Duda's Bob Gray takes helm of WGA
Duda's Bob Gray takes helm of WGA
MAUI, HI -- Bob Gray of Duda Farm Fresh Foods Inc. in Salinas, CA, was elected chairman of the board of Western Growers at its 82nd annual meeting, held here, Monday, Nov. 12.
Mr. Gray was previously senior vice chairman and replaces Steve Patricio of Westside Produce in Firebaugh, CA, who just completed what he called one of the "most challenging" years in the history of the association. Giving the chairman's report on Monday at the group's "Major Luncheon," Mr. Patricio said that four very important issues all reached a high point of discussion and action over the past 12 months: food safety, the farm bill, immigration reform and an impending water crisis in California. Unfortunately, the outgoing chairman opined, three of the four issues remain on the table.
He called the lack of a successful result on immigration reform a big disappointment as he crisscrossed the nation many times during his tenure to lobby support for comprehensive immigration or at least the passage of the agricultural-specific solution called AgJOBS. At this late juncture in mid- November, comprehensive immigration reform is dead, and the prospect for AgJOBS even coming up for a vote this year is not good.
A federal judge's decision in late August to stem the flow of water being pumped through the all-important California Delta system to protect the Delta Smelt, which has the endangered-species designation, is a problem that is going to greatly affect California agriculture for years to come, Mr. Patricio said. He told the audience that he was just a 9-year-old boy in the audience when Pres. John F. Kennedy stood with California Gov. Pat Brown in his hometown of Los Banos, CA, to announce the building of a new reservoir. During this past year, Mr. Patricio stood at the same site with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to illustrate how the judge's decision has caused that reservoir to reach a very low point. Finding both a short- and long-term solution to California's water crisis is something Mr. Patricio regretfully has to pass on to the new WGA chairman of the board.
Under his watchful eye, WGA had much more success on both the food safety and farm bill fronts. As Mr. Patricio took his post last year, the concept of a California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement was just taking shape. WGA shepherded it through the legal and bureaucratic process in addition to "selling" it to the industry. The Westside Produce executive spent countless hours debating its merits with industry members up and down the supply chain.
The farm bill was another big success for Western Growers as well as all its industry partners in the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance. Though at this writing the final version has not passed, both the Senate and House farm bill proposals designate funding for the specialty crop industry that can be counted in the billions. The final version might be $1.5 billion, $2 billion or even $3 billion. In any event, it will be exponentially more than the specialty crop industry has received in all the previous farm bills combined.
As the grower-shipper members of the association were heading to Hawaii in the later part of the first full week of November, a food safety concern arouse when a consortium of buyers, led by Publix Super Markets, issued a controversial food-safety agreement that it was demanding its suppliers sign. The letter became a major topic of conversation at the business sessions at WGA's annual meeting.
At one seminar devoted to analyzing the costs of food safety, terminal market operator Alan Siger of Consumers Produce in Pittsburgh echoed the sentiments heard throughout the week when he called for a national food- safety standard. There was general agreement that the food-safety issue cannot be handled one company at a time -- or even groups of companies acting independently from the industry at large.
Longtime retailer Don Harris, who has spent many years in the retail sector with both Safeway Stores and Wild Oats, agreed that national food safety standards need to be reached, and he chided fellow retailers for not stepping to the plate and taking control of this issue. He said that as a group, retailers tend to try to absolve themselves of involvement by pushing mandates down to the supplier level. He said that both the cost of food safety and the responsibility need to be shared across the board.
Andrew Cumming, representing Metz Fresh LLC in King City, CA, said that food-safety costs alone have increased the cost of bringing a product to market by 4-5 percent. He said that so far, the vast majority of his customers has not shared this increase. He said that several customers have agreed to nominal food safety-related price increases of 1.5-2 percent, but they do not even come close to covering the real costs.
California Secretary of Food & Agriculture A.G. Kawamura, who moderated the food-safety session, lamented that the industry and the public at large are discussing food-safety concerns rather than celebrating the safest food supply in the world. He applauded the efforts on behalf of consumers but said that at the end of the day, the U.S. consumer has to realize that the food-supply system is the best and safest in the world.
Another session explored WGA's 2007 initiative to open an office in Washington, DC. WGA President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Nassif explained that the industry needs more -- not less -- representation at the federal level.
This view was endorsed by others on the dais including Tom Stenzel of the United Fresh Produce Association and Bruce Taylor, chairman of the board of the Produce Marketing Association. Mr. Stenzel said that he was one of the stronger supporters of Western Growers opening a Washington office. He said that United Fresh spends $2 million annually and has eight people devoted to representing the produce industry in Washington. "But we can't be all things to all people." He said that the organization has to prioritize its activities.
He added that the move has already paid dividends in helping develop a better working relationship between United and Western Growers.
