WGA convenes for 80th annual meeting
WGA convenes for 80th annual meeting
SAN DIEGO -- Former Western Growers Association Chairman of the Board Doc Danna of Danna & Danna Inc. in San Jose, CA, received the prestigious Award of Honor from WGA at the group's 80th annual meeting, here, on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at the famed Hotel Del Coronado.
Mr. Danna, who is 94 years old, was honored for his six decades of service to WGA. Another former chairman of the board of the association and longtime friend, Andy D'Arrigo of D'Arrigo Bros. of California in Salinas, presented the award and cited Mr. Danna's gentle nature and keen intellect.
Mr. Danna began farming in a then-rural San Jose in the 1930s with one of his brothers. As the city grew, the company moved much of its operations to Yuba City, north of Sacramento, but the headquarters remained in an increasingly urban environment. Eventually, all four of Mr. Danna's brothers joined the family operation, which continues to be held in the Danna family. Grandson Stephen Danna currently serves on the WGA board, having succeeded his grandfather in the 1990s.
The annual meeting also saw the election of Will Rousseau of Rousseau Farming in Tolleson, AZ, as the new chairman of the board, succeeding John Powell Jr. of Peter Rabbit Farms in Coachella, CA. Joining Mr. Rousseau on the slate of officers were Stephen Patricio of Westside Produce in Firebaugh, CA, Robert Gray of Duda California in Salinas, Tom Deardorff of Deardorff-Jackson Co. in Oxnard, CA, and Glen Teixeira of Teixeira Farms Inc. in Santa Maria, CA. The meeting featured numerous workshops and business sessions, including two on Nov. 15 titled "Extreme Regulations" and "Extreme Technology."
The regulation workshop was different than most, as it featured a representative from the environmental community. Jonathan Kaplan of the Natural Resources Defense Council said that he felt a bit like the proverbial lamb being led to slaughter, but he repeatedly said that his group's goal is to help growers to continue to produce crops.
Mr. Kaplan said that the NRDC does not want to regulate farmers out of business. Instead its goal is to move farmers closer toward "sustainable agriculture."
That term itself led to a debate, as John D'Arrigo, the current CEO of D'Arrigo Bros. of California, asked Mr. Kaplan from the audience what that term actually means. "If I am following all the rules and regulations in my farming operations, is that sustainable agriculture?"
Mr. Kaplan indicated that growers can follow all the rules and still farm in a way that pollutes the water and the air. He prefers the term "more sustainable," and would like to help move the agricultural industry to a place where the impact on the environment is minimized.
Mr. Kaplan agreed that economic viability has to be part of the equation. He suggested that the agricultural community has to find ways that it can practice "more sustainable" farming techniques and get a payback for its efforts.
WGA Vice President of Science & Technology Hank Giclas applauded this idea and said that the association and the NRDC are currently collaborating to move this concept forward. He said the idea involves giving growers a "regulatory off-ramp" if they are certified as environmentally friendly farmers in some yet-to-be- determined manner.
Mr. Kaplan sees it a bit differently, but using the same metaphor, he said that he would like to see a "regulatory H.O.V. (high occupancy vehicle) lane" established where growers who are certified can move quickly through the regulatory process.
Grower-shipper John Baillie of the Jack T. Baillie Co. Inc. in Spreckles, CA, said that regulations are driving growers out of business. During the workshop, he and others offered the opinion that if environmentalists drive U.S. growers out of business, the environment will suffer even more as production shifts to less-regulated countries.
Speaking from the audience, Mr. Teixeira of Teixeira Farms said that he has no problem "jumping through all the regulatory hoops" that are set up as long as his competitors in other countries have to do the same thing. He said that U.S. agriculture needs the environmental community's help to make sure other countries are following these practices or, at the very least, their output is labeled with its country of origin so consumers can make a choice.
The "Extreme Technology" seminar focused on a couple of different areas including the progress of mechanization and new foods and new uses for food.
Frank Maconachy of Ramsay Highlander Inc. in Salinas, CA, said that numerous factors including high labor costs, a shortage of workers and crackdowns at the border are driving the mechanization issue.
He said that new "smart" technologies are quickly being developed that will allow machines to be built that can harvest fresh crops.
Mr. Maconachy, a mechanical engineer who has been building harvesters for Salinas Valley growers for many years, has a lettuce harvester on his drawing board right now that will cut the lettuce with what he calls a "water knife." He said that using all the latest technology and adapting it to the field, a harvester can be built that can move through the field with no driver, cut the lettuce and pack it. Of course, it is expensive, he said.
Others on the dais discussed some of the new concepts in food currently under development. One intriguing idea is using food -- specifically fresh produce -- as the delivery mechanism for health-based medicines. Dr. James Seiber of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service said that products are currently being developed that should improve the health of U.S. citizens, such as pear growers in the Northwest who are working with ARS to develop a healthy and good-tasting fruit bar made from their product.
