Western_Grower_Shipper2022MayJune

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How to Get the Most Out of a WG Membership

Tim Baloian Baloian Farms

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FEATURES 6 Western Growers Touts Board Elections Amid Changes 14 How to Get the Most Out of a WG Membership 18 A Homeland Under Siege 22 Meet Your WG Women Ambassador – Heather Mulholland 39 WGCIT RESIDENT Naïo Technologies Offering New Robotic Weeders to U.S. Ag 40 WGCIT SPONSOR RDO Actively Facilitating Tech Advances by Growers

DEPARTMENTS 4 President’s Notes 10 Director Profile 24 WG Member Welcome & Anniversaries 26 California Government Affairs 28 Legislator Profile 32 Agriculture & the Law 34 Western Growers Assurance Trust 36 Science 38 Innovation 42 Update from the WGCIT 44 Connections 45 Contact Us 46 Inside Western Growers

WESTERN GROWER & SHIPPER Published Since 1929 Volume XCIII | Number 3

To enhance the competitiveness and profitability of Western Growers members

Dave Puglia President & CEO Western Growers davep@wga.com

Editor Tim Linden Champ Publishing 925.258.0892 | tlinden@wga.com Contributors Cory Lunde 949.885.2264 | clunde@wga.com Stephanie Metzinger 949.885.2256 | smetzinger@wga.com Ann Donahue 949.302.7600 | adonahue@wga.com Production Diane Mendez 949.885.2372 | dmendez@wga.com Circulation Marketing 949.885.2248 | marketing@wga.com Advertising Sales Dana Davis 302.750.4662 | dana.davis@wga.com

TOGETHER.

WGA.COM

Western Grower & Shipper ISSN 0043-3799, Copyright © 2022 by the Western Grower & Shipper is published bi-monthly by Western Grower & Shipper Publishing Company, a division of Western Growers Service Corp., 15525 Sand Canyon Avenue, Irvine California 92618. Business and Editorial Offices: 15525 Sand Canyon Avenue, Irvine California 92618. Accounting and Circulation Offices: Western Grower & Shipper, 15525 Sand Canyon Avenue, Irvine California 92618. Call (949) 863- 1000 to subscribe. Subscription is $18 per year. Foreign subscription is $36 per year. Single copies of recent issues, $1.50. Single copies of issues more than three months old, $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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Dewatering California’s Central Valley Don’t Laugh; They’re Serious By Dave Puglia, President and CEO, Western Growers In a recent blog post, the respected Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) suggests a startling future for the Central Valley.

Noting that “a significant amount of irrigated farmland… will need to come out of production over the next two decades” due to drought and implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), the writer suggests converting formerly irrigated farmland into livestock rangeland would keep the land economically productive and “might bring other benefits—including avoiding some of the negative consequences of fallowing.” It might be tempting to wave this off as unrealistic and impossible. But this is exactly how public policy is often made: Credible experts elevate an idea, advocates step in to widen public awareness and build acceptance within the confines of their own narrative, and pretty soon legislators aligned with those advocates hold “informational hearings,” introduce a bill or a bond measure, and before you know it we have a law, or a program or something that pours cement around what we waved off as a silly idea. Nothing against our friends in the livestock business, but let’s not concede the obvious: large scale food production belongs in the Central Valley. Our farmers are the best in the world, growing healthy foods with great efficiency and care for the land, water, air and people. Indeed, California is one of only five regions on the planet that can support the diversity, quality and volume of food production that can be achieved in Mediterranean climates, the Central Valley among them. Those are some of the reasons one-fourth of America’s food comes from the Central Valley, including 40 percent of its fruits, vegetables and tree nuts. All of this is accomplished on less than 1 percent of U.S. farmland. The Central Valley is a strategic resource for the U.S.—a safe and reliable powerhouse of food production that should be of increasing concern given current global conflicts, predictions of food shortages and rising inflation. We are in the middle of our second extended drought in the last 10 years, and we know that changing climate patterns require adaptation. But we should apply the same determination to adapt that gave rise to California in the first place. Our political leaders boast about the greatness of California all the time. “Fifth largest economy in the world,” and all that. Great! I agree! But did they forget what