Mr. Taylor said that he was once skeptical of the move when it first surfaced years ago. He said that the supply side is what funds PMA, United and WGA, and it is a logical question to ask if there is duplication of effort. But he said that the vast majority of each association's membership is exclusive to that association, and so those members would not be represented without separate personnel.
Mr. Gray was previously senior vice chairman and replaces Steve Patricio of Westside Produce in Firebaugh, CA, who just completed what he called one of the "most challenging" years in the history of the association. Giving the chairman's report on Monday at the group's "Major Luncheon," Mr. Patricio said that four very important issues all reached a high point of discussion and action over the past 12 months: food safety, the farm bill, immigration reform and an impending water crisis in California. Unfortunately, the outgoing chairman opined, three of the four issues remain on the table.
He called the lack of a successful result on immigration reform a big disappointment as he crisscrossed the nation many times during his tenure to lobby support for comprehensive immigration or at least the passage of the agricultural-specific solution called AgJOBS. At this late juncture in mid- November, comprehensive immigration reform is dead, and the prospect for AgJOBS even coming up for a vote this year is not good.
A federal judge's decision in late August to stem the flow of water being pumped through the all-important California Delta system to protect the Delta Smelt, which has the endangered-species designation, is a problem that is going to greatly affect California agriculture for years to come, Mr. Patricio said. He told the audience that he was just a 9-year-old boy in the audience when Pres. John F. Kennedy stood with California Gov. Pat Brown in his hometown of Los Banos, CA, to announce the building of a new reservoir. During this past year, Mr. Patricio stood at the same site with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to illustrate how the judge's decision has caused that reservoir to reach a very low point. Finding both a short- and long-term solution to California's water crisis is something Mr. Patricio regretfully has to pass on to the new WGA chairman of the board.
Under his watchful eye, WGA had much more success on both the food safety and farm bill fronts. As Mr. Patricio took his post last year, the concept of a California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement was just taking shape. WGA shepherded it through the legal and bureaucratic process in addition to "selling" it to the industry. The Westside Produce executive spent countless hours debating its merits with industry members up and down the supply chain.
The farm bill was another big success for Western Growers as well as all its industry partners in the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance. Though at this writing the final version has not passed, both the Senate and House farm bill proposals designate funding for the specialty crop industry that can be counted in the billions. The final version might be $1.5 billion, $2 billion or even $3 billion. In any event, it will be exponentially more than the specialty crop industry has received in all the previous farm bills combined.
As the grower-shipper members of the association were heading to Hawaii in the later part of the first full week of November, a food safety concern arouse when a consortium of buyers, led by Publix Super Markets, issued a controversial food-safety agreement that it was demanding its suppliers sign. The letter became a major topic of conversation at the business sessions at WGA's annual meeting.
At one seminar devoted to analyzing the costs of food safety, terminal market operator Alan Siger of Consumers Produce in Pittsburgh echoed the sentiments heard throughout the week when he called for a national food- safety standard. There was general agreement that the food-safety issue cannot be handled one company at a time -- or even groups of companies acting independently from the industry at large.
Longtime retailer Don Harris, who has spent many years in the retail sector with both Safeway Stores and Wild Oats, agreed that national food safety standards need to be reached, and he chided fellow retailers for not stepping to the plate and taking control of this issue. He said that as a group, retailers tend to try to absolve themselves of involvement by pushing mandates down to the supplier level. He said that both the cost of food safety and the responsibility need to be shared across the board.
Andrew Cumming, representing Metz Fresh LLC in King City, CA, said that food-safety costs alone have increased the cost of bringing a product to market by 4-5 percent. He said that so far, the vast majority of his customers has not shared this increase. He said that several customers have agreed to nominal food safety-related price increases of 1.5-2 percent, but they do not even come close to covering the real costs.
California Secretary of Food & Agriculture A.G. Kawamura, who moderated the food-safety session, lamented that the industry and the public at large are discussing food-safety concerns rather than celebrating the safest food supply in the world. He applauded the efforts on behalf of consumers but said that at the end of the day, the U.S. consumer has to realize that the food-supply system is the best and safest in the world.
Another session explored WGA's 2007 initiative to open an office in Washington, DC. WGA President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Nassif explained that the industry needs more -- not less -- representation at the federal level.
This view was endorsed by others on the dais including Tom Stenzel of the United Fresh Produce Association and Bruce Taylor, chairman of the board of the Produce Marketing Association. Mr. Stenzel said that he was one of the stronger supporters of Western Growers opening a Washington office. He said that United Fresh spends $2 million annually and has eight people devoted to representing the produce industry in Washington. "But we can't be all things to all people." He said that the organization has to prioritize its activities.
He added that the move has already paid dividends in helping develop a better working relationship between United and Western Growers.
Mr. Taylor said that he was once skeptical of the move when it first surfaced years ago. He said that the supply side is what funds PMA, United and WGA, and it is a logical question to ask if there is duplication of effort. But he said that the vast majority of each association's membership is exclusive to that association, and so those members would not be represented without separate personnel.
