WELCOME TO WESTERN GROWERS. Unity In Action.
Dear Members,
Unprecedented. Many adjectives have been used to describe the past year, yet none seem sufficient. Perhaps because there is nothing in our collective existence that provides a frame of reference for what our world, our country, our industry, or our families have endured since last March. So, we choose the word—unprecedented. In last year’s pre-pandemic annual review, we focused on the theme of embracing change. Little did we know how prophetic those words would be in 2020. We were entering a new decade. Our association was embarking on a new era of leadership. Yet, no one could have predicted how quickly or completely we would have to evolve. Even now, we are still adjusting. Where we may have once optimistically viewed COVID-19 as a temporary inconvenience, we now have a much more sobering view of reality. For both better or worse, the way we do business, the way we engage in leisure activities, even the way we interact with each other, has forever been altered. Amid such change, one thing has remained constant—the character and determination of the agriculture industry. Thomas Jefferson once referred to farmers as vigorous, independent, and virtuous. These traits have never been more visible in our membership, as evidenced by our extraordinary efforts to keep our nation fed while much of the nation remained in various stages of lockdown.
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