OXNARD, CA - Any meeting of the minds of produce’s most preeminent thought-leaders is always newsworthy for us at ANUK. These meetings often signify the interwovenness of our industry’s community and what we can accomplish by working together. For Gills Onions, whose team recently convened with Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Censky on Friday, February 7, 2020, these meetings also help facilitate important conversations about the future of the industry—which, of course, includes one of the 21st century’s buzziest topics: sustainability.
As one of produce’s forerunners of sustainable and regenerative agriculture, Gills Onions is continuously going above and beyond to make sure its team isn’t just talking the talk but walking the sustainability walk however it can. I chatted with Steve Gill, Owner of Gills Onions, to find out how the company’s recent visit with Deputy Censky is doing exactly that and then some.
“We appreciate Deputy Censky’s time,” Steve shared with me. “We had a productive conversation, shared our sustainability story, and gave him a firsthand look at what we do at Gills Onions.”
The company’s sustainability story includes processes that have reworked Gills Onions’ operations into a greener format, like implementing healthy soil practices, partaking in water and land conservation efforts, and incorporating the Advanced Energy Recovery System (AERS) into its facilities.
“Healthy onions start with healthy soil. From the time each seed goes into the ground until it goes on a truck, we continually look at how to make our process more environmentally friendly and healthy,” Steve continued. “Responsible practices are necessary, and we value the conversation we had with the Deputy and listening to the USDA’s vision for supporting efforts to expand regenerative agricultural practices to all farming operations in the United States.”
As we wait for the seeds from Gills Onions’ conversation to sprout, AndNowUKnow will continue to keep you up to date on the latest comings and goings in our industry.