Dr. Seiber believes the biotechnology argument will be won as proponents focus on non-food uses. He suggested that biotechnology be used in areas such as energy, for example creating crops that can more easily be converted to fuel. As consumers accept these uses, which solve real problems, they will be more willing to accept bio-engineered foods for consumption.
Mr. Danna, who is 94 years old, was honored for his six decades of service to WGA. Another former chairman of the board of the association and longtime friend, Andy D'Arrigo of D'Arrigo Bros. of California in Salinas, presented the award and cited Mr. Danna's gentle nature and keen intellect.
Mr. Danna began farming in a then-rural San Jose in the 1930s with one of his brothers. As the city grew, the company moved much of its operations to Yuba City, north of Sacramento, but the headquarters remained in an increasingly urban environment. Eventually, all four of Mr. Danna's brothers joined the family operation, which continues to be held in the Danna family. Grandson Stephen Danna currently serves on the WGA board, having succeeded his grandfather in the 1990s.
The annual meeting also saw the election of Will Rousseau of Rousseau Farming in Tolleson, AZ, as the new chairman of the board, succeeding John Powell Jr. of Peter Rabbit Farms in Coachella, CA. Joining Mr. Rousseau on the slate of officers were Stephen Patricio of Westside Produce in Firebaugh, CA, Robert Gray of Duda California in Salinas, Tom Deardorff of Deardorff-Jackson Co. in Oxnard, CA, and Glen Teixeira of Teixeira Farms Inc. in Santa Maria, CA. The meeting featured numerous workshops and business sessions, including two on Nov. 15 titled "Extreme Regulations" and "Extreme Technology."
The regulation workshop was different than most, as it featured a representative from the environmental community. Jonathan Kaplan of the Natural Resources Defense Council said that he felt a bit like the proverbial lamb being led to slaughter, but he repeatedly said that his group's goal is to help growers to continue to produce crops.
Mr. Kaplan said that the NRDC does not want to regulate farmers out of business. Instead its goal is to move farmers closer toward "sustainable agriculture."
That term itself led to a debate, as John D'Arrigo, the current CEO of D'Arrigo Bros. of California, asked Mr. Kaplan from the audience what that term actually means. "If I am following all the rules and regulations in my farming operations, is that sustainable agriculture?"
Mr. Kaplan indicated that growers can follow all the rules and still farm in a way that pollutes the water and the air. He prefers the term "more sustainable," and would like to help move the agricultural industry to a place where the impact on the environment is minimized.
Mr. Kaplan agreed that economic viability has to be part of the equation. He suggested that the agricultural community has to find ways that it can practice "more sustainable" farming techniques and get a payback for its efforts.
WGA Vice President of Science & Technology Hank Giclas applauded this idea and said that the association and the NRDC are currently collaborating to move this concept forward. He said the idea involves giving growers a "regulatory off-ramp" if they are certified as environmentally friendly farmers in some yet-to-be- determined manner.
Mr. Kaplan sees it a bit differently, but using the same metaphor, he said that he would like to see a "regulatory H.O.V. (high occupancy vehicle) lane" established where growers who are certified can move quickly through the regulatory process.
Grower-shipper John Baillie of the Jack T. Baillie Co. Inc. in Spreckles, CA, said that regulations are driving growers out of business. During the workshop, he and others offered the opinion that if environmentalists drive U.S. growers out of business, the environment will suffer even more as production shifts to less-regulated countries.
Speaking from the audience, Mr. Teixeira of Teixeira Farms said that he has no problem "jumping through all the regulatory hoops" that are set up as long as his competitors in other countries have to do the same thing. He said that U.S. agriculture needs the environmental community's help to make sure other countries are following these practices or, at the very least, their output is labeled with its country of origin so consumers can make a choice.
The "Extreme Technology" seminar focused on a couple of different areas including the progress of mechanization and new foods and new uses for food.
Frank Maconachy of Ramsay Highlander Inc. in Salinas, CA, said that numerous factors including high labor costs, a shortage of workers and crackdowns at the border are driving the mechanization issue.
He said that new "smart" technologies are quickly being developed that will allow machines to be built that can harvest fresh crops.
Mr. Maconachy, a mechanical engineer who has been building harvesters for Salinas Valley growers for many years, has a lettuce harvester on his drawing board right now that will cut the lettuce with what he calls a "water knife." He said that using all the latest technology and adapting it to the field, a harvester can be built that can move through the field with no driver, cut the lettuce and pack it. Of course, it is expensive, he said.
Others on the dais discussed some of the new concepts in food currently under development. One intriguing idea is using food -- specifically fresh produce -- as the delivery mechanism for health-based medicines. Dr. James Seiber of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service said that products are currently being developed that should improve the health of U.S. citizens, such as pear growers in the Northwest who are working with ARS to develop a healthy and good-tasting fruit bar made from their product.
Dr. Seiber believes the biotechnology argument will be won as proponents focus on non-food uses. He suggested that biotechnology be used in areas such as energy, for example creating crops that can more easily be converted to fuel. As consumers accept these uses, which solve real problems, they will be more willing to accept bio-engineered foods for consumption.
