In this episode, Western Growers Director of Communications, Ann Donahue, talks with Garrett Nishimori, Business Manager at San Miguel Produce. Garrett grew up in a farming family in Oxnard, Calif. He left to attend culinary school, after which he became a chef in a two-star Michelin restaurant in San Francisco. He returned to the family farm 15 ye…

Cross-border health care is growing in popularity as Mexico increasingly provides innovative, technologically advanced medical services at a cost-savings for employers. In fact, close to a million Americans cross the border every year to receive medical care in Mexico. In this episode of Voices of the Valley, Raquel Lugo, SeniorDirector of Client S…

Almonds have been cultivated for thousands of years, and as it turns out, California is the largest producer of almonds globally, accounting for more than 80% of the world's almond production. In this episode of Voices of the Valley, Stuart Woolf, President and CEO of Woolf Farming & Processing and Chair of the Western Growers Board of Directors, j…

A farmland landscape may not make many people think of a place rich in scientific research and discovery, but it should! In this episode of Voices of the Valley MeganKavanaugh, VP of Science and Agronomy at Bio S.I., talks about the fascinating life that exists in the soil with Western Growers Jeana Cadby, Director of Climate and Sustainability, an…

Western Growers food safety scientists Sonia Salas, Associate Vice President, Science & Technology, and Joelle Mosso, Associate Vice President, Science Programs, discuss their perspective and insight when it comes to buying fresh produce for their children.

In this episode of Voices of the Valley, Katie Chiapuzio, Director of Environmental Science and Resources at Braga Fresh, joins Western Growers Jeana Cadby, Environment and Climate Director, and Kara Timmins, Communications Manager, to discuss the amazing nature of bees and how they contribute to agriculture.…

In this week’s episode of Voices of the Valley, we’re breaking through misconceptions in agriculture with Coachella Valley farmer Celeste Alonzo. Alongside her family, Celeste grows bell peppers and corn at Junior Enterprises. She joins Julia Nellis, Social Media Manager at Western Growers, to answer questions WG received on social media about farm…

Learn where your food really comes from. In the newseason of the Voices of the Valley podcast, you’ll hear about the successes and challenges the agricultural industry experiences every day to get the best food to you and your family. We’ll explore everything from agriculture misinformation, women changing the industry, fieldworkers’ stories, scien…

Season 3 of This Song Sucks ends on a bittersweet note. The release day of this episode is the one-year anniversary of the passing of our friend Bryce Montgomery. Luckily for you, dear listener, Josh, Hayden, and Gabe Hostetler joined Bryce last year to record this sometimes uncomfortably deep dive into Kid Rock's "Cowboy." The episode is chaotic a…

Josh, Hayden, and guest host Sarah Ferguson may have made an idiotic decision with this week's episode. That's right folks, we've decided to risk our own safety by dumping on Taylor Swift's truly irredeemable hit, "ME!" You may never hear from us again after this, so we hope you remember us fondly if the Swifty horde (or her dad Kingsley) takes us …

Perennial favorite Blaine Duncan and new guest Kevin Halbrook join Josh to help dissect Lee Greenwood and his god-awful hit "God Bless the USA." Misplaced national pride, faux working-class imagery, and a healthy dollop of jingoism: what more could you ask for in the favorite song of the Republican National Convention. Josh can't get over the shitt…

Guest host Jay Burgess brings in quite a doozy this episode with "Sunglasses at Night" by Corey Hart. That's right folks: we're taking a trip to the '80s! Put on your Member's Only jacket, get yourself a toot of the devil's dandruff, and listen to the fellas take down this garbage song. Jay stands flabbergasted at the incomprehensible lyrics, Josh …

Natalie Morrow is back and this time she's bringing the hate for Matchbox Twenty's "Unwell." Even though she's in total agreement with Hayden and Josh on how much this song sucks, she still finds a way to put them in their place. Natalie focuses her ire at the terribly milquetoast chorus, Josh consider the banjo a total non-sequitur, and Hayden fin…

Lindsay Palinsky joins Hayden and Josh to lend her dance expertise for the trio's takedown of everyone's least favorite group dance songs. What do The Chicken Dance, Cotton Eye Joe, The Macarena, and The Cha Cha Slide have in common? They all suck, of course! Josh is on his usual BS about "musical" issues, Lindsay has flashbacks to her bat mitzvah,…

Dr. Frank Wong, one of Bayer's Industry Affairs Directors, discusses his shift in opinion about biological solutions on this week’s episode of Voices of the Valley. “I would say that [during] the last two decades of my career, I’ve always been really cynical about biologics,” Frank says. In this episode, he discusses how and why he’s a recent conve…

Josh Ruiz, Senior Director of Ag Technology and Innovation at Duda Farm Fresh Foods, shares how he views challenges and opportunities in his role to be an actor of change in agriculture on this week’s episode of Voices of the Valley.