California was before the early settlers and their sons and daughters reimagined the landscape they found? They built . Roads, bridges, dams, aqueducts, freeways, airports, energy generation (including a lot of zero- greenhouse gas hydropower). These and so much more were envisioned and created to adapt to the limitations they found, and the result is the most populous, economically vibrant and diverse state in the country. However, the state long ago stopped investing in large-scale water infrastructure and its regulatory agencies have done their best to thwart the voters’ clear directive to build more with Prop. 1 in 2014. Still, it’s not too late to get smart. Adaptation for the San Joaquin Valley (and for California) can and should include a federal and state commitment to using floodwater to recharge our groundwater basins, along with major increases to the state’s surface storage and conveyance capacities to hold floodwaters for later distribution to cities, farms and the environment. The alternative is to mandate, through both the action and inaction of our policymakers, the destruction of the primary economic driver for 6.5 million people in the Central Valley. Beyond the production of food, our farms form the economic foundation for rural communities in the region. Every dollar of the $30 billion generated by Central Valley agriculture creates an additional two dollars of economic activity in the region. Agriculture generates one quarter of all private sector jobs in the Central Valley, and every job in agriculture creates 2.2 additional jobs in other parts of the economy. Would non-irrigated rangeland support these people? No way. The economics simply don’t work, which is why it is suggested that massive expenditures of taxpayer dollars would be needed. In other words, we should accept a regional recession and depression as a foreseeable consequence of public policy. To suggest the forced conversion of highly productive farmland to unfarmed rangeland is to consign millions of our fellow Californians to either vicious poverty (if they try to stay) or mass abandonment of homes and businesses as they choose more politically, socially and economically welcoming regions of the U.S. Either outcome is indefensible.

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FEATURE STORY Western Growers Touts Board Elections Amid Changes

By Tim Linden A s it does every two years, the its Board of Directors. Western Growers is one of the very few produce industry associations that elects the lion’s share of its Board in competitive races with a plurality vote picking the winner. In practice, each Western Growers Regular Member dedicates a member of its ownership and/or senior management team to be its official voting representative. Every other year, there is an election for the members to choose their representative or the multiple representatives from each of the 13 districts as defined by the map accompanying this story. (At one point there were 14 districts but two were combined many years ago, eliminating District #3.) WG Assistant Vice President of Western Growers membership is approaching election season for Membership Kim Sherman said each of those company representatives are eligible to be nominated for the Board, and in fact each will appear on the ballot unless they specifically ask to be left off. “We have 36 Members from the roles of Regular Members elected to the Board by the membership and another six At-Large Members elected by the Executive Committee and the Board itself,” she said. “In addition, two members from the Affiliate Member category are elected to represent that class of membership.” Sherman said that the “At-Large Board Member” slots have been historically used to bring added diversity to the Board with regard to geographic and commodity balance. “Over the years, our Board roster has read like a who’s who in the western produce industry,” Sherman said. “The most prominent members of the industry have served on our Board.” The Board also is well known for its multi-generational continuity. No member can literally pass on their seat to the next

the ballot without their approval,” said Sherman, “but we always strive to have multiple choices for each position, and we encourage members to run as their district representative.” There is also always an option for a Write-In candidate, making the Western Growers Board of Directors election as fair as it gets in running a democratic election. John Manfre, Partner/Manager of Frank Capurro & Son LLC, Moss Landing, CA, is stepping down from the Board and is choosing not to run for re-election after 16 years of service. His perspective as a retiring long-serving Board member is an interesting one. “I made the decision to step down as I have had my turn,” he said. “There are a lot of well-qualified people in my district, and I have told Western Growers [staff] that I do not want to be on the ballot this year.”

generation in the family, but over the decades there are many examples of two and three generations of the same family serving on the Western Growers Board. As mentioned above a unique aspect of the WG Board, compared to other industry associations is that members are elected by their peers. While the election does not rival the sparring that takes place in a political race, many potential Board members do solicit votes from their fellow district members and “run” for the position. In fact, Sherman said the Western Growers Board encourages members to actively get involved in the association, including potentially serving on the Board. Of course, it requires a time commitment and the ability to leave your company hat at home and put the needs of the industry as a whole front and center. “No member remains on

District 1 Arizona except Yuma County District 2 Yuma County Arizona District 4 Imperial County and Blythe District 5 Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego Counties District 6 Santa Maria, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties District 7 North San Joaquin and Northern California areas District 8 Ventura County District 9 Kern County District 10 Watsonville, Gilroy, Hollister and Santa Cruz Areas District 11 Monterey County District 12 East San Joaquin Valley

District 12 east of Highway 99 and bordered by the Inyo-Mono county and Madera-Mariposa county lines to the north, and the Inyo- San Bernardino county and Tulare-Kern county lines to the south.

District 13 Riverside and San Bernardino Counties District 14 West San Joaquin Valley

District 14 west of Highway 99 with the Madera/Merced county line and Highway 152 as the northern boundary, the Fresno/San Benito/Monterey county lines as the western boundary and the Kings/Tulare/Kern county lines as the southern boundary.

