California Fruit and Vegetable

Tag: Wonderful Pistachios

  • This Week In Ag – September 2

    Five stories are making headlines across California agriculture this week, from a familiar Central Valley face appearing on pistachio packaging to a new tool aimed at protecting cattle from New World screwworm. Here’s what you need to know in this week’s edition of This Week in Ag.

    Josh Allen Featured on Wonderful Pistachios Packaging

    Firebaugh native and NFL MVP Josh Allen is bringing more attention to one of California’s biggest specialty crops.

    Allen is featured on new limited-edition Wonderful Pistachios packaging rolling out at select retailers. The Buffalo Bills quarterback has a personal connection to the industry as a fourth-generation pistachio farmer.

    This marks the second year of Allen’s partnership with Wonderful Pistachios and also brings back the Josh Allen Scholarship program. The program supports first-generation students from Firebaugh pursuing higher education, providing recipients with up to $12,000 over four years of college.

    Nearly 40 high school seniors were accepted into the scholarship program during its first year.

    Blueberry Industry Votes to Continue U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council

    The U.S. blueberry industry has voted in favor of continuing the work of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council.

    The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service announced that a majority of eligible blueberry producers and importers supported continuing the council.

    Created by the industry 26 years ago, USHBC works to increase consumer demand for blueberries, expand opportunities in global markets and provide resources to support the blueberry industry.

    FDA Authorizes Tool to Help Prevent New World Screwworm

    Cattle producers have another tool available as concerns surrounding New World screwworm continue.

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an Emergency Use Authorization for Bimectin, an ivermectin injection, to help prevent New World screwworm infestations in certain cattle.

    Under the authorization, the product can be administered within 24 hours of birth, at the time of castration or when a wound appears.

    Bimectin is not authorized for this use in lactating dairy cows or calves intended to be processed for veal.

    The FDA said available evidence indicates it is reasonable to believe the product may be effective when used as authorized and that its known and potential benefits outweigh its known and potential risks.

    UC ANR Connect Seeks New Technology for California Agriculture

    UC Agriculture and Natural Resources is looking for agricultural technology that could benefit California growers.

    Applications are open for UC ANR Connect, a grower-informed commercialization program operated by UC ANR Innovate in partnership with Farmhand Ventures.

    Selected companies will receive commercialization support, feedback directly from California growers and agricultural professionals, industry connections and an opportunity to demonstrate their technology during a field day.

    The current application cycle is focused on commercially available technology for permanent and specialty crops, including fresh fruit, table grapes, pistachios, desert vegetables, berries, citrus and avocados.

    Applications will be accepted through Sept. 18.

    Mike Forbes Named President and CEO of American Pistachio Growers

    American Pistachio Growers has announced new leadership.

    Mike Forbes officially takes over as the organization’s president and CEO on Sept. 1, bringing more than two decades of leadership experience across the food, consumer products and wellness industries.

    Forbes also has agricultural roots. A Wisconsin native, he grew up participating in 4-H and comes from a family of farmers. His career has included positions with McKinsey & Company, Jim Beam, Procter & Gamble and General Mills.

    As president and CEO, Forbes will lead American Pistachio Growers’ efforts to represent American pistachio growers and processors, strengthen domestic and international demand and promote the benefits of American-grown pistachios.

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    That’s this week’s look at five stories impacting agriculture.

    Follow California Ag Network for more news, industry updates and stories from across California agriculture.

  • The Wonderful Company Ranks No. 1 on PEOPLE®’s List of Companies that Care

    The Wonderful Company has taken the coveted No. 1 spot on the 2025 PEOPLE® Companies That Care list, rising from No. 3 last year. The $6 billion enterprise, with 10,000 employees worldwide and a portfolio of well-known healthy brands, earned the recognition for its commitment to employees, communities, and the environment. This commitment is rooted in the vision of founders Lynda and Stewart Resnick, whose philanthropic giving, along with their foundations and company, accounts for more than $2.5 billion and focuses extensively on the communities where Wonderful employees and their families live and work.

