WOODLAND, CA - Bimi® Baby Broccoli, the branded business branch of Sakata Seed America, has announced a strategic partnership with Cal-Organic Farms, significantly expanding organic production capacity and North American distribution for the Bimi® Baby Broccoli program. The agreement brings one of the country’s largest organic growers into Sakata’s licensed network, supporting surging demand for premium specialty vegetables across retail and foodservice channels.

As a division of Grimmway Produce Group, Cal-Organic Farms adds scale, geographic reach, and year-round production expertise to the Bimi® program. The partnership enhances supply chain continuity at a time when retailers are increasingly prioritizing dependable organic programs and differentiated value-added vegetables to drive category growth.

“Cal-Organic Farms is an established leader in organic vegetable production, and their operational strength makes them an ideal partner for the continued expansion of the Bimi® brand,” said Julie McElhaney, Bimi® Food Chain Manager, in the recent release. “This collaboration positions us to meet rapidly growing demand with consistent quality, improved performance, and dependable supply.”

Bimi®—known for its sweet flavor profile, tender stems, and strong consumer appeal—continues to gain momentum following its U.S. brand launch last year. Retailers and consumers alike are embracing Bimi® as a versatile, nutrient-dense, premium vegetable in cook-ready format.

“Retailers are looking for consistent, premium organic offerings that differentiate their vegetable sets,” said Bob Borda, SVP Sales- Organic Vegetable Category, Grimmway Produce Group. “We’re excited for this partnership and the ability to deliver a high-quality, dependable program that drives value across the supply chain and brings a great experience to consumers.”

Under the expanded program, Cal-Organic Farms will produce organic Bimi® in both branded retail-ready bags and traditional bunch formats. This strengthened supply network improves merchandising options and ensures consistent quality across North America. Targeted marketing, shopper engagement, and digital awareness initiatives will further support the program by building brand recognition and driving stronger retail velocity. With this partnership, Bimi® reinforces its position as a leading premium vegetable offering and further establishes itself as a year-round organic solution for retailers and foodservice operators throughout the U.S. and Canada.

For more information or to inquire about retail and foodservice opportunities with Bimi®, contact Julie McElhaney by sending an email to [email protected].

WASHINGTON, DC - Equitable Food Initiative, the workforce development and certification organization that partners with growers, farmworkers and retailers, highlighted measurable safety, engagement and workforce retention gains achieved by Stemilt Growers through its implementation of EFI’s Responsibly Grown, Farmworker Assured® certification program, demonstrating how structured worker engagement drives operational performance.

Six years after earning its first EFI certification, Stemilt conducted a comprehensive review of its internal processes and workforce data to evaluate the long-term impact of EFI’s training and collaborative model. The results show sustained improvements across key business and workforce indicators and are featured in a new case study on EFI’s website, which can be found at equitablefood.org/stemilt.

Over the past several seasons, Stemilt strengthened its safety performance, recording multiple months with zero injuries and bringing its overall incident rate below the Washington state OSHA average. In addition, employee engagement scores improved 10% between 2022 and 2024, per person productivity increased by 16% since 2021, and handling damage was cut in half in the past year.

“We’ve not only seen a 15% reduction in workplace injuries, but have also experienced a significant lift in efficiency, with improved measures in pounds of fruit packed per hour, labor cost per acre and rejection rate,” said West Mathison, president of Stemilt Growers, in the recent release.

“These indicators are all the intended consequences from our commitment to engaging people in the work and focusing on how to get better.”

With engagement rising, workforce stability has also strengthened. Stemilt reports a 96% return rate among its 1,600 H-2A workers and an 80% return rate among local seasonal workers. Year-round employees average 9.3 years of tenure, and more than $800,000 has been paid to workers in bonuses through the EFI certification program.

Many improvements originated directly from EFI’s worker-manager collaborative teams. Employees helped redesign field water access systems, implement dedicated traffic lanes and pedestrian safety measures in facilities, upgrade ergonomics in packhouses and address ladder and slip-related risks through targeted training and inspections.

“Bringing EFI into our operations has been essential in training our workforce, especially around soft skills, like collaborating to find solutions and holding up ideas for doing things better,” said Brianna Shales, director of marketing at Stemilt Growers. “The changes might be small in nature, but they add up to build engagement, trust and overall growth of our people.”

