2022 YEAR IN REVIEW
STRONGER.
To our WG members,
What is the value of your Western Growers membership? If you haven’t stopped to ask yourself that question in a while, you should. We are confident the answer is, “Invaluable.”
American revolutionary Thomas Paine once said: “What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly.” While Western Growers membership isn’t cheap, when compared to most associations it is very modestly priced. Thanks to the entrepreneurship of the organization in response to member and marketplace needs, we haven’t raised our dues in over two decades. But that isn’t exactly what we’re talking about. The second half of Paine’s quote provides additional insight: “It is dearness only that gives everything its value.” While he was writing in the context of freedom and individual liberties that ultimately came at great personal sacrifice for the patriot colonists, the same principles of intellectual, emotional and physical investment in your Western Growers membership apply. In other words, the more involved you are with Western Growers and our family of six companies – the more intentional you are in exploring and utilizing the dozens of products and services designed to enhance your competitiveness and profitability – the more valuable the organization will be to you and your business. Which is why we encourage you to review the highlights from our Year in Review and consider how you might deepen your relationship with Western Growers in 2023. In turn, we reaffirm our commitment to demonstrating the value of your membership every day. Together, we will remain united in our common support for growers and shippers in the West.
Albert Keck President, Hadley Date Gardens Western Growers 2022-2023 Chair
Dave Puglia President & CEO Western Growers
WITH US.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS THE LEADING GROWER REPRESENTATIVE IN WASHINGTON D.C.
SUPPLY CHAIN Western Growers has been fighting to improve conditions at the West Coast ports. Shipping issues have hampered – and at times crippled – our members’ exports and we have joined efforts to relieve those backlogs, such as the Port of Oakland pop-up container yard. Critically, Western Growers is pushing to ensure these crippling port issues do not arise again in the future. To that end, Western Growers helped secure final passage and enactment of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act. This new law will help crack down on harmful ocean carrier practices and help prevent the sort of unreasonable shipping conditions that we saw during the height of the pandemic.
Western Growers continues to lead legislative and regulatory advocacy efforts on behalf of the fresh produce industry.
IMMIGRATION Western Growers pushed the U.S. Senate on agricultural immigration reform by working to make improvements to the U.S. House-passed Farm Workforce Modernization Act. Some key improvements sought were a better wage requirement outlook for employers and expanded access for year-round temporary workers. Senate action was targeted for the lame duck session at the end of the year, but unfortunately was unsuccessful.
WATER As was the case last year, Western Growers has been busy in the water space. During the summer, Western Growers was part of a handful of groups that called upon Congress to provide additional resources to Western states facing catastrophic drought – especially resources for the Colorado River basin. In August, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act and that bill included billions of dollars of additional resources for drought, most of which are targeted at helping the Colorado River basin.
PESTICIDES Western Growers has increased its role in the pesticides and crop input space. We work to emphasize the importance of continued use of existing products as well as pushing for new innovations of next generation products. Through advocacy efforts with Congress and the Administration and via WG board engagement in Washington D.C., we increased our footprint as a leader in the crop protection arena.
Watch MEMBERSHIP VIDEO https://tinyurl.com/WG-Members
“WG members can be confident their voices are being heard in the halls of Congress and with the administration. Our dedicated Federal Government Affairs team is active behind the scenes, helping to steer many of the major national policies that impact our industry.” John Powell Jr. Peter Rabbit Farms
OUR IMPACT.
ARIZONA GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEDICATED TO TACKLING THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES FACING ARIZONA AGRICULTURE.
Authority financing to include irrigation districts and water conservation districts, a funding option desperately needed in rural Arizona. WG staff also supported efforts to establish the On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Pilot Program to provide grants and collect data for on-farm irrigation efficiency systems to reduce on-farm use of groundwater, surface water, mainstream Colorado River water, or water delivered through the Central Arizona Project. TAXATION WG supported efforts to expand current sales tax exemptions to include any machinery and equipment used for commercial production in Arizona – instead of only new machinery and equipment – and added agricultural “off-highway vehicles” used for commercial production of agricultural crops to the exemption.
Western Growers’ policy influence extends to Arizona, where staff is dedicated to ensuring the continued viability of the fresh produce industry throughout the state. With continued historic drought conditions across the Western U.S. in 2022, water was once again a major focus of legislative activity in Arizona.
WATER RESOURCES & INFRASTRUCTURE The 2022 Legislative session focused heavily on a proposed historic investment in water resource development and infrastructure. WG staff was at the table protecting agriculture’s interests, while supporting new water resource development. As a result, Arizona made a historic $1.2 billion investment in future water resources, infrastructure and conservation, as well as creating a reconstituted Water Infrastructure Financing Authority to direct spending. WG staff also worked to expand access to Water Infrastructure
“The work Western Growers continues to do in Arizona allows me to focus on my main job – managing my employees and our farm. I know our industry is well represented, ensuring our company and others will continue to thrive.” Alex Muller Pasquinelli Produce Co.