    Based in Los Angeles, The Wonderful Company is one of the largest privately held companies in the United States and among the world’s largest agriculture companies. With operations spanning the Central Valley and wine regions of California, Texas, New Jersey, Arizona, Oregon, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and the countries of Mexico and Fiji, its family of brands include Wonderful Pistachios, FIJI Water, POM Wonderful, Wonderful Halos, Wonderful Seedless Lemons, Teleflora, and JUSTIN, Landmark, and Lewis Cellars wines. To qualify for the PEOPLE® list, thousands of anonymous employee survey responses provided input attesting to The Wonderful Company’s culture, leadership, and relationships with workers.

    In bestowing the top honor, PEOPLE® highlighted The Wonderful Company’s signature Career Pathways program, which empowers students to obtain an associate’s degree upon graduating from one of seven partner high schools in the Central Valley. Students also receive critical work- based learning experiences by participating in job shadows, career workshops, and paid internships at Wonderful. Since 2018, more than 1,600 students have graduated from the program with an associate’s degree.

    Wonderful Career Pathways Graduation

    “In the Central Valley of California, our people do the hard work of feeding our nation. Their children deserve every opportunity,” says Lynda and Stewart Resnick, owners of The Wonderful Company. “Wonderful Career Pathways is one of the many ways we are committed to ending the cycle of poverty by taking a holistic view and focusing on the social determinants of a healthy society. This program empowers students to enter college with 60 credits and a two- year head start on classes – or graduate high school and step right into higher-paying jobs in health care, education, and agriculture. And, Wonderful is with them every step of the way.

    Over the past decade, The Wonderful Company and the Resnicks, along with their foundations have committed over $1 billion in the Central Valley, home to more than 3,000 of their employees. Wonderful offers free health care services to its full-time workforce in the Central Valley, including preventive care, physical therapy, prescriptions and more. Every meal served at its onsite cafeterias is fresh, nutritious, and cooked from scratch. They also support 5,000 students across 70 schools, including two public charter schools the Resnicks founded, and over 1,000 Wonderful Scholars, many of whom are employees’ children, with tutoring, academic coaching, emotional support, up to $40,000 each in college scholarships, and more. To learn more about Wonderful’s award-winning CSR and philanthropy, please visit csr.wonderful.com.

    “Witnessing the innovative spirit with which these companies invest in their employees, communities, and the world is trulyinvigorating,” says Charlotte Triggs, PEOPLE GM and editor- in-chief. “Their commitment reflects our mission, to feature what happens when ordinary people do extraordinary work.”

    Earlier this year, The Wonderful Company was also named one of Fortune® magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For. It was recognized again as one the Best Places To Work in the Central Valley by Best Companies Group for its commitment to the well-being of its workforce.

    To be considered for the PEOPLE® and Fortune® lists, companies must be Great Place To Work Certified™ and have at least 10 U.S. employees.

    About The Wonderful Company’s Corporate Social Responsibility

    The Wonderful Company and its co-owners, Lynda and Stewart Resnick, have a long-standing commitment to investing inthe communities where their employees live and work, especially in California’s Central Valley, home to 3,000 employees. The Resnicks, along with their foundations and The Wonderful Company, have invested more than $2.5 billion in education, health and wellness, community development, and sustainability initiatives across the Central Valley, Fiji, and the world. To learn more about The Wonderful Company, and its core values, visit csr.wonderful.com.

    About the PEOPLE® Companies that Care List

    Great Place To Work selected the 2025 PEOPLE Companies that Care List by gathering and analyzing over 1.3 million confidential survey responses from companies representing more than 8.4 million U.S. employees at Great Place To WorkCertified organizations. Of those, more than 1 million responses came from employees at companies eligible for the list and these rankings are based on that feedback. Company rankings are derived from 60 employee experience questions within the Great Place To Work Trust Index™ Survey and essays submitted by participating companies. Read the full methodology.

    To get on this list next year, start here.

    About Great Place To Work

    As the global authority on workplace culture, Great Place To Work brings 30 years of groundbreaking research and data to help every place become a great place to work for all. Its proprietary platform and Great Place To Work Model™ helpcompanies evaluate the experience of every employee, with exemplary workplaces becoming Great Place To Work Certified or receiving recognition on a coveted Best Workplaces™ List.

    Follow Great Place To Work on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram or visit greatplacetowork.com and sign up for the newsletter to learn more.