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Manfre said that while re-election every year was not guaranteed there were several very capable members in his district that chose not to run because he was on the ballot. “The first thing I did after making my decision was to contact several people in my district and tell them that I am not running this year and to be sure they put their names on the ballot, if they are interested.” The Capurro executive said he was first approached to run for a Board position in the 1990s “but it wasn’t the right time for me. I had younger kids and didn’t want to make the time commitment.” In the early 2000s, he noted that

Western Growers made important changes and was taking a very progressive and active position on many issues important to Manfre. “That was a tipping point for me…and my kids were college age, so I decided to run,” he said. “I was surprised that I won but I was very happy to have been elected and I am very happy that I have been able to win re-election ever since.” Manfre noted that in earlier times, there was a perception that the Board Members were part of an “old boys club” but that was not the situation he found upon joining the group. And it has not been true ever since. “I was on

the Executive Committee for several terms during my tenure and I was on the Audit Committee almost every year,” he said. “I saw the inner workings of the board and audited the elections. There is a lot of work that goes into being a Board Member and it is truly a dedicated group of individuals who do leave their company hat at the door. Obviously, you have a lot of heavy hitters on the Board, but when we are debating issues everyone is talking about the betterment of the industry and the association not their own companies.” He added that many different viewpoints are typically aired for every

Arizona

District 1

District 7

District 2

District 10

New Mexico

District 14

District 12

District 11

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District 6

California

District 8

Colorado

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debate. For example, he said when discussing the concept of a two-year Chair, the argument that an incoming Chair is just getting a lay of the land when their term expires is a powerful viewpoint that Manfre said makes perfect sense. “I know during my first term, I mostly listened. It takes time to get up to speed.” On the other hand, he said it was also noted that asking the Chair to make a two-year term necessarily eliminates some people from consideration who just can’t make that commitment because of their own company situation. Manfre said this debate was typical of Board discussions that tried to examine every issue and pick the decision that was best for the industry and the association. He noted that it has been a great experience personally to serve on the board. “The people that I have met that I never would have known and the relationships that I have formed are priceless,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot about the industry and have been exposed to many different opinions. I definitely got more out of Western Growers than I have ever given. I leave hoping I made a good contribution.” He also leaves excited about the new ideas that are surfacing from some of the young leaders and knows that his district will be represented well by whoever wins the next election. Over the long history of Western Growers, the boardmembers have always been elected for two-year terms and for the first time ever, the officers’ terms are following suit as Manfre noted. WG President and CEODave Puglia said the unprecedented situation that occurred because of coronavirus restrictions soon after Ryan Talley of Talley Farms became Chairman of the Board in 2020 led the board to elect him for consecutive terms in 2021. “Given the wide scope of work the association performs on behalf of the industry and the breadth and diversity of the WG Family of Companies, for many of us—both staff and our board leaders—just as a new Chair is fully acclimated, a new Chair takes over,” Puglia said. “While the pandemic compelled us to extend Ryan’s term for another year, our experiences in his two years as chair confirmed what we had been thinking for a long time: A two-year term offers the Chair a greater opportunity to bring the full measure of his or her leadership to this organization and our industry.”

WG Senior Vice President and General Counsel Jason Resnick, who also serves as the Board Secretary, said along with the addition of the two-year term for members of the Executive Committee (EC), the Board also eliminated two positions on EC—Past-Past Chair and one of the two Vice Chairs—and replaced those slots with two at-large Executive Committee Members. Resnick said that the change was made for a very practical reason: to limit the Chair’s commitment to a leadership post to six years rather than expanding it to 10 years. He explained that under the previous system, a Board member moving into a leadership post was asked to make a five-year commitment to the Executive

Committee as the member moved through the officer positions in order: Vice Chair, Senior Vice Chair, Chair, Past Chair and Past-past Chair. Two-year terms would have doubled that commitment. Under the new procedure, the members will be asked to make a six-year commitment: two years each as Vice Chair, Chair and Past chair. The two at-large Executive Committee members will join the Treasurer and Executive Secretary positions as slots that do not require extensive commitments to the EC. Resnick said the Board wanted to keep an eight-member Executive Committee to give the full Board the advantage of having an EC that is large enough to represent a wide variety of views and fully vet issues that come before it.