PROPERTY RIGHTS Western Growers also worked to clarify private property rights and liability within Arizona. Legislation passed clarifying that a landowner, easement holder, lessee, tenant manager or occupant of private or public land is not liable for damages in any civil action for unknown conditions on the land. As a result, any person that uses the land of another for recreational or educational purposes – with or without permission – is liable for any damage to the land, property, livestock or crops that the person may cause while on that land.
ARIZONA SUPPORT.
CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS CONTINUING A LEGACY OF POWERFUL ADVOCACY FOR CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE.
AB 857 – WG led opposition to this bill which would have expanded the circumstances under which an employer would be required to provide H-2A employees with travel time pay. WG staff negotiated late amendments to the bill that removed these changes. The bill was ultimately vetoed. We have developed a successful track record in defending attempts to change travel time pay requirements. A previous attempt was made in 2020 with SB 1102. WG also led opposition to that bill which was similarly vetoed.
Given the political environment in California, Western Growers’ state advocacy efforts are more critical than ever. The California Advocacy team in 2022 achieved remarkable success in protecting the public policy priorities of our members:
CROP PROTECTION: AB 2146 – Western Growers was part of a coalition effort in opposition to this bill which would have prohibited the use, sale, possession, and use of neonicotinoids for non-agricultural uses. Original language in the bill also classified
PACKAGING: SB 54 – This bill establishes the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act. The act requires minimum recycling standards for single-use packaging and food service ware. Producers will have responsibility for their products via an extended producer responsibility program. WG was a key player within a large coalition that worked on language to create a workable, feasible and cost-effective recycling program. WG staff was successful in getting exemption language relating to farming and fresh produce packaging. As a result, the proponents of the ballot initiative pulled it from the November 2022 ballot.
neonicotinoid pesticides as restricted use materials; a designation which would have also impacted agriculture’s ability to utilize these products. The opposition was able to remove the restricted use provisions and remained opposed to the bill. We argued to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office that pesticides should not be regulated through the legislative process but, rather, through the rigorous science-based process at the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. The governor agreed and AB 2146 was vetoed. LABOR: AB 364 – WG led opposition over several years to thwart attempts to expand California’s foreign labor contracting regulations to also cover farm labor contractors (FLCs) who employ H-2A farmworkers. This would essentially subjugate FLCs to additional licensing obligations that they already undergo via the California Labor Commissioner’s Office. We argued, and the governor agreed, that AB 364 was unnecessary and duplicative of existing law.
WATER: AB 2201 - This bill would have required a county to
forward permit requests for the construction of new groundwater wells, the enlarging of existing
groundwater wells and the reactivation of abandoned groundwater wells to the groundwater sustainability agency before permit approval. The bill would have prohibited a county, city, or any other water well permitting agency from approving a permit for a new groundwater well or for an alteration to an existing well in a basin subject to the act and classified as medium- or high-priority unless specified conditions were met, including that it obtained a written verification, from the groundwater sustainability agency that manages the basin or area of the basin where the well is proposed to be located, determining that, among other things, the extraction by the proposed well is consistent with any sustainable groundwater management program established in any applicable groundwater sustainability plan adopted by that groundwater sustainability agency or an alternate plan approved or under review by the Department of Water Resources. WG staff, working with other stakeholders, was able to stop this bill from moving to the governor. WATER SUPPLY: WG staff has been working over the legislative interim with other ag groups, irrigation districts and urban water districts to build a strong coalition of support to implement water infrastructure projects that will increase our water supply. Our list of projects has been presented to the Newsom Administration. We will continue to push forward water projects that address quantity, quality and reliability in the 2023 legislative session.
“Often, the good work of the WG Government Affairs team goes unrecognized. But rest assured, we have the strongest, most competent advocates in the business fighting to defend our right to farm in California.” Alexandra Allen Main Street Produce
CALIFORNIA SUPPORT.
SCIENCE TREMENDOUS LEARNINGS IN 2022.
DATA SCIENCE The First Industry Food Safety Data Platform for Fresh Produce: GreenLink ™ Bringing vision to fruition, 2022 was a year of tremendous growth for the Food Safety Data Sharing Platform (now officially branded and trademarked GreenLink ™ ).
to develop the capacity within the industry to quantify, report, and field validate sustainability indicators described in the Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops (SISC) for three NRCS Conservation Practice Standards - CPS 340 Cover Cropping, CPS 590 Nutrient Management and CPS 808 Soil Carbon Amendment. Climate Change and Sustainability Working Group WG Science started a member-based working group addressing the following questions: What should WG be working on? What should we be communicating, how, and to whom? What are the opportunities and resources that would be most meaningful to our members? What pressures/requirements and/or incentives are our members facing from the buyer and regulatory community?
