues has significant implications for both the employer and the UFW. Meanwhile, the 90-day period to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement, or have one imposed by Mandatory Mediation and Conciliation, is counting down. The decision of the Administrative Law Judge to limit the hearing to process issues has significant implications for both the employer and the UFW. Members seeking legal guidance can speak one-on-one with a Western Growers attorney about employment law-related questions by contacting the Western Growers Legal Hotline at 877-942-4529
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2024 PERSONNEL PROCEDURES MANUAL
A Manual Written for the Agricultural Industry The Personnel Procedures Manual is just one of many ways Western Growers provides members with the most comprehensive, current, and useful material available. This agricultural-specific guidance document is essential for Human Resources departments and managers to understand California and Arizona labor laws including HR policies, ag- centric employment law, hiring, compensation, termination, workplace safety and more. This resource-guide gives readers access to over 100 sample forms, checklists and key policy templates, links to important government FAQs, forms, additional information and provides instant access to up-to-date and accurate information to help your organization remain compliant.
Scan the code for more information
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Don’t Break What Works By Matthew Allen, Vice President, State Government Affairs
We are all familiar with the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” It’s a catch-all phrase that attempts to capture the understanding that your time should be spent focusing on the truly important matters that need urgent resolution. A closer look at the usage of this phrase also infers that most tasks take time and that the outcome should be worth the effort given. It’s not an extraordinary piece of insight, yet it’s one that seems to be escaping the mindset of many government leaders in California these days. It seems they are more in line with, “Let’s break what already got fixed.”
The concept of dismantling what already works has profound consequences on both our personal and business lives. This is not to say that innovation, creativity and new concepts are not important. They absolutely are. Progress is important for everyone. I’m talking about the almost constant and intentional throwing of a wrench into the engine of business and agricultural operations that routinely occurs in Sacramento. We see this in many policy areas including labor, sustainable pest management and air quality goals. It causes great uncertainty for growers in managing their current operations let alone making strategic decisions on three-to-five-year farm plans. Growers especially should have reasonable expectations about the costs that they will be incurring for new requirements that are being mandated by legislators and regulators. Even if cost is not a factor, will the new requirement allow for us to continue to grow the safe and nutritious food that our communities expect to be available on the shelves? These are not easy questions to answer but they need to be. This is very relevant because, at the time of this writing, the state budget for 2024-2025 is likely to be in a severe deficit due to revenue declines. How severe? A total of $68 billion severe! For context, the total state budget passed for the 2022-2023 fiscal year was $310 billion. There will undoubtedly be many budget cuts this year to ongoing programs as well as discontinuing one-time spending. There are a slew of programs that should be reconsidered. There are also many that WG advocates will be vigorously fighting for.
Going back to the basics of what works is really important given what might be some inescapable realities of the next state budget. We will be advocating to reduce pressures on our growers with the goal of ensuring that California agriculture remains vibrant and successful. California should, at a minimum, pause further implementation of the California Air Resources Board Advanced Clean Fleet regulation. Affirmation should be given that current sustainable pest management goals only work if alternatives have been identified, registered, deemed effective and are efficient. Additional labor costs should be mitigated—at least don’t add further burdens. The inflation rate may have started to decline, but overall prices are still high. Consumers and businesses are all feeling the pinch. Focusing on the basics is not “lazy.” It’s a recognition of what is required at a particular moment in time. In learning about how to handle flight emergencies in my early days of flight school, my instructor would always say, “Fly the plane first.” The clear message was to focus on immediate priorities and be careful not to make errors that could lead to unnecessary complications. Our leaders should follow the same principal. Recognize what has historically worked and take the proverbial foot off the legislative/regulatory gas pedal in order to give our economy, our businesses and our consumers the time to manage those challenges that have been laid at our feet.
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2024 COMPENSATION & BENEFITS SURVEY ATTRACT THE TOP. RETAIN THE BEST. STRENGTHEN FROM WITHIN.
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The Importance of Compensation Benchmarks By Karen Timmins, Senior Vice President, Human Resources I have it on very good authority that Google makes all its people decisions supported by science and data. After years of HR work, particularly on the topic of compensation, I’m still a fan of the art and science approach to managing comp. That said, there is no replacement for the peace of mind that comes with making significant spend decisions backed by reliable data. There is no other way to effectively and consistently manage employee compensation.
All strategic decisions relative to workforce planning, recruiting, business growth (particularly with new innovation and technology), company core competencies (including leadership) and promoting or hiring is best done with reliable data.