“Stemilt has shown incredible commitment to high standards, and not just with their consistently high rate of compliance to EFI’s rigorous certification, but with their commitment to the whole human,” said LeAnne Ruzzamenti, director of marketing & communications at EFI. “Their dedication goes beyond any audit, embracing a unique approach in agriculture to help workers show up and be their best selves.”

Kevin Boyle, EFI’s director of workforce and organizational development, added, “Every person that I have worked with at Stemilt, from the orchards to the headquarters, values relationships. There is a shared core belief that people are the key to high performance, that they are the problem solvers and should be valued. That value is having a direct impact across the operation.”

Five years of sustained training, collaborative leadership and data-driven review demonstrate how structured worker engagement strengthens culture, reduces risk and delivers measurable business results.

For more information about certification and access to free workshops and tools, visit equitablefood.org.

CALIFORNIA, US - In 1975, several women involved in agriculture gathered in the Coachella Valley to discuss how they could educate policymakers and consumers about the needs of California agriculture.

Since those beginnings 50 years ago, California Women for Agriculture (CWA) has grown to become the most active all-volunteer agricultural organization in the state. Its 1,500 members represent farmers, ranchers, bankers, lawyers, marketing professionals and food producers from Butte County to the Mexican border.

Sharron Zoller, a Lake County walnut grower who served as CWA’s president from 2022-24, said the group exists to advocate for, promote, and educate the public about California agriculture.

“Our name was carefully chosen,” Zoller said in the recent release. “They chose for instead of in to be sure everyone who believed in the mission would join.”

To mark the milestone anniversary, CWA recently held a Golden Weekend Celebration in La Quinta, near Coachella, where the founding women met to launch the organization. While they celebrated, Cherry Ishimatsu, the group’s first state president, was also celebrating her 100th birthday.

“We’re proud to salute California Women for Agriculture for its great work in promoting our state’s farmers and ranchers during its first 50 years,” said Keith Hesterberg, President and CEO of Fresno Madera Farm Credit. “These women have spent countless hours over the years educating consumers and decision-makers alike about the importance of agriculture in the Golden State, and we look forward to supporting their work in the years to come.”

Heather Lemos, Relationship Manager, with American AgCredit added CWA also helps keep the state’s ag community connected.

“As a statewide organization, CWA helps tie together the broad and diverse sectors of California’s farming community,” Lemos said. “Their members learn about different challenges farmers and ranchers have in different parts of the state, and their networking helps spread information about best practices in advocacy as well.”

She added that many Farm Credit employees are CWA members, including CoBank’s Farm Credit Banking Group Vice President Sara Reid, who served as CWA’s president for two years.

Five Farm Credit organizations serving California – AgWest Farm Credit, American AgCredit, CoBank, Colusa-Glenn Farm Credit and Fresno Madera Farm Credit – have supported California Women for Agriculture for some 20 years. They are all part of the nationwide Farm Credit System – the largest provider of credit to U.S. agriculture.

Many of the group’s 19 chapters have “showcase” events, such as Zoller’s Lake County chapter’s AgVenture program (now in its 14th year) as a proven educational program.

“We have a class of 12 area leaders each year, including county supervisors, city council members, business leaders and government department heads, who get a deep dive into how our four main crops – pears, walnuts, grapes, and olives – are grown and processed,” she said.

During the trips, the participants learn about each crop’s regulatory issues, market trends, and labor issues, and they get to see a farm in action.

“The first class focuses on pears and is scheduled during the harvest,” she said. “We visit an orchard to see the pears harvested, then go to the pear shed where the crop is delivered, processed and boxed, and put into cold storage ready for market.

“A field trip for each crop provides the participants with first-hand views that are paired with in-depth information – the science behind growing crops, U.S. and global economics, labor dynamics, regulatory burdens, and the political issues – that each farmer must contend with.

“Many of the participants say that although they’ve lived in Lake County all their lives, they had no idea about everything that goes into a local farming operation.”

Advocacy in a state that Zoller delicately noted is “not always user-friendly” to agriculture is a crucial focus. CWA encourages members to form relationships with their local decision-makers, along with state and federal legislators.

The state organization hosts an annual two-day event in Sacramento to discuss legislation and hold conversations with lawmakers. On the federal level, CWA partners with American Agri Women, a coalition of other states’ advocacy groups, to travel to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress and officials with government agencies.