Recruitment of new participants continued for the platform. The user base has expanded past its initial five pilot participants to now include 12 handling operations representing over 100 specialty crops growers and more than 1,000 ranches. Platform Development in the final months of the year has expanded the scope beyond pre-harvest analytics to include pre-season and will soon shift focus to development of post-harvest visualizations and insights. We’ve also added new data layers from publicly available data sources, such as California Wildfire Fire data for active/historic fires and CAFO data from the EPA database. Outreach and Support has been extensive—the Science team has received numerous invitations and presented at nearly two dozen events throughout the country this year with positive feedback from members of the fresh produce supply chain and industry stakeholders.
FOOD SAFETY Agricultural Water Safety Update
WG Science submitted comments on the proposed FDA Produce Safety Rule requirements associated with agricultural water use (Subpart E) on April 2022. Our comments emphasized the need for flexibility and accountability, raised implementation challenges, and encouraged the agency to consider conflict resolution as interpretation issues are anticipated.
ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE USDA NRCS Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities
Evaluation of FDA’s Human Foods Program At the request of FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, the Reagan-Udhall Foundation facilitated an evaluation of the agency’s Human Foods Program, including an end-to-end review of its organizational structure, resources, and culture. WG provided both verbal and written comments on Sept. 30 during the foundation’s public meeting and comment period. Among the recommendations we provided: Enact a strong sustained prevention agenda for farms that
Last February, the WG Science and Government Affairs teams collaborated with several academic, industry and regulatory partners to submit grant applications to the USDA under the Climate Smart Commodities Program. We are excited to report that one of the five projects was selected and has secured funding to move forward. This project team will work closely with a leading specialty crop producer, multiple small growers, and students from Hispanic Serving Institutions
increases state support and authority. Realize commitment to all the pillars of the agency’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety. Invest in collaborative food safety programs that will improve a domestic grower’s ability to operationalize food safety prevention strategies. Improve the agency’s focus on applied research, outreach, and education. FDA Regulatory Activities The Western Growers Science team continues to engage with the FDA at the leadership level about on-farm surveillance sampling of leafy greens grown in the Salinas Valley region during FY 2022-23 and future assignments. We continue to work with the agency on realizing its commitment to deprioritize those operations that share data through GreenLink in future surveillance sampling assignments. The agency has confirmed in writing its commitment to actively engage with Western Growers on potential areas of shared value between regulatory stakeholder and those participating in data-sharing. One Health Opportunities The One Health approach for health risk management focuses on the intersection of humans, animals, and the environment. One Health considerations are integrated into managing transmissible diseases between animals and humans, including, for example, COVID-19. Applying a One Health approach can advance the safety of fresh produce by addressing environmental sources/reservoirs of microbial pathogens. WG is taking a leadership role in programmatic efforts aimed at advancing One Health principles as applied to produce safety, including a work group under the HHS Healthy People 2030 and CDFA’s initiative California Agricultural Neighbors. Both efforts are focused on highlighting the importance of the land uses next to or nearby produce operations and best principles for managing the food safety implications.
“The WG science, technology and food safety team are continuously meeting the expectations of their members in developing resources, guidance, and solutions in an ever changing and increasingly complex regulatory environment. They are a cohesive team and are a joy to work with.”
Jake Odello Dir. of Food and Industrial Safety The Nunes Company
WITH SCIENCE.
INNOVATION ACCELERATING THE ADVANCEMENT OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY FOR THE FRESH PRODUCE INDUSTRY.
Increasingly, growers are turning to technology to address unprecedented environmental pressures, regulatory restrictions and marketplace demands. In this environment, Western Growers has emerged as a catalyst for innovation in the fresh produce industry.
Here are a few of the other key results in 2022: Next Gen Ag Worker launched in January with a $750,000 grant from CDFA, and by the end of the year our consultant was managing the grant, had identified growers’ top skillset challenges and more than 10 curriculum components to help improve them, and rolled out the new curriculum in more than 10 California Community Colleges. The goal is to produce 3,000 agtech-enabled workers over the next four years. The Biological Initiative launched in early 2022 and built to the Q4 announcement of the Salinas Biological Summit on June 20-21, 2023 with our global partners, including Wharf42 from New Zealand. This event will focus entirely on the biological and chemistry segments of agricultural inputs, the regulatory challenges currently in play, and the key innovators that can help address some of the problems and replace some of the chemistry solutions currently in market. Fundraising Campaigns – Western Growers is supporting multiple fundraising campaigns, including: The $65 million awarded F3 grant , which will help provide economic development in Fresno County with agriculture and agtech The $160 million NSF (National Science Foundation) Engines grant , which will help develop the desert, Central Valley and Central Coast regions into economic engines based on agtech and agriculture
The highlight for 2022 was the launch of the robotics conference FIRA USA in October in Fresno. Over 1,000 growers, startups and
researchers gathered for three days to talk about specialty crop automation solutions at an event that exceeded everyone’s expectations. There was a day of R&D conversations, a day of commercialization discussions and a day of field demonstrations. Our partners from GOFAR and UC ANR helped put on a great event, and there will be another FIRA USA event in 2023.