Greg Manns at Industry Insights has become an important vendor partner to WG. He is a self- described geek for data, particularly pay data. Greg is the man behind the curtain who captures the raw pay and benefits information painstakingly submitted
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by WG members who participate in our annual compensation and benefits survey. Greg and his team compile and deliver the aggregate results and turn them out in the form of survey reports that are easy to understand and digest for WG members. Greg shared recent Industry Insights survey results where employers were asked about their major concerns and issues. The results are not surprising as leaders overwhelmingly responded with finding qualified candidates and keeping them as their two highest-rated concerns. Having good, reliable data is a start. Having a strategy for compensation management and a plan to attract and retain is another task altogether. Most WG members do not use a system of salary ranges or broadbands to manage pay in a proactive, calculated, preplanned manner. “If you are trying to be fair, or just simply competitive, you can’t make good decisions on compensation without good data,” said Bob Gray, former Chair of the WG Board. “And the more data the better, since the competition for talent is intense and the right offer is essential.” How does an organization literally plug pay data into a manageable, sustainable format? It takes good job descriptions to start. Then the job description is compared and contrasted to highly reliable pay data. The Estimated Market Value (EMV) is plugged into a range with other jobs with similar survey outcomes. Ranges are consistent percentages across and between midpoints. The EMV rules in this structure.
Take for example this hypothetical accounts payable clerk located in Central Valley with an employer of $150M in annual review. The location and size of the organization are critical data cuts to prevent an employer from paying too much or too little for a job. Our data suggests a starting base, annual salary of $46,467. Note: nearly all WG members pay a bonus in good years. As such, base pay and bonus is referred to as total cash compensation (TCC). We also provide this information in the annual survey. The average, median, upper and lower quartile gives the employer the flexibility to decide to pay the long-tenured, preferably high-performing individual in the upper quartile. Those just starting out in their careers or have just begun learning the skills and growing capabilities should be paid in the lower quartile. This is a highly defensible position against potential claims that may be brought under the federal Equal Pay Act and its California counterpart. It also lends to the necessity of job descriptions in that they should exist and be very clear about how many years’ experience one should have to command certain pay. Salary ranges address the challenge of managing pay in a linear, planned fashion. Additional benefits make up the total remuneration of compensation (such as 401(k)/retirement), health benefits, all monetary and nonmonetary benefits. These matter too. But what employers commit to paying should be supported by a comp strategy and plan.
WESTERN GROWERS OFFICERS – 2024 Stuart Woolf, Chair Rob Yraceburu, Vice Chair Neill Callis,Treasurer Don Cameron, Executive Secretary Dave Puglia, President & CEO DIRECTORS – 2024 GEORGE 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 Calif., Salinas, Calif. KEVIN ANDREW Illume Agriculture, Bakersfield, California ROBERT BARKLEY Barkley Ag Enterprises LLP, Yuma, Arizona STEPHEN BARNARD Mission Produce, Inc., Oxnard, California BARDIN 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 CAMP D. M. Camp & Sons, Bakersfield, California CAROL CHANDLER Chandler Farms LP, Selma, California LARRY COX Lawrence Cox Ranches, Brawley, California STEPHEN DANNA Danna Farms, Inc., Yuba City, California THOMAS DEARDORFF II Deardorff Family Farms, Oxnard, California TIMOTHY ESCAMILLA Bolthouse Farms, Bakersfield, California CATHERINE FANUCCHI Tri-Fanucchi Farms Inc., Bakersfield, California DAVID GILL Rio Farms, King City, California ROBERT GIRAGOSIAN Kern Ridge Growers, LLC, Arvin, California BRANDON GRIMM Grimmway Farms, Arvin, California JOHN JACKSON Beachside Produce, LLC, Nipomo, California TRACY JONES Booth Ranches, Orange Cove, 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 III Martori Farms, Scottsdale, Arizona HAROLD MCCLARTY HMC Farms, Kingsburg, California DOMINIC MUZZI, JR. Muzzi Family Farms, LLC, Moss Landing, California THOMAS NUNES The Nunes Company, Inc., Salinas, California STEPHEN PATRICIO Westside Produce, Firebaugh, California JOHN POWELL, JR. Peter Rabbit Farms, Coachella, California RON RATTO Ratto Bros. Inc., Modesto, California CRAIG READE Bonipak Produce, Inc., Santa Maria, California ERIC REITER Reiter Affiliated Companies, Oxnard, California KYLE RICHARDSON Garry Richardson Farms, Bakersfield, California SONNY RODRIGUEZ The Growers Company, Inc., Somerton, Arizona BRUCE TALBOTT Talbott’s Mountain Gold, LLP, Palisade, Colorado RYAN TALLEY Talley Farms, Arroyo Grande, California BRUCE TAYLOR Taylor Farms Calif., 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
MEMBER SERVICES If you’ve never created salary ranges or broadbands, please seek professional assistance. All members should be contributing to the WG Compensation and Benefits Guide, (the survey results are free to those who contribute data, which is simply unheard of in the pay survey industry). The 2024 WG Compensation and Benefits survey launches February 1, 2024 goes through April 2024, results ready in late June 2024. Western Growers Financial Services offers a beautiful 401(k) retirement plan in the form of a Multiple Employer Arrangement (MEP) where WG files the 5500 (for employers with more than 100 participants in the plan) for you, offers great investment options and helps with 404(c) compliance.