David Magaña is Vice President and Senior Analyst of Rabo Research in North America for fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts, and he shares his global perspective on the present challenges in agriculture on this week’s episode of Voices of the Valley. Together with hosts Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson, David discusses the global factors of water, l…

Adam Bergman ─ Managing Director, Clean Energy Transition Group and the Global Head of AgTech at Investment Banking, Citi ─ joins DennisDonohue and Candace Wilson on this week’s episode of Voices of the Valley. The topic of agtech and cleantech to address issues like climate change is a global endeavor, Adam says. Countries like Israel, Brazil and …

Hayden and Josh slip the ol' Birkenstocks back on for this episode as they are joined by Elizabeth Hafner to discuss "Come Original" by 311. All three hosts apologize to their middle school selves, but it's hard not to dunk on a band whose music and lyrics are as stale as their bong water. Josh thinks the song is a haphazardly slapped-together coll…

Alex Cochran, Chief Technology Officer at DPH Biologicals joins Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson on this week’s episode of Voices of theValley to discuss the realities and possibilities of utilizing biological solutions in agriculture. In this episode, Alex shares his insight into how to optimize the benefits of biologicals, which, he says, starts…

Undersecretary for the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Christine Birdsong joins Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilsonon this week’s episode of Voices of the Valley to discuss her role and initiatives to support California agriculture on key points like sustainable pest management, water (whether drought or flood), supply chain diff…

Elizabeth Fastiggi, Head of Worldwide Business Development for Amazon Web Services, joins Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson on this episode of Voices of the Valley to discuss the role she has in supporting innovation to connect all areas along the agricultural supply chain. “That’s what our company at AWS is doing, helping customers innovate more q…

On this episode of Voices of the Valley, Hernan Hernandez, Executive Director of the California Farmworker Foundation, shares his background about growing up in a farm community to becoming a voice and force for policy change.

Folks, we may have jumped the shark with this one. Can we even be considered a music podcast anymore with the amount of restaurant talk in this episode? Probably not, but I don't think you can blame us considering today's subject: "Fancy Like" by Walker Hayes, or, as it's known throughout most of the world, "That Stupid Applebee's Song." Blaine Dun…

Ian LeMay, President of the California Fresh Fruit Association, joins Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson on this episode of Voices of the Valley to discuss navigating current challenges in fresh produce agriculture to reach a bright and exciting future. LeMay shares his thoughts about the two biggest challenges that fresh fruit farmers in California…

Most people don’t think of the study of agriculture and the study of space as being related to each other, but this week’s Voices of the Valley guest, Megan Nunes, shares with hosts Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson how space and agricultural technology work together. Nunes is the founder and CEO of Bountiful— a company that uses satellite imagery …

It’s a pivotal time for ag tech and automated farm equipment. This week’s Voices of the Valley episode addresses the growth of ag tech in recent years in a conversation between hosts Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson and guest Adrian Percy, the Executive Director of the North Carolina Plant Science Initiative. “I’ve been in this business for a long…

Don't take us to a disco! We don't wanna hear any of that tango nonsense either because this week we're taking on Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock & Roll." Hannah Hayes joins us again to discuss how such a great artist could come up with this bland, loud, and boring turd of a song. More importantly, Hayden and Hannah come up with an idea for a podcast di…

University of Notre Dame professors Dr. Brandon Ashfeld and Dr. Tengfei Luo and farmer J.P. LaBrucherie join the podcast this week; the trio is part of a research project focused on using technology to make desalination a sustainable water solution for all areas of American life, including agriculture. It’s no secret that desalination is a much-stu…

In this episode of Voices of the Valley, Kirk Haney, CEO and Managing Partner of Radicle Growth, joins Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson to share some of the expertise he has gained from launching multiple startups and a deep portfolio of agtech investments. “You learn a lot from every investment you make and every company you run,” Haney says. Han…

Tom Mulholland sees California agriculture through the wide lens of his multigenerational farm. As a fourth-generation citrus grower, Mulholland knows his lifetime commitment to Mulholland Citrus is one part of the whole that belongs to his family. “Generational pass-downs are remarkable," Tom says. "The fact of it is that you have to have somethin…

We're finally back! It only took us a year since the last episode, but This Song Sucks Season 3 starts with a bang. Hayden, Adam, and Josh finally take on one of their personal shibboleths: Eric Clapton and his absolute trashcan of a song Wonderful Tonight. Is it creepy? You bet. Does it suck? Hell yes. Thanks to Sarah Ferguson for the episode art.…

In this episode of Voices of the Valley, Stuart Woolf, President and CEO of Woolf Farming Company, shares his interest, knowledge and utilization of agtech, which started in 1982 with his first Apple computer computations. Woolf is the second generation of growers who keeps his feet grounded in the present while looking the future: “One thing my Da…