Harvest Automation Report - The second annual report will launch in Q1 2023 and will include deep dives into some emerging topics: Increasing H-2A usage and the impact on automation CEA (Controlled-Environment Agriculture) impact on automation with our partners at Agritecture
New in-depth market map for automation solutions with our partners at Mixing Bowl Segmented look at the amount growers of different sizes are investing in automation
“The Innovation Center and team have become an important part of our operation. I count on them to help identify new technologies, companies and solutions. Their strategic initiatives around automation and biologicals are critical to all of our future competitiveness.”
Don Cameron Vice President Terranova Ranch Inc.
WG INNOVATION IS LOOKING FORWARD TO A BUSY AND INNOVATIVE 2023!
NEW TECHNOLOGY.
LEGAL EXPERT LEGAL GUIDANCE AND TRUSTED MEMBER RESOURCE.
LEGAL INSIGHTS NEWSLETTER The Western Growers Legal Insights Newsletter, the most comprehensive and relevant source for legal news and information covering new laws and cases that affect the workplace; bills that are making their way into the law books; more localized news and information; and best practices to ensure a legally compliant workplace, reached members’ inboxes every Friday. WESTERN GROWERS LEGAL WEBINARS AND SEMINARS Western Growers Legal Resources hosted Seminars or Webinars on the following topics in 2022: AB 2183: Card Check
Western Growers provides industry- leading legal guidance and H-2A Services, and also is at the forefront of legal challenges to laws and regulations that jeopardize our members business. H-2A SERVICES Western Growers H-2A Services filed hundreds of H-2A applications and petitions on behalf of Western Growers members in 2022. The service, available exclusively to Western Growers members, mitigated labor shortages by helping members successfully employ thousands of H-2A workers on a seasonal basis.
Workplace Investigations Employee Handbook Workshop Trade Dress: Protecting Your Product’s Image
2022 Legal Update COVID Sick Leave Defending Whistleblower Claims
LEGAL CHALLENGES Luis Morales-Garcia v. Better Produce, Inc.: Western Growers and industry partners filed an amici curiae brief to oppose the appeal filed by the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation from a U.S. District Court ruling decided in favor of two strawberry marketing firms. This case will be the first appellate court decision interpreting California Labor Code Section 2810.3 in the context of agriculture, which imposes strict liability between a contractor and a client employer (in this case, a marketing agent) for violations of wage and hour laws and workers’ compensation requirements.
INDUSTRY GUIDANCE The Personnel Procedures Manual (PPM) continues to be the industry-leading resource for agricultural HR professionals and managers, with updated content, policies and checklists. Members seeking Legal guidance received one-on-one guidance about employment law and HR-related questions by calling the HR/Legal Hotline at 877-942-4529 .
Jamie Zepeda Labor Contracting v. Department of Industrial Relations: Western Growers led an industry-filed amici curiae brief in a state appellate court case, which had the potential to upset longstanding pay practices in the agricultural industry and expand the ability of the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (now the Civil Rights Department) to issue expensive citations to employers. The court decided that in this case, the Division did not have the authority to impose waiting time penalties where all minimum wages were paid on the regular payday. Almond Alliance et al. v. Fish and Game Commission et al.: Western Growers and industry partners participated as amici in a case that went all the way to the California Supreme Court. The Supreme Court held, contrary to legislative intent and a lower court ruling, that bumblebees can be protected as “fish” under the California Endangered Species Act. Center for Food Safety v. USDA: In a victory for USDA and hydroponic growers, the Ninth Circuit, siding with Western Growers’ position as amici , affirmed the decision of the lower court, finding no error in USDA’s denial of CFS’s petition asking USDA to revoke organic certification for hydroponic growers that otherwise qualify under the National Organic Program, or otherwise find that the Organics law prevents hydroponic growers from qualifying for organic certification.
“I wish I had started using Western Growers H-2A Services years ago.” Cindi Pearson River Vista Farms
Interested in H-2A or other legal services? Please contact Jason Resnick at jresnick@wga.com or (949) 885-2253, or visit www.wga.com/membership-services/legal-h2a-services to learn more.
WITH COUNSEL.
WESTERN GROWERS UNIVERSITY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAMS TAILORED TO THE AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY.
As a Western Grower member, you have access to learning programs designed to immerse your workforce with the essential knowledge needed for long-term success. Leaders and employees are introduced to theories, concepts, and techniques to gain an understanding of how to effectively interact with others in a healthy and legal manner. Our courses are facilitated in-person to your on-site workforce and via virtual classroom to integrate your remote employees, in English and Spanish.
