The Organic Grower Summit , presented by Western Growers and OPN , will observe longtime constitutional grower Rod Braga as the receiver of the sixth yearly Grower of the Year honor . Braga , President and CEO of Braga Fresh was selected base on his ongoing commitment and allegiance to excellence in organic product , constitutive industry leading , and innovation .
The Grower of the Year award , patronise by AGCO , will be introduce to Braga as part of the keynote presentation at the Organic Grower Summit on November 29 - 30 in Monterey , California . The Grower of the Year presentation is part of an extensive educational program designed to inform and engage constitutional producer and their service providers and supplying chemical chain partner .
“ We are honor to present the yearly Grower of the Year honor to Rod Braga — really a agriculturalist ’s grower , ” said Matt Seeley , chief executive officer of Organic Produce web . “ His 10 - foresighted work exemplifies what hardworking , passionate constitutive farming means to the success of his family farm and to California factory farm . Rod has worked tirelessly to encourage natural methods for pest control , water preservation , and always witness ways to share selective information about those exercise with other constitutive farmers . His dedication to the environment and community is what make the organic sphere special and lay down him so deserving of the form of address of Grower of the Year . ”
Braga grew up in his class ’s multigenerational agriculture byplay , starting his first task on the base spread when he was 8 . After graduate from Saint Mary ’s College of California with a point in business administration , he joined the fellowship now known as Braga Fresh full - time in 1990 . Over the year , he ’s helped it inflate into today ’s operation , which feature multiple large - scale growing , processing , and shipping locations in California .
A leader in organic garden truck production , Braga is a board member of the Western Growers Association and former plug-in member of the Grower - Shipper Association of Central California ; he was a founding instrument panel member of Pacific Valley Bank in Monterey County ; and former board member of Natividad Hospital in Salinas , California .
The Grower of the Year laurels will be present to Braga by Cale Sledge , Regional Sales Director for AGCO . late achiever of the award have been Jeff Huckaby , CEO of Grimmway Farms ( 2022 ) ; Vic Smith , CEO of JV Smith Company ( 2021 ) ; the Lundberg Family ( 2019 ) ; Thaddeus Barsotti of Capay Organic ( 2018 ) ; and Vernon Peterson of Peterson Family Farms ( 2017 ) .
The 6th annual OGS is designed to provide information vital to constitutional growers and producers , including an overview of the opportunities and challenges in the product of organic unfermented nutrient .
In accession to the one-year Grower of the Year awarding , the other keynote presentation at OGS 2023 will be Grower Roundtable : The State of Organic Growing . panellist for the keynote roundtable admit leading from three prominent organic companies , who will be announce later this month .
Other educational sessions slated for OGS 2023 admit :
For more information : Organic Produce NetworkTel . : +1 ( 831 ) 884-5092www.organicproducenetwork.comwww.organicgrowersummit.com
