Leroy Goehring started his agricultural career in Bakersfield, CA, in the late 60s and is retiring from the business about 80 miles up the road in Visalia more than a half century later. But the short distance between start and finish doesn’t begin to tell the story of a diversified career that included stints in New York City, Seattle and Reno, NV.

Goehring was born in Bakersfield on the family farm in 1942, where his father grew several crops, including potatoes, cotton and citrus. Citrus would become his specialty.

“I grew up on the farm, so I remember working with my dad from a very young age driving a tractor and moving irrigation pipe,” he recalls.

After high school, he went to Fresno State College, graduating in 1966. He always figured he would work in the ag business in one way or another as it was the lifeblood of the San Joaquin Valley. Sure enough, in 1966 he came back home and worked on the family farm with his father, Gideon Goehring, and several of his brothers.

“By this time, my dad had started Goehring Citrus and we were in the mail-order gift box business,” he remembers.

Leroy Goehring stayed in the family business for a handful of years, but in 1971 it was evident that there were more family members than needed in the business. As such, he found a job with California Almond Orchards, where he stayed for two years.

But it was 1973, and the bright lights of New York City were calling his name. He wanted to give big city living a try, so he went to New York and within two weeks he found a job with Sunkist as a sales representative, with his citrus farming background serving him well. In fact, Goehring said that farming experience helped him throughout his career as he had a great understanding of the challenges involved in farming, and could easily relate to the producer community.

For a Bakersfield kid to pick up and move to New York City, there had to be more to the story.

“Well, in fact I was dating a girl who flew with Pan Am (flight attendant) and she lived in New York,” he admitted. “I thought I would move to New York and see how it would work out.”

It did work out, but not with that girl. In New York, Goehring met Debby at the church they both attended, and soon they were a couple.  He continued working for Sunkist, calling on customers in the area, with Hunts Point Terminal Market being a familiar sales stop. Goehring liked New York and especially liked the contrast between his rural upbringing and what New York had to offer. “I saw diversity I had never seen before,” he said. “There was more diversity within three blocks of where I lived than I had seen in my whole life.”

Goehring and Debby got married in New York City in 1976, the same year he took a position back in the San Joaquin Valley at Sunkist’s National Account Sales office in Lindsay, CA.   He was there nine years, managing the office for about six. He said it was not difficult to convince Debby to move out west: “In those days, California was the place to go.”

The couple enjoyed the move back to California, and Goehring enjoyed his position, but he also loved new opportunities. About nine years after moving back to California, a sales manager position opened in the Sunkist office in Seattle. Always up for adventures, the Goehrings took off for Seattle where they stayed for several more years. “We enjoyed it, but the change in weather was hard on my wife,” Leroy said. While he was at the office every day, she ended up spending too many days sitting at home watching it rain.

The couple moved back to California, where Goehring began working with Paramount Citrus, which brought him into the 90s. That decade offered even more career diversity as he worked for Landberg Marketing, a fruit brokerage company in Temecula, CA, and Lindemann Produce, a melon grower headquartered in Reno, NV.

The final stop of his career took place in 2000 when he joined Royal Vista Marketing in Visalia, CA.  Goehring called that company home for 21 years and it is the firm from which he will retire Oct. 22.

Todd Steele, owner of Royal Vista, which is a citrus grower, packer and shipper, said the relationship with Goehring has been a great one.  “I first met Leroy 30 years ago when he worked at Landberg Marketing. Leroy brings a steady, calming presence to our office that only comes from his vast experience in the citrus industry. In a business of fast-paced emails and texts, Leroy makes sure he spends time with each customer on the phone.  He takes all the time necessary to explain fruit and market conditions to each customer, giving them a personal view into what he is seeing. Leroy will be missed not only for his over 55 years of experience, but because he is truly a good, honest, caring man.”

Goehring said his retirement date was never written in stone. “It just seems like it’s about time,” he said. “It is the people that I’ll miss the most when I leave.  Every job has its headaches, which I won’t miss, but I will miss the people.”

He also lamented that the produce industry has changed with the buy/sell relationship not being what it used to be. “It started to change when retailers began consolidating and closing buying offices,” he said. “Nowadays, there is less day-to-day business. There is more contract buying with retailers not relying on their day-to-day needs. Relationships used to mean something. Now, for a quarter, they (buyers) say goodbye.”

Looking back on his career, Goehring harkens back to a story from his early days on the family farm. “We (Goehring Citrus) had a customer in China Town, San Francisco, who always said scarred fruit was ‘more sweeter.’  We leased a little four-acre orchard from a person who had nice old-line fruit, so we didn't worry about spraying for thrip all the time — leaving the fruit more scarred and ‘more sweeter.’  We used that fruit for this customer.  I also think we were one of the first to pack Stem & Leaf Satsumas, which we packed for this customer, and in our Gift Boxes.”

In retirement, the Goehrings expect to spend more time with their daughter’s family, including their two grandkids, and travel.

“My wife loves New York and often said she would like to move back,” Goehring said.  “However, at this point, we agree a visit would be fun, but living is so much easier in the country!”

Photo: Debby and Leroy Goehring