COURSES Onsite:
Being Accountable for Your Results Building Trust in the Workplace
Coaching Employee Performance Effectively Competency-Based Behavioral Interviewing Foundations of Management Guide to Federal & State Leave Law Mandates Having Tough Conversations Management 101: The Essentials
FACILITATED Number of sessions:
Total number of participants:
203
2,694
SERVICED: California, Arizona and Colorado
Navigating Through Change Effectively Overcoming Burnout in the Workplace Preventing Discrimination & Harassment – Employee and Manager editions Stop Workplace Bullying Today Wage & Hour Laws Writing Effective Job Descriptions
OTHER AVAILABLE TRAINING SERVICES Complementary needs analysis to align strategic training initiatives to organizational goals Customized training programs designed to promote more effective business-oriented decisions and improve employee retention One-on-one coaching aimed at growing individual communication skills and long-term success Support members facing EEOC audits and complaints Adapt curriculum and core objectives to incorporate specific group needs Learning Paths include: Leadership Development, Supervisory Training, Employment Law, and Human Resource Practices
eLearning:
Employment Law Essentials Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Creating a Positive Work Environment Managing Difficult Employees Drugs and Alcohol in the Workplace Preventing Discrimination and Harassment – Employee and Manager editions Active Shooter Response Diversity, Inclusion & Sensitivity Unconscious Bias Microaggressions in the Workplace Bystander Intervention
“I truly appreciate the opportunity to attend these types of events and enjoyed the class.” John Temple
Workplace Behavior Instruments and Reports: Everything DiSC ® – Workplace Profiler Everything DiSC ® – Productive Conflict Everything DiSC ® – Work of Leaders Everything DiSC ® Agile EQ Everything DiSC ® Management Everything DiSC ® Sales Everything DiSC 363 ® for Leaders
Logistics Director Green Gate Fresh
Legal Workshops, in collaboration with WG Legal Counsel Leave Law, Reasonable Accommodations, and the Interactive Process
YOUR KNOWLEDGE.
HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS ENSURING THE HEALTH OF OUR MEMBERS’ MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE: THEIR EMPLOYEES.
In September, WGAT added new multi-practice provider Healthy Families to its Mexico Cross-Border program. Located closed to the border in Mexicali, Mexico, the Healthy Families Medical Center enables patients to access quality medical services at a significantly reduced cost compared to stateside care. Additionally, WGAT enhanced its Mexico plans to include nutritionist consultations for patients diagnosed with diabetes, as well as on-site consultations for cardiology and neurology. PinnacleRx Solutions (PRxS), our pharmacy benefit management company, implemented several cost-saving measures for plan members. After renegotiating with our rebate aggregator, PRxS has nearly doubled its rebates revenue, and retail margins have gone up as PRxS is able to buy drugs at lower costs. REPORTING AND TRANSPARENCY One of the major projects of 2022 was building new transparency tools in response to the Consolidated Appropriation Act. These new tools, available to all members of WGAT and Pinnacle, allow users to access real cost estimates for medical services and understand their cost share of those services. Additionally, further investment in technology and reporting allows WGAT to build Ag-specific reporting analytics for large employers that will empower them to make the best decisions about their benefits programs. NEW TECHNOLOGY A large time investment went into research to find the best healthcare technology tools for members in 2022. In 2023, those investments will pay off with the Spring launch of the new healthcare concierge mobile app available to both PCMI and WGAT clients. In today’s world where everyone has a smartphone, our new app puts a dedicated team of healthcare experts in a user’s pocket to help navigate the complex world of healthcare. Our app and the concierge team behind it will
Western Growers and its family of companies continue to evolve and innovate to provide the best healthcare solutions for Western Growers members.
A TEAM OF HEALTHCARE EXPERTS DEDICATED TO AG In 2022, Steve Mangapit returned to Western Growers in his new role as the Chief Operating Officer, leading both Western Growers Assurance Trust (WGAT) and Pinnacle Claims Management, Inc. (PCMI). In addition to Steve, we have continued to build our team of talented experts in healthcare by onboarding new staff and furthering their education and development. Steve Mangapit ACCESSIBLE AND QUALITY HEALTH CARE PCMI announced in August it has taken over as a managing services organization at the Cedar Health and Wellness Center located in Santa Maria, Calif. As part of the WGFC, PCMI serves the needs of Western Growers members with health administration services for the association’s health plan. Our continued venture in health care delivery reinforces our mission to streamline services and focus on delivering a more hands-on approach to patient-centered, culturally sensitive health care in the agricultural community. PLAN ENHANCEMENTS In the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare continues to seek out a new normal. As the marketplace looks for more innovation and cost efficiency, WGAT has built new plan enhancements that will be effective Jan. 1, 2023 to find that sweet spot of bringing value to members and reducing costs. These enhancements include a Zero Cost Share Telemedicine program where members can access virtual primary care without any expense and a change to a Zero Cost Share on our best-in-class Mexico Network of healthcare providers.
help members understand their plan, provide clinic advice and support, and find the right provider to serve their needs.
WGAT continues to implement the new requirements under the Transparency in Coverage Final Rules (TIC) and Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 (CAA) to ensure members remain in compliance and receive all of the benefits guaranteed under the new federal guidelines.
Watch DEDICATED TO WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU PINNACLE VIDEO https://tinyurl.com/PCMI-AM2022
“My experience with the service teams at WGAT/ Pinnacle is always pleasant thanks to their profes- sionalism. The team is knowledgeable about our health plans, and they understand the needs of our workforce. They make sure they go the extra mile to accommodate our company culture.” Marla Henry D’Arrigo Brothers
PROTECTED.