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Plastic Packaging Update By Dennis Nuxoll, Vice President, Federal Government Affairs
Many of you in the industry have paid attention to retailer calls, reflective of consumer trends, to change plastic packaging in the produce aisle. It’s no surprise that you have heard that packaging needs to use less plastic and that the plastic used should have more recycled content and be recyclable. What should come as a surprise is the plastic proposal that the Environmental Ministry in Canada has put forward during the late summer. In the proposal, the Canadian government would like to see plastic effectively banned from use in the produce aisle. The proposal states that produce in Canada should be sold in bulk, or in non-plastic packaging, and that 75 percent of produce should be sold that way by 2026 and 95 percent by 2028.
Canada is the United States’ largest produce partner, and we sell half of all our exports to our northern neighbor, so when we saw that proposal, we moved aggressively. Your Western Growers team quickly began to survey our members to understand the potential impact that the proposal might have on them. We also engaged packaging companies and packaging experts to understand packaging alternatives. What we learned shocked us: the proposal would effectively mean whole categories of produce would stop being shipped to Canada. Berries need a clamshell to be transported thousands of miles from California to Toronto. Cherries and grapes need plastic packaging. Baby carrots can’t be shipped. And well, bagged salads without a bag just don’t work. We also learned that non-plastic alternatives, namely fiber, literally do not exist to replace plastic. Thus, hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars of produce sales, are potentially at stake if this proposal goes forward without amendment. After filing comments opposing the proposal with the Canadian government, one of the first phone calls we made was to the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA). Their growers would obviously be impacted by this proposal too, so they were fired up. CPMA knows the terrain, they know Ottawa, and so for the last six months, we have been working hand in hand to fight this proposal. Since filing those comments opposing the proposal, we have been extremely assertive in our approach. We have spoken with the environmental and agricultural ministries in Ottawa about the proposal, as well as the Canadian embassy in Washington, and laid out our concerns. We have also sought help from American government agriculture, food safety and trade experts and asked for their help to open up bilateral talks with the Canadians to make changes to the proposal. Finally, at the end of November, we participated in a meeting with Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada and raised this issue directly. We hope that these efforts have moved the Canadian environmental ministry to be more thoughtful around plastics, and we intend to keep pushing in early 2024 until a more reasonable packaging proposal can be found. However, make no mistake—whether this proposal is amended or not—the issue of plastics is 12 Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com
something that everyone in our industry will need to face. Consumer trends point to growing interest in removing excessive plastic from the food supply chain. We know a significant portion of retailers respond to consumer trends, so we should expect to see more interest in reducing plastic packaging and making that packaging more sustainable. We hope that retailer proposals will be more reasonable and practical than what the Canadian environmental ministry proposed in the summer of 2023, but this is not an issue that will go away and thus Western Growers will be working on it.
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Meet Joelle Mosso, WG Science Team’s
Newest Member By Joelle Mosso, Science Programs Associate Vice President Food safety is a constantly evolving discipline, and the goal is to continually improve and drive residual risks to consumers down each day.