“We have been able to educate decision makers, most of whom are several generations away from a farm, to frame some of their proposed legislation into a real-life understanding of the consequences for the ag community and blunt the impacts,” she noted.

Zoller predicted that in the years to come, CWA will continue to “help shape decisions that secure our food supply, strengthen rural communities, and build our economies. We know—and we have shown—that when women speak together, the world listens differently.”

She added that Leona Lewis, one of the founding members and a former state president, recalled at the 50th anniversary celebration that she and two other women who met to organize the group went into the fields to pick lettuce to show their support for growers, who were facing headwinds at the time.

“Lewis said the person directing them said they were doing it wrong – that harvesting has to be done ‘butts up.’ So, they repositioned themselves and continued picking until they were told, no, you have to put the lettuce butts up in the carton. The story was greeted with much laughter and applause,” Zoller said.

“Those women won’t fade into the background. They are rooted in the rich earth of our identity.”

MCALLEN, TX - Being open to trialing new materials helps producers stay competitive, especially as retailer expectations and sustainability conversations continue to evolve. Fox Packaging offers a range of packing options to meet the dynamic needs of the produce industry. VertiFilm is one offering making a big impact, particularly in the avocado sector.

“VertiFilm is easy to trial. Our test rolls run on producers’ existing vertical form fill seal lines, so they can confirm print quality, seal performance, and machine compatibility before placing a larger order. Since test rolls are readily available, it’s a quick, low-risk path from trial to purchase,” Jensie Smith, Retail and Key Account Manager, began telling me. “For avocado packers especially, reassurance matters. Avocados are high-value and unforgiving when something goes wrong. A small bruise today shows up on the shelf tomorrow, and a seal issue or film failure can ripple through an entire shift.”

This is why VertiFilm was designed to run on current equipment, at current speeds, without asking packers to rebuild lines or disrupt workflows. According to Jensie, packers can evaluate how the film behaves in real operating conditions, which is critical for net and film systems that are already finely tuned.

“Plus, VertiFilm offers more robust laminated material options that still run on standard equipment, with multiple gauges and substrate combinations to fit different products and packing requirements,” Jensie added. “Another big advantage is flexibility. VertiFilm runs on systems such as Sorma, Daumar, and Giro, along with equivalent packing lines that many avocado packers already have in place.”

VertiFilm is a strong fit for both retail branded packaging and universal, multi-commodity applications. That flexibility is important as avocado brands respond to retailer requests, sustainability goals, and branding updates, Jenise pointed out.

“Print quality is also a big factor right now. Brands are investing heavily in bold graphics, distinctive color systems, and premium visual identities. Print clarity, color accuracy, and tight registration have to reproduce cleanly on line to maintain shelf impact,” she added. “With vendor managed inventory in McAllen, Texas, and Fox’s own full truck shipping, fulfillment is fast and reliable. That helps customers move quickly without carrying unnecessary inventory risk.”

VertiFilm allows producers to explore stronger materials, improved print quality, and updated packaging formats without sacrificing line efficiency or introducing unnecessary disruption.

“It also provides peace of mind from a supply standpoint. Many customers already have strong laminated film partners, and we respect that. Trial rolls allow us to be qualified as a primary, secondary, or even third-line supplier, offering domestic support when it’s needed,” Jensie relayed. “It’s not just about testing a new film; it’s about learning together. We’re grateful to the customers who allow us into their facilities, share feedback, and help us refine our offerings.”

Fox Packaging has made significant investments in its facilities, operations, equipment, and teams to better support customers. VertiFilm isn’t a brand-new material; it’s a new offering that expands what Fox Packaging can do for avocado packers who already know the company through the Fox Fresh mesh programs.

“We also offer in-house design support, with designers who have more than 20 years of experience. Whether a producer needs a design created from scratch or wants to refresh an existing look, we can support that as part of the program,” Jensie said. “And on a personal note, I truly love this industry. The avocado sector has a special place in my heart, onions too, especially being from Vidalia, Georgia. Our goal is always to respect how our customers operate and offer solutions that work in the real world.”

Those interested in learning more about Fox Packaging solutions will have the opportunity to connect with Jensie and the team at the Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Exposure. For more industry insights, stick with ANUK.