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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MAY | JUNE 2022
Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com
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