Western Growers Governance Update

At the March 24, 2022, Western Growers Board of Directors meeting in Phoenix, the Board voted to amend the Western Growers Bylaws. Here are some of the

notable changes that were approved by the Board: Reconstitution of the Executive Committee

Previously, the Western Growers Executive Committee was comprised of eight positions: Chairman of the Board, Senior Vice Chairman, Vice Chairman, Treasurer, Executive Secretary, Past Chairman, Past-Past Chairman, and President/CEO. Effective March 24, 2022, the Executive Committee is made up of the following eight positions: Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Executive Secretary, Past Chair, President, and two Members-At-Large. Two-Year Terms Previously, except for the President and CEO who serves at the pleasure of the Board, the officers were elected for a one-year term and annually elected by the Board. Accordingly, the Board approved the reconstituted Executive Committee to serve for two-year terms as follows: Chair – Albert Keck Vice Chair – Stuart Woolf (formerly Senior Vice Chairman) Treasurer – Neill Callis Executive Secretary – Don Cameron Member At-Large – Rob Yraceburu (formerly Vice Chairman) Member At-Large – Ron Ratto (formerly Past-Past Chairman) Affiliated State Representation The Board also voted to require that one of the two Affiliate Directors come from the Affiliated State class of membership (e.g., a Colorado or New Mexico representative) beginning with the upcoming 2022 election. For a copy of the amended Western Growers Bylaws please contact the Board Secretary, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Jason Resnick at jresnick@wga.com. President – Dave Puglia Past Chair - Ryan Talley

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Mike Way, Co-owner, Prime Time International, Coachella, Calif. Director since 2022 | Member since 1987 Way Forges Own Path to Produce By Tim Linden Like many of his colleagues on the Western Growers Board of Directors, Mike Way grew up in Salinas, graduated from Salinas High School and went to college to major in ag business.

But he was not born with agriculture in his blood. “I was born and raised in downtown Salinas,” he recalls. “My dad was City Attorney of Salinas, and my mom was a homemaker.” Neither were born in Salinas as they moved there in 1965 specifically for his father to take that position. Three years later, Mike was born and, unfortunately, three years after that his father died. “I was raised by a single mom with the help of a lot of good friends,” Way said. The agricultural community and lifestyle did appeal to the Salinas native and when he graduated from high school in 1983, he matriculated to California State University at Fresno to get ready for an ag career. Soon after graduation, Way was hired by Sun World in December of 1988; it is one of only two jobs he has held in his career. “From Fresno, I moved to Riverside with Sun World and stayed there for two and a half years before they moved me to the desert in 1991,” he remembers. About a year later, Chuck Hodges, Mark Nickerson and Carl Sam Maggio put together the group that eventually called itself Prime Time International. Way joined that team as a salesman. “We initially had a different company name (C.H. Sales),” he said, noting that the Prime Time moniker was hatched a few years later as the leadership determined it would hang its hat on peppers. “Initially we shipped an assortment of vegetables from the desert,” he said. “The plan was to be in the vegetable business for seven to eight months of the year and take four months off. That idea lasted about two weeks.” Instead, the partnership began expanding its footprint and soon focused on green and colored peppers with deals in Mexico as well as California. Today and for the past 28 years, peppers have been Prime Time’s signature crop. “We have peppers every day of the year,” Way said. “We grow peppers in the desert, Oxnard and Bakersfield in California and we have 13 locations in Mexico. We are the largest pepper shipper in North America.” About five years ago, the shipper started an asparagus program that has grown to be about a

quarter of the company’s total volume and also features year-round production sourcing from Mexico and Peru. But peppers still make up the lion’s share of business with about 60 percent of sales. Prime Time also has seasonal production of sweet corn, tomatoes and green beans. In the 2000s, Way and Jeff Taylor became minority partners of the operation and in 2017, they became the managing partners. Just recently, the two partners completed the ownership shift and became co-owners with a majority stake in Prime Time. Though Way said the co-owners do have a couple of oars in the water concerning new projects, their main emphasis is on keeping their core business going and profitable. “California agriculture is currently swimming upstream,” Way said. “The increasing cost of everything is making it very difficult to produce a profit. We have to figure out how to get freight rates back down so we can survive.”

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But with that said, Way also noted that “I’m a full believer in cycles. Things will turn around.” He added that there has to be a solution for California because there are no other alternatives. The company is heavily involved in Mexico when and where it can be, but he said that is not the solution for everything. “Mexico is not an easy place to do business and it’s not cheap. The biggest problem is lack of infrastructure and that is very expensive,” he said. Way also added that the company has great growing partners in California— most notably the Bianco family—which makes continuing to make California work an integral part of the company’s strategy. “They are a big part of what we do.” When Mike Way took his position on the WG Board, he joined a long list of directors that have had previous family members serve on the board. The WG Board is full of second and third generation families to serve the association. But Mike and Ellen Way are the first husband/wife team to be on the board. EllenWay is an active participant in agriculture in her own right. She is the owner of Sanders/Way Ranch, an almond operation on land bought by her grandfather in the 1930s. She is also very active in politics including with the California Women for Agriculture. She served on the WG Board a few years ago for a two-year term. “Ellen is the busiest stay-at-home Mom that there is,” Way quipped. The couple have two daughters: Julia, who graduated from the University of Kentucky on May 6 and is starting a nursing career in Dallas this month; and Elizabeth, a high school senior, who was in the midst of picking her college choice as her father was being interviewed in April.