The Jungle, a 1905 novel by Upton Sinclair, highlighted untoward practices of the U.S. meat packing industry by exposing that wood shavings, spoiled meat and chemicals were routinely used to make meat products. It is fair to say that over the past century, there have been drastic improvements regarding food quality and safety, and the simple task of cleaning up an ingredient list is no longer the primary purpose of the food safety team. In the world of food safety, the challenge is always to be better and safer than the day before. Each day new insights important for food safety are discovered and new practices are developed to address changes in the food production ecosystem. The nexus of molecular biology, genomics and computational analysis is offering a glimpse into the new phase of food safety; one where hazard detection combined with unparalleled genomic understanding and computational data analysis will provide an opportunity to elevate food risk management to a state never within reach before. Managing food safety in produce requires finding the balance between environmental elements, agricultural practices and the need to safely support consumers’ nutritional requirements. Fresh produce, by the nature of being fresh, is unable to capitalize on centuries-old practices such as cooking to reduce microbial risks; yet its fresh state delivers some of the most critical nutrients and compounds for overall human health. As such, produce food safety represents a remarkably important challenge, and one where innovative food safety tools are just beginning to offer insight into the new paradigm of preventative food safety. As detection technologies have improved in identifying hazards within our food production systems, it can often feel like risks in the produce industry are increasing at a quickening rate. The reality is that with technological advancements in molecular biology and genomic analysis, many of the hazards that have always been present are simply becoming easier to identify. The current challenge is not that risks are increasing, but that we must continually be evolving our practices to offer continued risk reduction and a sustainable food system.
I recently joined the Western Growers Science team as Associate VP for Science Programs to support the produce community in identifying and incorporating food safety, sustainability and data utilization solutions. My background is in pathogenic food microbiology and risk assessment, and my focus at Western Growers will be on developing scientific programs that support growers in addressing the growing list of food safety and sustainability challenges. One specific focus will be on food safety data utilization and data-sharing programs that will help the industry unlock testing value, create visibility to better understand risk levels and help identify new risk mitigation strategies. While new challenges and issues are emerging every day, I am optimistic that we are at the forefront of new innovative solutions that will usher us into an exciting and sustainable prevention-based food safety system. Managing food safety in produce requires finding the balance between environmental elements, agricultural practices and the need to safely support consumers’ nutritional requirements.
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Neill Callis, General Manager, Turlock Fruit Company Director since 2019 | Member since 1944 Farming, the Final Frontier By Michelle Rivera, Communications Manager After 17 successful years of working for NASA as a project manager and systems engineer, Neill Callis ended up taking his career to the unlikeliest of places—agriculture. How on earth does that happen, one has to ask? It wasn’t exactly rocket science, according to Callis. All puns aside, Callis explained that both jobs, while presenting different buckets of challenges, require a similar set of skills. “What I found, and people laugh at me all
After their eldest child was born in 2011, the couple considered a change that would add to their quality of life. “We were living in San Francisco and commuting back and forth to Mountain View, and we were wondering how we were going to do this. The Bay Area can be a tough place,” Callis said. It was around this time that Callis was presented with, quite literally, a career-changing opportunity when his father-in-law asked him to join the family business. Turlock Fruit Company, founded in 1918, is a four-
the time for saying this, is that there are a lot of similarities with what I needed to be successful in my last career and what I needed to be good at in farming,” Callis said. “You need an array of project management skills, including resource management, budget management, fiscal management and people management.” After earning a degree in political science from Elon University in 1997, Callis sharpened these skills when he began his career working for the Universities Space Research Association, a nonprofit research corporation in Washington D.C. He then moved to the Bay Area in 2003, spending the next decade working at NASA’s Ames Research Center on the SOFIA mission (an airborne telescope installed in a Boeing 747SP) in Mountain View, where Callis would meet his wife Hilary Smith, the great- granddaughter of the renowned James “Cantaloupe” Smith, who founded Turlock Fruit Company more than 100 years ago.