INSURANCE SOLUTIONS BRINGING SOPHISTICATED CAPABILITIES AND INNOVATIVE RISK MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS TO AGRICULTURE.
We onboarded 150 new clients, 7 new colleagues, and renewed over 5,500 polices this past year.
Our risk management team conducted over 200 worker safety trainings for over 3,500 participants. The most frequently trained topics were: Forklift Certification & Safety (over 450 participants)
Heat Illness Prevention (over 600 participants) Back Injury Prevention and Safe Lifting Practices (over 250 participants) First Aid & CPR certification (over 240 participants) Ladder Safety (over 160 participants)
Our FoodGuardian program continues to grow, leveraging the knowledge and expertise of both the WGIS team and the abundant resources within the
Western Growers Family of Companies to provide clients the ability to protect their businesses with product contamination (recall) coverage and pricing structured to their business needs and unique appetite for risk. Risk Funding Alternatives was key for us this past year. More of our members asked for our help to position them to have the option and knowledge to take more control of their risk. This included many different types of captives, dividend programs, and self-insurance. Popular areas for alternative risk funding include workers compensation, general liability, automobile and employee benefits.
Western Growers Insurance Services (WGIS) continued to build upon its base of over 1,200 member/clients. Our unique position as a member of the Western Growers Family of Companies allowed us to continue our history of innovation and service to the agricultural and food industries. With all of our profits going to Western Growers Association, no other insurance brokerage supports the agribusiness community like WGIS.
We built upon our large group employee benefits program by expanding our reporting and analytic capabilities and bringing on key resources. We’ve branded it our CLEAR program. With detailed analytics, industry specific benchmarking of plan design and loss experience, and actional claims data, we are bringing a new level of transparency to health benefits.
Watch CLEAR SOLUTIONS VIDEO https://tinyurl.com/WGAT-CLEAR
“The WGIS team has proven to be a great partner, always providing us with excellent options and fantastic service. We have employees in multiple states and they all receive the same best-in-class support from the experts at WGIS.” Colleen Whitmer Keithly Williams Seeds
WITH CHANGE.
FINANCIAL SERVICES FOCUSED ON ASSET MANAGEMENT AND RETIREMENT SECURITY.
The features and enhancements we did for the Western Growers RSP plan in 2021 helped us attract two new members into the plan.
OVER MILLION $ 100
NEARLY EMPLOYERS 40
RSP now has nearly 40 employers and assets over $100 million.
The new industry relationships with NWPS as our third-party administrator and Charles Schwab as our custodian help us bring cost-effective products and services while offering sophisticated and institutional offerings to our members’ retirement benefits that may not be available to them via other industry competitors.
APPROXIMATELY MILLION $ 19
Despite the volatile markets, Western Growers Financial Services managed to bring in new assets under management of approximately $19 million.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS SURVEY UPDATE
and converting it to usable reports is Industry Insights’ core competency, thus making them perfectly positioned to work with WG members. This change will ensure the long-term sustainability of the product, and as such, Western Growers is committed to significantly underwriting the survey, which remains the only one of its kind for the fresh produce industry in California and Arizona.
In 2022, we learned exactly how critically important the annual Compensation and Benefits survey is to members when making financial decisions relating to pay and benefits for their most important resource - their people. The compensation survey is slated for improvements in 2023 following Western Growers’ decision to move the project management to Industry Insights, a data analysis company. Collecting and analyzing raw pay data
JOIN THE WEEKLY FINANCIAL INSIGHTS EMAIL Have you signed up for our Market Wrap Up newsletter? You can receive weekly e-news updates on the week’s current performances from Western Growers’ very own Matt Lewis.
To subscribe, visit www.wga.com/membership-services/financial-services
“We were excited as a family to switch our 401K plan over to a company that truly understand our unique needs as a farming operation when it comes to retirement planning. Western Growers made the switch seamless for us and we are grateful for that.”
Todd Talley Talley Farms
Interested in learning more about the asset management and retirement savings capabilities of WGFS? Please contact Matt Lewis at (949) 885-2379 or mlewis@wga.com.
FINANCIALLY STRONG.
MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS ADVOCACY THROUGH MEDIA RELATIONS AND SOCIAL MEDIA.
SOCIAL MEDIA Western Growers continues to leverage the power of social media to reach consumers with key messages in support of industry policy priorities. In 2022, the Communications Department developed and cross-promoted the following videos: Immigration Reform and Food Inflation – Calls on the U.S. Senate to pass the Farm Workforce Modernization Act to alleviate the industry’s labor shortage and help lower food prices. Water for Farms Video Series – Five documentary short videos that give first-hand accounts of how the drought is hurting California farmers and impacting consumers. Next-Generation Agtech Robots Video Series – Three-part series that provides an inside look at cutting-edge weeding and harvesting technologies that aim to ease the industry’s ongoing labor shortage. Real Farmers Care – Timed with Thanksgiving, demonstrates the care Western Growers members put into growing the food that is consumed during the holiday season. Taken together, these videos garnered a reach of more than 9 million social media users and earned an additional 7 million potential viewers through placements in traditional media outlets.