WESTERN GROWERS OFFICERS – 2022 ALBERT KECK, Chair STUART WOOLF, Vice Chair NEILL CALLIS, Treasurer DON CAMERON, Executive Secretary DAVE PUGLIA, President & CEO DIRECTORS – 2022 GEORGE J. ADAM Innovative Produce, Santa Maria, California ALEXANDRA ALLEN Main Street Produce, Santa Maria, California KEVIN S. ANDREW Illume Agriculture, Bakersfield, California ROBERT K. BARKLEY Barkley Ag Enterprises LLP, Yuma, Arizona STEPHEN J. BARNARD Mission Produce, Inc., Oxnard, California BARDIN E. BENGARD Bengard Ranch, Salinas, California LOREN BOOTH Booth Ranches, Orange Cove, California GEORGE BOSKOVICH III Boskovich Farms, Oxnard, California RODNEY BRAGA Braga Ranch, Soledad, California NEILL CALLIS Turlock Fruit Company, Turlock, California DON CAMERON Terranova Ranch, Inc., Helm, California EDWIN A. CAMP D. M. Camp & Sons, Bakersfield, California CAROL CHANDLER Chandler Farms LP, Selma, California LAWRENCE W. COX Lawrence Cox Ranches, Brawley, California STEPHEN F. DANNA Danna Farms, Inc., Yuba City, California JOHN C. D’ARRIGO D’Arrigo Bros. Co. of California, Salinas, California THOMAS DEARDORFF II Deardorff Family Farms, Oxnard, California SAMUEL D. DUDA Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Inc., Salinas, California CATHERINE A. FANUCCHI Tri-Fanucchi Farms Inc., Bakersfield, California DAVID L. GILL Rio Farms, King City, California BRANDON A. GRIMM Grimmway Farms, Arvin, California JOHN JACKSON Beachside Produce, LLC, Nipomo, California A. G. KAWAMURA Orange County Produce, LLC, Fullerton, California ALBERT KECK Hadley Date Gardens, Thermal, California J.P. LABRUCHERIE LaBrucherie Produce, El Centro, California FRANK MACONACHY Ramsay Highlander, Inc., Gonzales, California JOHN S. MANFRE Frank Capurro and Son, Moss Landing, California STEPHEN MARTORI III Martori Farms, Scottsdale, Arizona HAROLD MCCLARTY HMC Farms, Kingsburg, California TOM MULHOLLAND Mulholland Citrus, Orange Cove, California ALEXANDER T. MULLER Pasquinelli Produce Co., Yuma, Arizona DOMINIC J. MUZZI, JR. Muzzi Family Farms, LLC, Moss Landing, California THOMAS M. NUNES The Nunes Company, Inc., Salinas, California STEPHEN F. PATRICIO Westside Produce, Firebaugh, California JOHN POWELL JR. Peter Rabbit Farms, Coachella, California RON RATTO Ratto Bros. Inc., Modesto, California CRAIG A. READE Bonipak Produce, Inc., Santa Maria, California ERIC T. REITER Reiter Affiliated Companies, Oxnard, California JOSEPH A. RODRIGUEZ The Growers Company, Inc., Somerton, Arizona WILL ROUSSEAU Rousseau Farming Company, Tolleson, Arizona RYAN TALLEY Talley Farms, Arroyo Grande, California BRUCE C. TAYLOR Taylor Farms California, Salinas, California MIKE WAY Prime Time International, Coachella, California STUART WOOLF Woolf Farming & Processing, Fresno, California ROB YRACEBURU Wonderful Orchards, Shafter, California

Prime Time Co-owners Mike Way and Jeff Taylor examining their signature pepper crop a few years ago.

When he has some spare time, Way enjoys golfing and is an active owner of racehorses. He said his claim to horse racing fame is Hot Rod Charlie, who was the runner-up in the 2021 Kentucky Derby. Way and a group of friends started a race horse partnership about five years ago with Hot Rod Charlie being one of their foals. The partnership dissolved about three years ago with a few of the members retaining ownership to that very successful horse. Of his current stable of horses, he said: “We’ve won a few stakes races and I have a few two-year-olds that look very promising.”

