1. Why did you want to become a member of the CWB?
I feel that it is important to be involved and informed in the industry that is the source of my family’s livelihood. Reading newsletters and attending annual meetings is fine, but to really know what is happening, you need to go to committee meetings, participate in the discussions and get into the details. Besides generally giving back to the industry, I also want to have a say in the future and the direction of the industry.2. What has been your proudest moment serving on the Board?
I really enjoy helping legislators and bureaucrats understand our business. As the industry struggled with regulations for grading of walnut meal, and jumbo/large grades for in-shell, there were roadblocks that needed to be removed, and seeing the work that the board members and staff did to get that accomplished relatively quickly was a proud moment. It isn’t often that you go to Sacramento or Washington and come home feeling like you made a real difference. When we resolved these issues, I was proud to come home and say we made a difference. It also encouraged me to keep up the fight for other issues. Like hitting a hole-in-one, it brings you back to the course and helps you forget all the double bogeys.
3. What do you rely on the CWB/CWC the most for?
There are many things both as a grower and as a handler. Certainly, as a grower, the production research over the years has proved very useful. As a grower, it is very risky to try new techniques, chemicals or farming practices on our own. With the collaboration of world-class researchers, the options are vetted and professionally structured, and follow-through is done to verify and disseminate results. It guarantees that the money is well spent and that the research is interpreted correctly. There have been so many instances where we have done small “experiments” on our farm and then harvest hits and we forget what, where and why we were testing something, and the data is lost.
As a handler and a grower, I think that some generic promotion is necessary to increase the demand for walnuts globally. There are larger crops coming, and although prices are disappointing now, I would hate to see what the condition of the industry would be without the marketing component of the Walnut Board and Commission. Small handlers like us don’t have the horsepower to apply for government funds and leverage those dollars to build a robust marketing program, and we rely on the Board and Commission to build demand both domestically and internationally.
One of the best things that the Board and Commission have done for the industry over the years is our health research program. These studies have resulted in a better view of walnuts as a healthy snack with good fats and beneficial nutrients. This has made marketing to customers much easier. Certainly, it would be very difficult if not impossible for individual growers or handlers to do this themselves.
4. How has being a grower/handler changed over the years?
As a grower there seems to be much more information available from a variety of sources. Production research has solved many of the issues that we faced early in my career, but not all. We still face many of the same challenges, and new issues have also emerged. I think that as a grower I am more informed of new research, marketing information and industry trends than in years past. Technology has also changed dramatically over the years. Bigger, faster and more automatic equipment has sped up harvest, hulling, processing and packaging. It’s a good thing too, since there are so many more walnuts to take in and get out in a much shorter time span than when we had more than the current five varieties making up 90% of the industry.
Consumers now demand perfection. Color, foreign material, sizes and overall quality need to meet a much tighter specification than before. Increased food safety measures and traceability have become a requirement to even participate in the market. This has increased costs and required significant investment in new technology and infrastructure. The larger crops have created more competition, and the ease of communication through emails has helped customers compare sources worldwide for both quality and price.
5. One tip for all the California walnuts growers/handlers out there.
To weather the fluctuations in the market, make sure you are using the latest and greatest techniques and processes. Unfortunately, buyers don’t care that our costs have gone up, so being the most efficient producer possible with the highest quality is going to make a big difference in your ability to remain in business over the long term.