Neill Callis after introducing PAC Speaker Michael Shellenberger at the PAC Lunch at the 2023 WG Annual Meeting
Neill Callis with his family at the WG Annual Meeting on Kauai
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generation family farming company known for its variety of sweet-tasting melons. “He had been looking at several opportunities that were opening up,” Callis said. “His father was 82 years old at the time, who by the way is 94 years old and still working today.” Keeping true to his methodical nature, Callis agreed to do a stealth internship to calculate the risks and rewards of this potentially new career and ultimately jumped in with both feet. “It was a big change because I was giving up my own career that I had built and was now working with several generations of business owners who have grown this business from the ground up,” he said. What helped him make the decision was joining his father-in-law at a Western Growers Annual Meeting. “It opened my eyes to not just seeing what farmers were doing, it was about becoming a part of a really important industry that has an effective voice through Western Growers and the people who are assembled as part of the organization,” he said. “There are growers of all sizes, and everyone is pulling on the rope the same way, tugging on the tough issues together, and that’s an amazing thing to see. That was not something that I saw in my years as a NASA contractor.” Today, Callis works with three generations of Smiths at Turlock Fruit Company—his grandfather-in-law, Don
Smith, who is a past Chairman of Western Growers, and was active in Western Growers’ success in convincing Congress to create the PACA Trust; his father- in-law, Steve Smith, who served on the Western Growers board and executive committee for several years until 2012; and his brother-in-law, Alec Smith, who is carrying on the Smith family commitment to grow the highest quality fruit. Callis was first elected to the Western Growers board in 2019 and was most recently reappointed to serve a second term as Treasurer of the Board. For the upcoming term, Callis said he’s looking forward to tackling water management and immigration issues. “There’s a lot happening in our space, and things are changing very rapidly. I’m very anxious to find comprehensive solutions that benefit not just farmers, but everyone,” he said. “I don’t think anyone does a better job than Western Growers. The board has done a great job of nurturing the next generation of talent, even for non-native farmers like me, or in-law farmers, if you want to put it that way.”
Neill with production manager David Prieto at their asparagus packing shed in Firebaugh
Neill with father-in-law Steve Smith in their honeydew packing shed
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COVER STORY
GROWING AG’S VOICE Stuart Woolf Takes Over as Chair of Western Growers By Kara Timmins, Communications Manager
A s Albert Keck passed the gavel representing the position of chair of the board to Stuart Woolf at the 2023 Western Growers meeting in Kauai, Hawaii, in November, it was more than a handoff of the role. It was a clear view into how deep the bench is in the Western Growers board for leadership.
Though a new chair of the board may mean a different tone in guidance, the collaborative and unified nature of the board will keep to a proactive trajectory set by Keck—and the many who came before him—to keep Western agriculture fit for the bobbing and weaving needed to stay productive in a dynamic industry. “I’m not looking to suddenly change the course of anything,” Woolf said. “I’m looking to build and bolster the path we're on. I feel like I'm very aligned with the organization and its overall mission.” Stuart is President and CEO of Woolf Farming & Processing, a family-owned operation primarily focused on the production and processing of agricultural commodities. Woolf was involved with the establishment of two related entities: Harris Woolf California Almonds and Los Gatos Tomato Products. Harris Woolf is a processor and handler of raw almonds and Los Gatos manufactures bulk tomato paste for industrial users. Woolf is deeply
“I love the idea that this organization positions itself strategically to address issues directly pertinent to its members as well as the ag industry at large.”
connected within agriculture from his experience serving as Chairman of the California League of Food Processors, the Almond Board of California and the UC President’s Commission of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Along with his position on the Western Growers board, Woolf currently serves on the boards of the California Chamber of Commerce and the recently established California Agave Council. The Western Growers Family of Companies is vast and complex. Any member of the board has a lot on their
plate just understanding the dynamic and varied needs of the companies. At the helm of it all, Woolf has his attention on a few clear objectives: “I’m interested in reviewing the overall health and sustainability of the organization, which I wish to maintain and build upon. This means reviewing the strategic plans for our business units, investing in the best and brightest, maintaining strong financials, establishing key metrics, etc. In addition, I would like to see the influence of our advocacy to grow by aligning with more like-minded ag interests.”
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Advocacy on a state and federal level has long been a priority and core purpose of Western Growers, and its importance won’t waver with Woolf at the lead. Our regulatory challenges are not going away with mandates associated with water rights, labor, environmental, pest control and plastics (to name a few). “We must remain vigilant in making the case for reasonable business environment for those of us who grow our nation’s food.” The Chair of the Board of Western Growers has a formidable group of government affairs experts at the ready both in represented states and in Washington D.C. In a recent article, Western Growers President & CEO Dave Puglia said, “We are all agriculture.” All Western Growers members’ large-scale challenges converge through the association, strengthening the amplification of the one voice made from the many. “A thing that I really like about advocacy and the policy work we do, it benefits all members big and small,” Woolf said. “It doesn't differentiate.” While advocacy is one of the pillars of the organization, it also engages strategically to address its members’ long- term challenges. For example, Western Growers has created the Center for Innovation and Technology (CIT). CIT now has over 100 startups and 35 sponsors connecting innovators and our members. We’re using the power of “the many” to meet the needs of an industry where individual efforts may be harder to come by. According to Woolf, “Western Growers investment at the CIT are poised to pay real dividends in regard to mechanizing harvesting and weeding in a world of uncertain, high-cost labor.” Food Safety is another area of focus for the organization. The organization is working with regulators to ensure their efforts generate better outcomes for both suppliers and consumers. Data analysis determining the root causes of foodborne illness and how to track and prevent them as opposed to solely relying on broad-based recalls that punish all producers, is a step in the right direction. Greenlink® is a Western Growers sponsored initiative to enhance prevention and better fact-based responses. Western Growers is unique in offering these kinds of solutions. “I love the idea that this organization positions itself strategically to address issues directly pertinent to its members as well as the ag industry at large.
