California Fruit and Vegetable

Tag: Grower-Shipper Association of Central California

  • GSA Honors Miles & Garland Reiter, and Luis & Lucille Scattini with E.E ‘Gene’ Harden Lifetime Achievement Award

    At its Fall Recognition Event held on Friday, October 6, the Grower Shipper Association of Central California (GSA) awarded Miles and Garland Reiter and posthumously Luis and Lucille Scattini with the E.E. ‘Gene’ Harden Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is given to individuals who made an extraordinary contribution and created a lasting legacy benefitting Central Coast agriculture.

    Proceeds from the event, including both a silent and a live auction, will go to causes selected by the Reiter and Scattini Families, including the Sustainable Conservation and Special Olympics-Monterey County.

    Miles and Garland Reiter were also honored with the E.E ‘Gene’ Harden Lifetime Achievement Award (photo courtesy of Letty Sloma Photography).

    The Reiter’s:

    Miles’ and Garland’s father was one of the founding members of Driscoll’s, a company with a mission to continually delight berry consumers through alignment with its customers and its berry growers.

    Under Miles’ guidance, Driscoll’s has become a leader in all four berry categories with year-round supply and a global expansion effort that includes the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa, China, and Australia. The Driscoll’s model emphasizes the success of its growers as it provides fresh and nutritious fruit for consumers.

    Under Garland’s leadership, Reiter Affiliated Companies (RAC) expanded global berry production operations and partnerships with Driscoll’s, grew its farming operations and pioneered new varieties.

    Garland set an example with RAC’s philanthropy efforts, including a landmark diabetes and obesity intervention program for farm worker communities in the U.S. and Mexico, as well as being the first agricultural company in the nation to provide private, primary and preventative health clinics for their farm employees.

    “The positive impact that Miles and Garland have had on the berry industry in California has been tremendous and generational,” says Christopher Valadez, GSA president. “That impact has extended to benefit Central Coast communities as an economic driver from both companies and through their significant philanthropic efforts. GSA is proud to honor Miles and Garland with this award for their numerous professional and philanthropic accomplishments.”

    The Scattini’s:

    The Scattini family’s farming history dates back over a century with a legacy started by Lucille’s parents, Jimmy and Marie King of Castroville. Together, Luis and Lucille grew Luis Scattini & Sons into a premium grower of cool-season vegetables, most notably artichokes. Today, their grandchildren operate the family farming company as well as serve in leading roles for other agricultural operations. The fourth and fifth Scattini generations continue to embody their grandparents’ values of integrity, respect and pride.

    “We honor our region’s past by posthumously acknowledging the legacy of Luis and Lucille Scattini with the Harden Award,” Valadez says. “The hard work and resilience of local families, like the Scattini’s, is why the Salinas Valley continues to thrive today and reflects the importance of remembering their contributions to agriculture and their community.” — Grower-Shipper Association of Central California

  • Early Season INSV Infections in Lettuce Reduced From 2022 Levels

    Grower-Shipper Association of Central California – Possibly due to colder winter and spring weather conditions as well as mitigation strategies taken by farmers, pest and disease pressure associated with the Thrips-Vectored Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus (INSV) have lessened in leafy greens fields as compared to 2022. As observed and reported by the Grower Shipper Association’s (GSA) INSV Task Force, this reduced pressure in the early growing season has resulted in dramatically fewer infections and, so far, lower pest populations as we move into the spring leafy greens harvest.

    What is INSV? Lettuce fields are infected by INSV via thrips migrating from infected host plants. Plants infected by INSV can have dark spotting and yellowing, which resembles the effects of sunburn on the leaves. Another plant disease, Pythium wilt (PW), often accompanies INSV infections and causes the plant to wilt or collapse making this truly a complicated pest/disease issue for farmers.

    In 2022, INSV infections in the Salinas Valley resulted in yield reductions in many fields resulting in consumers experiencing limited product availability in some areas.