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COVER STORY How to Get the Most Out of a WG Membership

By Tim Linden W estern Growers has long been known as the major voice of the western fruit, vegetable and nut industries. Since its inception almost a century ago, the association has represented the best interests of its members as they go about the business of growing, harvesting, packing, selling and shipping the best medicine in the world. Western Growers began its life in the Roaring 20s of the last Century representing grower-shippers as they battled with the railroads to secure reasonable rates and schedules for shipping their production across the country. The association has been there for decades making sure its members get the crops harvested and to market and, most importantly, get paid in a timely manner. Over the decades, the needs of the average producer have greatly expanded beyond the operations directly affiliated with the crop in the ground. Today, WG offers many services that help growers run their businesses as they focus on producing the best products. For example, Western Growers has a Legal Department to help with all types of disputes and also to secure labor. The association’s Assurance Trust and Insurance Services departments offer a myriad of insurance options that are as necessary to keep a vegetable operation thriving as water. The Western Growers Financial Services team is equally important to help keep companies afloat and allow businesses to thrive and employees to prosper as they dedicate their careers to the noble profession of feeding a planet. WG University was established to offer training programs to business owners and their employees—both the mandatory training requirements as well as the business-enhancing programs that can help a company’s employees do their jobs better and grow personally and professionally. These are just a few of the business services available to members of Western Growers. Joseph “Sonny” Rodriguez, who is

the President and CEO of The Growers Company, an Arizona-based labor service provider, has been an enthusiastic user of Western Growers business services for more than a quarter of a century. “We use Western Growers for our medical insurance, workers’ comp, liability insurance…any insurance we have we get through Western Growers,” he said. Rodriguez notes that when he is choosing a provider for his business needs, the service is very important as are the rates. He also factors in that Western Growers does so much more for the industry with the revenues it earns from its business services. “It’s a puzzle,” he said. “We look at a lot of different factors when we make our decisions.” The company has had its medical insurance with Western Growers Insurance Services for more than 25 years; workers’ comp was added more than a decade ago and the liability insurance it obtained through WGIS became part of the company’s stable of WG products about a half a dozen years ago. “We have been doing our H-2A in collaboration with Jason (Senior Vice President & General Counsel Jason Resnick) for a long time. Now about 60 percent of our workers are H-2A.” He noted that the entire Western Growers staff “is great to work with. They handle all our needs and make sure we have options.” He reiterated that the bottom line of an insurance bid is an important aspect of getting the business, but it’s not the sole decider. “Western Growers usually meets the bid, but sometimes we have a lower bid, and we have to take a look. Building relationships is very important to us. And it is important to factor in all the work Western Growers does for the industry. We are very happy with the services we get from Western Growers.” The Growers Company was established in 1950 by Sonny’s father, Joe L Rodriguez, to serve the needs of growers in the

Glendale, Ariz. region. Sonny joined the operation fulltime after graduating from Arizona State University in 1975. Today the company has operations in multiple states, including California, Arizona and Colorado and it is a three-generation family-owned business, like many of the farming companies it serves. David Zanze is the Executive Vice President of Western Growers Assurance Trust, and the President of Pinnacle Claims Management, Inc., WG’s third-party administrator of self-funded insurance plans. He has been with Western Growers for 37 years and said the individual service Western Growers insurance teams offer to its members is what sets it apart. “We provide services that no one else offers,” Zanze said. “Of course, we are price competitive but it’s not about price, it’s about our quality of service.” Zanze said The Growers Company’s insurance plans are representative of what WGAT offers to members. “Other outfits offer similar plans but no similar service,” he said. “We go out to the field and explain our plans to the workers in their language. And if you have an issue, you can call me or any of our other executives. Try doing that with one of our competitors. You’ll never even get close to talking to a top officer. We give direct access at every level.” The fact that Western Growers is an ag-based association that is offering these services can’t be overstated, according to Zanze. “We are member-driven and member-focused. Our customers and clients are in effect, our shareholders. We answer to them, and we report to them. It is not about profits; it is about service and offering the products they need.” Tim Baloian is CEO/President of Baloian Farms in Fresno and is the third generation to farm under the family name since 1917. His grandfather, Charles Baloian, began the family’s farming tradition on Staten Island in New York Harbor. But he soon followed the trail