Stuart Woolf (right) receives the Chair’s gavel from Albert Keck (center) and Dave Puglia (left)
More often, adaptation comes from innovators and entrepreneurs, not from trade associations. I’m excited to have been asked to lead such a dynamic organization with members I’m proud to rub shoulders with.” Woolf will hold the gavel for the next two years, and there is no doubt that there will be both successes and challenges within those two years. Members of the Western Growers Association can trust that Woolf will handle the time with resilient, confident and capable leadership. “I’m always amazed at the work that's being done at Western Growers…yet if there was one area that I would really like to see a mark improvement on, it’s simply telling our story better. We need to do a better job ‘tooting our own horn’ highlighting what we bring to the table for not only our members, but the industry at large.” Along with the change in board leadership that moves Woolf to the Chair of the Board seat, the other officers of the Association are: Vice Chair Rob Yraceburu, President of Wonderful Orchards; Treasurer Neill Callis, General Manager, Turlock Fruit Co.; Executive Secretary, Don Cameron, Vice President and General Manager of Terranova Ranch; and Puglia. Rounding out the Western Growers Executive Committee are Past Chair Keck and EC Members at Large Ryan Talley of Talley Farms and Catherine Fanucchi of Tri-Fanucchi Farms.
Joe Coelho and Woolf at the 2023 Annual Meeting's “Party Under the Palms”
Woolf with his son, Jack, in an agave field, his new venture.
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Welcome New Members
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FEATURE STORY
New Traceability Regulation: Is Two Years Plenty of Time? By Sonia Salas, Associate Vice President, Science
I n September 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published “Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods” (the Traceability Rule or FSMA Rule 204), proposing regulations mandating the establishment and sharing of food production-related records to shorten the FDA’s investigations of outbreaks when they occur. After extending the original comment period until February 2021, the agency took several months to review stakeholder feedback, and the rule was finalized in November 2022. By January 20, 2026, all companies that are subject to the rule will be required to have a traceability plan in place, assign traceability lot codes and maintain records of various critical tracking events as defined in the rule. The rule comes with its own terminology that, as defined by the FDA, may or may not currently be used by or familiar to the fresh produce sector. Planning and Preparing Do not wait until the Traceability Rule
Traceability Rule Timeline and suggests a path to compliance, which includes four elements: Learn, Plan, Do and Review. Learn means reading and understanding the Traceability Rule as well as conducting a gap analysis to see what information is missing within the supply chain. Plan means the development of a food traceability plan and developing a budget for its implementation. Do refers to having
executing or implementing the traceability plan, and Review refers to assessing results, a gap analysis and periodic reviews to determine the level of compliance. Companies that have implemented the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) requirements, as many on the supply side have done, are already on the path to compliance with Rule 204. Although not all Rule 204 requirements align with
enforcement date; prepare now. As we start 2024, two years may seem like a long time, but if companies are judiciously planning and preparing to be compliant, this time will be used to: 1. Determine the information customers are going to need and the systems they use to accept that information. 2. Determine the information needed from suppliers and the systems they use to log that information. 3. Assess the records currently kept and the existing recording-keeping systems. 4. Analyze the information shared within the supply chain and identify missing data. During a recent Western Growers webinar, Andrew Kennedy, Principal Traceability Advisor with New Era Partners, and Minos Athanassiadis, Vice President at iFoodDS, reviewed common challenges and questions around implementing the Traceability Rule. Kennedy, who as a former FDA employee helped to write the proposed rule, outlined steps companies can take to prepare for rule compliance. An important recommendation was to follow a methodical and systematic approach to making decisions that assess the adequacy of existing recordkeeping systems as well as suppliers and customers’ information requirements and systems. Both speakers encouraged companies to do their homework and talk with their suppliers and customers first before buying new systems and/or services. As a reference, New Era Partners/iFoods created an infographic that depicts a Food
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