    To identify and respond to INSV pressure as well as accelerate research mitigation strategies to control INSV, GSA launched its INSV Task Force in 2021. The Task Force is a collaborative effort between industry and the academic/research communities. In addition to funding provided directly by GSA, the organization helped to secure a one-million-dollar grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) for INSV and soil-borne disease research priorities. And in April 2023, GSA helped obtain a supplemental $200,000 grant through CDFA to further critical efforts.

    “One of our major initiatives was tracking thrips and corresponding disease pressure to identify infection trends that have helped guide research strategies,” explains Christopher Valadez, GSA President. “We found that an important mitigation strategy to lower pest pressure is weed abatement since weeds are good hosts for thrips. By encouraging increased weed control on farms as well as working with the state and county agricultural commissioners’ offices on abatement efforts along roadways, businesses, and open spaces, we’re reducing the opportunity for thrips to find spots to over-winter and lay eggs in spring.”

    Valadez adds that in 2022, disease pressure was exacerbated by unseasonably warm weather stretches which caused prolonged stress on the plant making the lettuce more susceptible to disease impacts. “The unseasonably cold weather we’re experiencing this year is positively impacting early-season INSV infections,” he says.

    In addition, GSA’s Task Force continues to assess varietal resistance, examine treatment efficacy trials and conduct grower education and outreach programs specific to these diseases.

    “Our thanks to Mary Zischke who heads up GSA’s task force as well as the farm advisors, scientists, and industry members for their diligent work on this very complex issue,” Valadez says. “Their efforts are crucial to prevent significant impacts from INSV infections, which can affect many in our communities including farmers, farm workers, processors, and facility employees.

  • Local Organizations Address Critical Gaps For Those Impacted by Flooding in Monterey County

    Spring marks the return of fruit and vegetable harvest in the Salinas Valley region. With heavy rains, cold winter weather and our area recovering from flooding, that harvest has been delayed but consumers can be assured that they will enjoy leafy greens, vegetables and strawberries with the harvest continuing into November.

    While we understand the importance of providing healthy produce to consumers, recovery remains the priority with major efforts undertaken to help communities recover from flooding. One small town in particular in Monterey County, Pajaro, has suffered from widespread damage due to a major breach of the Pajaro River levee on March 10. This breach left homes, businesses and farms flooded and crucial jobs lost.

    This will be a long road to recovery for this largely farm worker community as federal disaster assistance was not immediately available and not approved until weeks after the flooding occurred. This delayed help with rent assistance, clean-up and repairs to homes and businesses. To offset and augment delayed federal assistance, many businesses and individuals contributed to local charities to help with immediate needs for residents including short-term housing, food, furniture, clothing and other essentials.

    To fill a crucial gap in health care needs, the Grower Shipper Association of Central California (GSA) and Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas (Clinica) immediately stepped in to provide medical care, medication replacement and hygiene supplies in the aftermath of the flooding.

    GSA and Clinica set up a mobile clinic at the main shelter for displaced Pajaro residents so services were readily accessible and then moved it to Pajaro once evacuation orders were lifted. The medical care was funded by a grant awarded to GSA therefore these services were provided free-of-charge to the community.

    To date, 43% (1,500) of Pajaro residents have accessed the medical services and essential supplies provided by the GSA/Clinica partnership.

    “While we were pleased that federal assistance was approved on April 4 to help residents, businesses and farms recover, the flooding occurred on March 10 so it was imperative to provide immediate assistance to this severely impacted community and address gaps,” says Christopher Valadez, GSA President. “As we did during the pandemic, GSA and Clinica worked quickly to provide crucial services for impacted residents to offset delays in government services.”

    Long-term, the attention is on job recovery since individual farms in Pajaro employed hundreds and suffered severe losses and it could take local businesses weeks to reopen. But temporary housing is the most crucial need and unemployment compounds the problem.

    GSA is committed to continue to help communities impacted by flooding. As we enter spring and we see the harvest begin, there is a seemingly reassuring component to a return to the business of providing food to consumers. But, we must keep our attention on those in long-term need of critical support. — Grower-Shipper Association of Central California