The Communications Department aims to use media relations and social media strategies to create public support for the policy and political interests of Western Growers, our members and the broader fresh produce industry. Last year brought opportunities to influence consumer and policymaker perceptions on a host of familiar issues, such as drought and labor supply, and to forge new ground on topics like agtech and food safety.
MEDIA RELATIONS Through dedicated and disciplined media relations efforts, Western Growers earned a potential audience of more than 9 billion in mainstream and industry news outlets in 2022, an increase of more than 400 percent over 2021. The Communications Department fielded nearly 200 media requests from digital, print and broadcast media, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, CNN, NPR, Reuters, Univision, Associated Press and NBC Nightly News. Additionally, more than 40 press releases were distributed on behalf of the Western Growers Family of Companies. Major stories included the ongoing drought in the Western states, “bumblebees are fish” endangered species ruling by the California Supreme Court, fertilizer shortages and the war in Ukraine, and chronic labor shortages due to the lack of immigration reform.
Watch IMMIGRATION REFORM AND FOOD INFLATION https://tinyurl.com/WGInflation
Watch WATER FOR FARMS VIDEO SERIES https://tinyurl.com/WaterForFarms
“Western Growers continues to elevate our messages and drive industry priorities forward through skillful media relations and compelling and engaging social media campaigns.” Kristen Smith Eshaya President JV Smith Companies
Watch NEXT-GENERATION AGTECH ROBOTS VIDEO SERIES https://tinyurl.com/NextGenFarmers
Watch REAL FARMERS CARE https://tinyurl.com/RealFarmers
OUR VOICE.
TRADE PRACTICES PROVIDING CONSULTATION ON PRODUCE CONTRACTS, PACA EDUCATION, AND COLLECTIONS SUPPORT.
2022 HIGHLIGHTS Handled 34 PACA reparation actions, representing 16 unique Western Growers shipper members, recovering over $375,000 to WG membership’s bottom line. Provided 12 PACA Sales 101 training sessions to a combination of shippers, produce associations and retailers, with education covering fresh produce best practices and specific contract compliance methods. Focused supplier coalition efforts to combat retailer practices and fee programs that are inequitable to the supplier community and eventually morph into profit centers.
Secured a Special Local Needs (SLN) permit renewal for a WG member to be used in a post-harvest methyl bromide application for export broccoli into Taiwan.
Authored monthly Produce Insights blog posts with easy-to-digest, essential produce industry best practices in shipping/receiving, how to amend sales contracts, and the crucial steps to take in alleviating loss while protecting seller’s PACA Trust rights.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PRODUCE INSIGHTS BLOG Want to stay up-to-date with best practices for selling and shipping fresh produce? Subscribe to our Produce Insights blog to receive expert guidance on all things related to PACA, product arrival issues, product guarantees, collections on slow pay, disputed contracts and more.
“Over 50 people from our sales, transportation, credit and collections and legal teams were in attendance (in-person and online). Bryan Nickerson was well received and gave an excellent overview. He responded to a variety of questions with useful answers that our folks appreciated. It was very valuable, and we are extremely grateful for the effort to travel to us. Bryan’s attitude and eagerness helped make it fun working on a subject like PACA!” Michelle Montalvo Driscoll’s Senior Legal Manager
To subscribe, visit www.wga.com/membership-services/paca-collections
Interested in consultation on a produce contract, PACA Sales 101 training or need collections support? Please contact Bryan Nickerson at (949) 885-4808 or bnickerson@wga.com.
GLOBALLY.
2022 ANNUAL MEETING THE PREMIER INDUSTRY NETWORKING AND EDUCATIONAL EVENT.
The 96th Western Growers (WG) Annual Meeting continued its long tradition of being the marquee event in the fresh produce industry. Over four days in early November, hundreds of growers and industry stakeholders gathered in Las Vegas to strengthen the bonds that contribute to our continued collective success. During the event, the Board of Directors conducted their quarterly meeting to deliberate on critical issues facing Western fresh produce growers. In addition to its official business, the board recognized the service of seven outgoing directors, including three former chairs – one of which is part of the only grandfather, father and son trio to serve as WG Chair (John D’Arrigo). The 38-year tenure of David Zanze, Executive Vice President of Western Growers Assurance Trust and President of Pinnacle Claims Management was also celebrated. The keynotes at the Annual Meeting included Four-Star Admiral William McRaven and former Levi’s top executive Jennifer Sey. Former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush Karl Rove headlined the WG Political Action Committee (PAC) Luncheon. John Harris received the Award of Honor, two informative panels educated attendees and there were performances from “The Rat Pack and Marilyn” and Neil Diamond tribute band Super Diamond. On top of all this, NutJobs took home a record-setting $6 million equity investment offer during AgSharks!