Belinda Clarke, Director of Agri-techE, joins Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson on this week’s Voices of the Valley to share her knowledge about the many ways science works with growers to adapt and respond to environmental and political changes. Clarke describes the work that Agri-techE does as creating “an innovation ecosystem for agtech bringing…

In this episode of Voices of the Valley, Seana Day, Partner with Culterra Capital and Venture Partner with Better Food Ventures, joins Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson to share her perspective about the need for digital systems to better utilize farmers’ time, information and resources. “When we think about the role of technology and optimizing ou…

On this episode of Voices of the Valley, Simon Pearson, Founding Director of The Lincoln Institute of Agri-Food Technology, shares insight into how aiming for lofty heights gives a better perspective on potential solutions to agriculture’s workforce challenges. “We started with the hard problem - a bit like a moonshot - and then as we actually did …

Brandi DeCarli, CEO and Founding Partner of Farm from a Box, joins Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson to discuss the dynamic and sustainable future of agriculture. A listening experience that’s the perfect start to the new year, DeCarli shares a palpable excitement for the coming years in ag, and sees challenges as opportunities. Whether it’s entrep…

“Food is culture. Culture is people. People are stories.” So says Ashley Swearengin, the CEO of the Central Valley Foundation and former mayor of Fresno, who joins Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson on this episode of Voices of the Valley to share her visions, goals and accomplishments about building a bridge to a brighter future. Whether the goal i…

Mike Hemman, President and CEO of Netafim, joins Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson on this week’s episode of Voices of the Valley to discuss the short- and long-term strategies for adapting to the nuanced water needs growers have amid the ongoing California drought. “I think that the opportunity to deliver water in a more efficient manner has never…

On this episode of Voices of the Valley, Joelle Mosso, Chief Science Officer of Eurofins U.S., discusses her expertise in microbiology and food science and how it relates to food safety. Mosso shares her thoughts on the complexities and challenges of working with a rapidly evolving biological environment. When asked about how food safety has change…

Carl Casale, Senior Agricultural Partner at Ospraie Ag Science, joins the podcast to talk about his company's overarching goal in venture capital: to produce more high-quality food with less impact on the environment. "By 2030, half the world's population is going to be middle class or wealthy and the other half of the population is going to have t…

As the data for the next edition of Western Growers' Global Harvest Automation Report are being crunched, Mike Dentinger, the Director of AG OEM Development at Trimble, joins the podcast to discuss the potential of automated harvest becoming a day-to-day reality soon. "It's a really tough equation," he says. "How many carrot harvesters does Califor…

Lori Taylor, Founder and CEO of The Produce Moms, joins Voices of the Valley this week to talk about how she uses her multimedia platform to pull back the veil for the general public about the process of produce farming. "Our mission is to simple: To get more fruits and vegetables on every table," she says. "We want fruits and vegetables to be the …

Brent Shedd, CEO of Stout Industrial Technology, Inc., joins Voices of the Valley to examine Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the agriculture industry. Brent joined Stout with a background in technology and tends to approach farming issues through this lens. The decision for Stout to build its own hardware and software was based around Brent’s backg…

On this week’s Voices of the Valley podcast, Dennis Donohue and Candace Wilson interview Gary Loh, the CEO of DiMuto and the Executive Chairman of First Alverstone Group, and Claire Pribula, the Managing Director and Co-Founder of Yield Lab Asia Pacific. Gary and Claire discuss the changes in the marketplace that have resulted in an urgent need for…

For Jack Vessey, President of Imperial Valley-based Vessey & Co., one fact of desert agriculture never changes: You have to do more with less. “We have to be proactive with trying things,” he said, noting that the pressures of labor, irrigation and crop protection lead him to always explore new technologies in his operations. The front of mind of t…

Dr. Eugenia Saini, the Executive Secretary of Fontagro, joins the podcast to talk about her objective of strengthening public and private strategic alliances that enhance international cooperation between scientists and farmers. It's a goal that requires boundless curiosity and big picture thinking; Eugenia has three degrees from the University of …

In this week's episode of Voices of the Valley, Dick Rogers, Entomologist at Bayer Crop Science, discusses the need to meld nature and technology to create and monitor healthy honeybee colonies. Dick wants to move towards the creation of a "genius hive," which would use data to ensure the right conditions exist for thriving bee populations. Recentl…

In this episode, Voices of the Valley continues to honor Hank Giclas, the produce industry veteran who passed away in August. Bruce Taylor, Chairman and CEO of Taylor Farms; Edwin Camp, President of D.M. Camp & Sons; Joe Pezzini, Sr. Director of Ag Operations at Taylor Farms and Peter Wren-Hilton, Founder of Wharf42 Ltd., all join the podcast to ce…

This is the first episode in a special two-part Voices of the Valley that is dedicated to the memory of produce industry stalwart Hank Giclas, the former Senior Vice President of Science, Technology & Strategic Planning at Western Growers, who passed away in August. Western Growers President & CEO Dave Puglia, Secretary of the California Department…