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blazed by others of Armenian descent and moved to California’s San Joaquin Valley. “My grandfather had a vision for a vertically integrated company,” Tim says. He did not quite reach the full extent of the vision, but he did grow crops, had a wholesale business and evolved into marketing over time. Tim’s father, Ed Baloian, and uncle, Jim Baloian, carried the tradition forward and passed it on to the next generation. Tim joined the company full time in 1971 at the age of 19. It was the second and third generations that expanded the vertical integration further and also honed in on vegetables as their fresh sector of choice. Tim said the next generation is stepping up to the plate as he has two daughters and two nephews that are working for the operation in key spots. And there are other potential fourth generation leaders still working through the education system. “We do have a transition plan in place,” he said. It is with this background and 50 years of farming under his belt that the current CEO decided to expand his employee training program this year through the WG University. In the past, Baloian said the company utilized Western Growers for the mandatory trainings required by law, but it had not gone further than that. “This year we decided to do five different trainings,” Baloian said, noting that trainings are taking place at the rate of about one a month over four to five months. They cover several topics including workplace behavior and regulations, management 101, navigating change, building trust and developing leadership skills. He added that because of their busy harvesting schedule, which tends to get underway in earnest in May, the company wanted the formal education program concluded before the workload started to escalate. “We’ve done four of the five classes and it’s been great,” Baloian said. “I can’t say enough about Anna (Bilderbach), Learning and Development Manager, who conducted the classes. She has done a great job. She is very knowledgeable and built a rapport with the participants. That was the key.” Baloian took each of the classes along with about 20 employees each time. “I learned a lot,” he said. “I think I got as much out of it as anybody else.” The company went down this path because employee evaluations identified a need for more training sessions. Baloian said employees wanted to learn

about improving their own business and interpersonal skills. “It’s not cheap but it’s well worth it,” he said. “I highly recommend it. I believe over the years the trainings will produce a significant ROI. It’s hard to put a value on giving your employees the opportunity to learn but I’ve already seen changes. I know the classes have made me a better manager.” Bilderbach has been with Western Growers for a handful of years but has been in the employee training industry for two decades. “We basically offer a learning and consultancy service to our members,” she said of WG University. “We offer our programs in English and Spanish— on-site, online and on-demand for an affordable price. We have an extensive list of opportunities.”

When working with a member, Bilderbach said she starts the conversation with “What do you need and what are you trying to achieve? We have competitive pricing, and we give a 20 percent discount to members.” She noted that among the more popular offerings are classes on Leadership Development, Supervisory Skills and HR & Employment Law. “We also customize programs to fit the member’s exact needs.” Bliderbach believes on-site courses are the most effective, but she said the live online webinars, and the e-learning sessions on-demand are credible alternatives. She did say that the programs are very popular, and members should plan ahead. “Right now, I am pretty booked until at least June,” she said in mid-April.

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Mitch Ardantz is one of the managing partners of Santa Maria, Calif.-based Bonipak Produce Company and Betteravia Farms. The company’s roots date back more than 85 years and it has long been a Central Coast leading grower-shipper of a host of vegetables, specializing in commodity business. Ardantz is in the third generation of executives to lead the family farming operation. He has spent most of his career in sales and marketing and is now serving in more of an oversight role. “We have had the RSP (Retirement Security Plan) plan with Western Growers for many, many years,” he said. “Currently we still have significant funds in the program for the ownership group It’s been a great program.” Ardantz has served on the RSP Board for many years and said the interaction with investment community experts and prognosticators has been invaluable as he has helped Betteravia pick the right investments for their company while also helping guide the plan from the board perspective.

From Betteravia’s perspective, and for his own personal portfolio, he has been most appreciative of the one-to-one relationship he has developed with his WG Financial Services advisor, which is WGFS President Matt Lewis. “Recently, I have started to share our investments with my three daughters. Matt came up here and personally walked us through it.” Ardantz said that is the same service any WG member utilizing WGFS can expect. “I also like that Western Growers knows the farming industry. They know our business and how it works,” he said. “The people in ag are a different breed and they know it. In fact, the RSP team are folks just like us. They are steering us down the right road.” He also repeated the refrain mentioned by many that he appreciates the other fine work that Western Growers does on behalf of the ag industry and fresh produce. To the extent that these ancillary services help fund those activities, Ardantz said that certainly factors into the company’s decision when using a Western Growers business service.

Lewis said his department offers a full suite of financial services. He notes that he spends a significant amount of his time managing the retirement investments of members through RSP and 401(k) plans and managing WG’s in-house accounts. WGFS also manages about 300 privately- held accounts for members, with that book of business now having grown to about $400 million in assets. While Lewis is hesitant to toot his own horn, he said the performance figures speak for themselves and WGFS continues to get good returns for the many different accounts it manages. He indicated the proof is in the continued growth of the assets. Lewis also said that the individual service that Ardantz touted is a hallmark of Western Growers Financial Services. In fact, it is the calling card of all WG business services. As Zanze mentioned, it is members that drive these services, not profits.

