IRVINE, CA - Industry stalwart and Organic Produce Network (OPN) Co-Founder and Executive Vice President Tonya Antle recently took to the Voices of the Valley podcast hosted by Dennis Donohue, the Director of Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology, and Candace Wilson, Vice President of Business Development at GreenVenus, to discuss the upcoming Organic Grower Summit (OGS). The anticipated event is presented by Western Growers and OPN and will take place on December 1–2 in Monterey, California.
The goal of the show will be to highlight that “organic does mean good business,” according to Antle.
“We have never pitted organic against conventional farmers,” Antle said. “I am a granddaughter and daughter and wife of a farmer, and let me tell you, there are no better, honest, hardworking folks than those on the farm. And the tools they are given is what they were taught, and so I think it’s an educational process to get to organic.”
During the most recent episode of the popular podcast, Antle discussed the fourth edition of OGS, and how the event has responded to grower feedback in developing its educational offerings, as noted in a press release.
“[Learning more about] soil health and plant health are always the biggest feedback we get from our show,” Antle said. “These are things that are immediate need that our farmers can take back and work on the ground.”
Vic Smith, Chief Executive Officer of JV Smith will be recognized as Grower of the Year during OGS, and a keynote presentation titled, “Net Gen: A Conversation with the Next Generation of Organic Leaders,” will be moderated by Western Growers President and Chief Executive Officer Dave Puglia and feature Keith Barnard, Senior Vice President of Sales and Sourcing at Mission Produce; Bianca Kaprielian, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Owner of Fruit World; and Mike Valpredo, President and Co-Founder of Country Sweet Produce.
To register for OGS 2021, click here.
And as the long-awaited event quickly approaches, keep reading ANUK for the latest updates.