As we look forward to another memorable gathering next year at the 97th Western Growers Annual Meeting , to be held at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa Nov. 12-15, 2023 , we remain committed to delivering a top-notch experience for our members and driving exceptional value for our sponsors.
97 th Western Growers Annual Meeting Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa Nov. 12-15, 2023
WITH FAMILY.
2022 ANNUAL MEETING THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS 2022 SPONSORS.
DIAMOND SPONSORS
PLATINUM SPONSORS alliantgroup Anthem Bank of America C.H. Robinson Pinnacle Claims Management, Inc. Quinn Company s2gventures Syngenta Western Growers Insurance Services
BRONZE SPONSORS Aanika Biosciences Amvac Braga Fresh D’Arrigo New York Fennemore Gowan USA Green Rubber Kennedy Ag iFoodDS The Mendrin Group Muzzi Family Farms Pacific Southwest Container Rain Bird SIPA Union Bank Valent Western Precooling Westlake Pipe & Fittings WestRock
GOLD SPONSORS PGIM Real Estate Tive Inc SILVER SPONSORS BMO Harris Bank Corteva Agriscience Farmers Business Network HTLF Food & AgriBusiness International Paper John Deere
Nelson Irrigation Ocean Mist Farms Pairwise Rabo AgriFinance TriCal Wells Fargo Western Growers Financial Services The Zenith
INDUSTRY PARTNERS 3P Partners AgCode AGQ Labs USA American Takii Barkley Ag Enterprises BASF Biotechnology Innovation Org Blue Book Services
King City Nursery Latitude 36 Foods LLC Law Offices of Shawn Caine MIXTEC Peartree+Belli Architects Inc Ramsay Highlander Rijk Zwaan Rogitex Sakata Seed Sensitech Inc Soiltech Wireless Southern Valley Chemical Sturdy Oil Company Teleos Ag Solutions Tuff Boy Vegetable Grower Supply Co Weatherly IP Solutions
Blue Tech Water CoolPak-Bunzl Ag Emerald Packaging First Health Frost, PLLC Ganaz Inc Grimmway Enterprises International Paper JRG Attorneys At Law Keithly-Williams Seed
WITH FAMILY.
LEADERSHIP 2022 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
GEORGE ADAM Innovative Produce Santa Maria, California ALEXANDRA ALLEN Main Street Produce Santa Maria, California 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 GEORGE BOSKOVICH III
DON CAMERON Terranova Ranches Helm, CA EDWIN CAMP D. M. Camp & Sons Bakersfield, California CAROL CHANDLER Chandler Farms LP Selma, California LAWRENCE COX Lawrence Cox Ranches Brawley, California STEPHEN DANNA Danna Farms, Inc. Yuba City, California JOHN D’ARRIGO D’Arrigo Bros. Co. of California Salinas, California THOMAS DEARDORFF II Deardorff Family Farms Oxnard, California SAMUEL DUDA Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Inc. Salinas, California CATHERINE FANUCCHI
BRANDON GRIMM Grimmway Farms Arvin, California JOHN JACKSON Beachside Produce, LLC Nipomo, California A.G. KAWAMURA Orange County Produce, LLC Irvine, California ALBERT KECK Hadley Date Gardens Thermal, California J.P. LABRUCHERIE LaBrucherie Produce El Centro, California FRANK MACONACHY Ramsay Highlander, Inc. Gonzales, California JOHN MANFRE Frank Capurro and Son LLC Coachella Valley, California STEPHEN MARTORI III Martori Farms Scottsdale, Arizona HAROLD MCCLARTY HMC Farms Kingsburg, California TOM MULHOLLAND Mulholland Citrus Orange Cove, California
ALEX MULLER Pasquinelli Produce Company Yuma, Arizona DOMINIC MUZZI 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, CA Bonipak Produce, Inc. Santa Maria, California ERIC REITER Reiter Affiliated Companies Oxnard, California JOSEPH RODRIGUEZ The Growers Company, Inc. Somerton, Arizona WILL ROUSSEAU Rousseau Farming Company Tolleson, Arizona RON RATTO Ratto Bros. Inc. Modesto, California CRAIG READE
RYAN TALLEY Talley Farms Arroyo Grande, California BRUCE TAYLOR Taylor Farms California Salinas, California MIKE WAY Prime Time International Inc Coachella, CA STUART WOOLF Woolf Farming & Processing Fresno, California
ROB YRACEBURU Wonderful Orchards Shafter, California
Boskovich Farms Oxnard, California LOREN BOOTH Booth Ranches Orange Cove, California RODNEY BRAGA Braga Ranch, Soledad California NEILL CALLIS Turlock Fruit Company Turlock, California
Tri-Fanucchi Farms Inc. Bakersfield, California DAVID GILL Rio Farms King City, California
STRONGER.
WESTERN GROWERS ASSOCIATION phone: (949) 863-1000 | fax: (949) 863-9028 email: info@wga.com | wga.com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online