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FEATURE STORY A Homeland Under Siege

By Ann Donahue F or Wish Farms, a donation to World Central Kitchen for the non- profit’s work in Ukraine was about more than wanting to help a country in turmoil. It was personal. Media coverage of war zones has always been a harrowing affair—for centuries, journalists put their lives on the line alongside soldiers in order to give readers, listeners and viewers back home a sense of the visceral reality around them in an attempt to clarify the fog of war. The recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia has added a modern twist to that kind of comprehensive news coverage. It is a war unfolding in real time, and not just filtered for edited consumption on 24-hour cable news channels. It is also being documented thanks to besieged citizens and aid workers detailing the humanitarian crisis on social media.

One of those is Chef José Andrés, whose World Central Kitchen is now providing up to 300,000 meals daily to survivors of the atrocities in the country and refugees in seven countries who were forced to flee the war zone. Working with local partners on the ground to rebuild food systems in the wake of the invasion, WCK reached Bucha—the site of documented war crimes committed against civilians by Russian soldiers—mere hours after Ukranian forces liberated the city. The organization provided hot meals and 13,000 pounds of fresh food to the community, and were the first outsiders citizens encountered since the siege began. While setting up a supply chain for the meals, Andrés and WCK CEO Nate Mook regularly posted to Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as well as conducting media interviews with traditional outlets,

to detail the work chefs are doing in the country. The numbers are irrefutable to the organization’s efficacy; from the start of the invasion to the first week of April, WCK has served more than six million meals to those suffering during the Ukraine crisis and those following on social media can see the evidence first-hand. Walt Dasher, Vice President of G&R Farms in Georgia, made a $2,500 donation to World Central Kitchen and issued a call to action for other produce companies to step up. “I have watched in disbelief the crisis unfolding in Ukraine, and I am moved by the perseverance the Ukrainian people are showing to protect their families and get them to safety, while also staying behind to defend their country,” Dasher said. “They are an example to the world, and they are the line in the sand that represents freedom. As a food

World Central Kitchen in Poland

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Chef José Andrés (right), Chefs for Ukraine – Poland

industry, we grow nourishing foods, and together let’s help Chef Andrés nourish a nation in need. I challenge each produce company to join me and make a donation to World Central Kitchen.” For Wish Farms, the response to Dasher’s plea was immediate, and it came on the heels of Nick Wishnatzki, the Public Relations Manager at Wish Farms, seeing Andrés on Anderson Cooper’s show on CNN. “My great-grandfather immigrated from Ukraine in 1904,” Wishnatzki said. “He

was a pushcart peddler in Kyiv. Basically, all the pushcart peddlers were Jewish, and there were laws against Jewish people owning standing businesses. So, they got creative and had pushcarts instead. He wanted to escape the oppression that was happening, so he and his sister left and came to America.” Once he was processed through Ellis Island, Wishnatzki’s great-grandfather started selling fruits, vegetables and fish from his pushcart on the streets of New

York. Soon, he had a fleet of pushcarts— and eventually he and another peddler joined together to start a wholesale business. Thus Wish Farms was born in 1922, and the milestone combined with the horror unfolding on his television screen spurred the Wishnatzki family to act. “I mean, gosh, it’s our hundredth anniversary,” Wishnatzki said. “We just felt a really strong connection.” Wish Farms donated $5,000 to World Central Kitchen via The Wish Farms

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The Wishnatzki Family

Wish Farms Toy Drive

Family Foundation. “It aligned perfectly, not only because we feel so horribly about what’s going on in Ukraine, but also because it aligns perfectly with our foundation and its mission,” he said. The Wish Farms Family Foundation was established in 2019 to better focus the family’s philanthropic and community efforts, Wishnatzki said. To that point, giving had been heartfelt but piecemeal— they had put on some charity events and giving scholarships, but “it wasn’t very focused. It didn’t have a defined mission. There wasn’t a specific amount of money set aside. We would do things as they came along.” Defining the mission statement served to codify the family’s giving priorities, which perhaps counterintuitively allows them to pivot when a matter of urgent response comes up—such as a philanthropic response to the atrocities in Ukraine. “Our three pillars that we follow are food insecurity, child and youth education, and community,” he said. “It gives us a little bit more room to select different charities.” The Wish Farms Family Foundation food insecurity pillar directly ties it to the work WCK is doing. As Andrés tells it, the idea for WCK came from a conversation he had with his wife, Patricia, about how to provide aid in a humanitarian crisis. The crux of that conversation? “When people are hungry, send in cooks. Not tomorrow, today.” Wishnatzki said that selecting recipients like WCK is a family effort, where the group gather quarterly to talk about the budget and what charities, organizations and causes we want to support. One of the main sources of fundraising is Pixie Rock,

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