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SADDLE UP!
It’s time for
Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Foundation’s
26th annual Men’s Trail Ride!
Los Paseos de los Rancheros
APRIL 17-19, 2015
Registration includes meals, entertainment, open bar, trail rides, amateur competitions,
live and silent auctions and much more!
Proceeds will benefit our new Salinas Valley Health and Wellness Center, currently under construction
in Gonzales. For more information, call 831-759-1880 or visit www.svmhfoundation.org
Availability is based on a first come, first serve basis; participants must be 21 years of age or older
C O A S TA L G R O W E R | S P R I N G 2 0 1 5
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Features
5
PUBLISHER’S NOTES
6
CONTRIBUTORS
22 BRANDING Cosumer Produce Brands and Their Effectiveness in Retail
By Lara Grossman
12 DESIGN Is Your Workplace Ready? Five Issues That are Redefining the
Work Environment By Meryl Rasmussen
24 LAW TheDawnofaNewEra: Groundwater Regulation in California By Jason Retterer
14 EMPLOYMENT Workers Compensation Solutions That Make a Difference to Your Bottom Line by Matt Bingham
26 TECHNOLOGY The Internet of Things and Agriculture By Luis Alvarez
16 YOUNG FARMER PROFILE
Alex Romans By Jessica Harris
28 NORTH Barking up the Right Tree:
Interview with David Van Lennep, Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau President By Jess Brown
18 IRRIGATION UsingPrecisionIrrigation
Management to Reduce Water Consumption and Environmental Impact By Brian Milne
30 HISTORY California Redwoods
By Burton Anderson
34 NUTRITION Carbohydrates: Separating Fact From Fiction By Stephanie Bouquet
36 VINE Twisted Roots Vineyard
By Laura Ness
Community
60 River Road Wineries Valentine’s Passport
62 Young Farmers and Ranchers
Holiday Party
64 National Wear Red Day
65 Rancho Cielo’s 6th Annual Culinary Round Up
66 IMPOWER Kick’s off 2015
67 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
68 35th Annual APMA Fourm
72 Bulls Baseball
38 RETIREMENT Life Planning Through Holistic Wealth Management
By Bill Hastie
40 CATTLE RANCHING Ranch Life.
A Legacy of Pride By Celeste Settrini
50 TAXTax Breaks are Back for 2014 By Chris Steinbruner
S P R I N G | 2 0 1 5
52 GOLF Harder Doesn’t Equal Farther
By Matt Pridey
56 GARDEN Easy Backyard Citrus
By Steve McShane
42
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HOME SHOWCASE
Louie & Kathy Paolino
By Melody Young
Photography by Patrick Tregenza
S P R I N G 2 0 1 5 | C O A S TA L G R O W E R
58 RECIPE Cauliflower and Avocado Croquettes By Chef Ken Skinner
COVER PHOTO
Photo by Alli Pura Photography
www.allipuraphoto.com
[email protected]
© 2015 All rights reserved.
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W I FNA L L
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SOFT GROUND? SLOPING HILLSIDES?
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W I N T E R 2 0 1 4 | C O A S TA L G R O W E R
© 2010 CNH America LLC. New Holland is a registered trademark of CNH America LLC.
COASTAL GROWER Magazine is a publication of articles
concerning agriculture and its history. Articles, opinions,
advice and points of view on various aspects of agriculture
and state or federal law are the opinions of the authors of
each particular article and not that of COASTAL GROWER
Magazine which makes no warranty whatsoever as to the
validity of any opinion or advice given unless expressly so
adopted in writing.
N OT ES
College Bound
I
t’s that time of year when members of the Class of
2015 rush home daily to check their mailbox to see
if any college acceptance news, good or bad, has
arrived. Some schools notify via text or email so the Inbox
is checked as well, but the majority of schools still do it
the old fashion way… leaving students to wonder: will
the envelope be big (you got in) or small (denied).
I have a graduate this year so I am experiencing this
first-hand. I also experienced what it takes to get into college these days if your student has high aspirations, as
mine does. Many people told me “don’t try to put any
rhyme or reason to it…it will drive you crazy” and while
I agree with that sentiment, I thought I would share some
highlights from my experience. I consistently heard from
admission directors they look at six areas and each school
weighs them differently (for instance some do not consider standardized test scores).
Class Rank
Your class rank matters at a lot of universities so if you
have big dreams start early—your freshman year—and
take as many AP classes as your school has to offer. If you
get on the “AP track” later then some kids it is difficult to
raise your class rank.
GPA
Grades matter but universities look at your grade point
average within the context of your school and the rigor
of courses your school has to offer. If you get straight A’s
but you are taking less challenging courses, that doesn’t
weigh as much as the student who took the hardest courses but may have a lower grade point average.
Standardized Tests
My student and I went for the long haul plan. He took
practice tests, mock-timed tests, worked with tutors on
Sunday afternoons on specific areas where he needed to
get his score up, and it worked, but it took time. Some
students wait until the last minute when there may not be
a lot of future tests scheduled so if you need to get your
scores up you have less opportunity to do so.
Essays/Writing Supplements
Put yourself in the shoes of the admission directors that
have the daunting task of reading tens of thousands of
essays—be original and be you. Admission directors told
me they can tell when the student did not write the essay.
Be original. Don’t think you are the only applicant that
had a devastating sport injury or went on a mission trip
to help impoverished people. If that is what you want to
write about then come from an original angle. This is the
only time where you can shed a light on your personality.
And make sure you follow directions. Stick to the word
count. Stick to the topic and don’t repeat information about
yourself that can be found elsewhere in the application.
Also give yourself some time. Write, rewrite and have your
essays proofread by several people. You would not want
years of hard work lost on a typo.
Letters of Recommendation
Don’t submit more than they ask for and make sure they
are from people they want you to approach—usually a
teacher and your counselor. Make sure it’s a teacher that
knows you well and ideally on a few levels (not just in
the classroom but perhaps observes you in a club
activity). Ask them early—the more popular teachers
will get many requests.
Extra-Curricular
I was told it’s not how many activities you are involved in
but the level of participation in each club or charity and did
your participation evolve into a leadership role. So pick the
few areas you have a real passion for and then give it your
all. Admission directors realize no one can be in a dozen
different clubs and participate at a significant level— and
get good grades.
Those are some tidbits I learned along this journey. I hope
if you have one in your future you will find this helpful—
but remember, there is no rhyme or reason. Just enjoy this
time in your child’s life, support them. And come March, be
prepared to hand over the key to the mailbox.
C O A S TA L G R O W E R | W I N T E R 2 0 1 4
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Contributors
MERYL DEYOUNG-RASMUSSEN
Meryl DeYoung-Rasmussen is a workplace
consultant at Peninsula Business Interiors,
a diversified, full service office, educational
and healthcare furniture dealership. Meryl
recently returned to Monterey County after
developing business for a similar company in
Los Angeles. As a workplace consultant for
PBI, Meryl offers research driven solutions
that support the way your workforce does
business. With the constant changes of
today’s marketplace, Meryl understands that
space matters more than ever, and needs to
work harder. Meryl, a Notre Dame alum,
holds a BBA from the University of San Diego
and is a part of The Santa Lucia Rotary Club,
IMPOWER, and the Salinas Valley
Half Marathon.
MATT BIGHAM
Matt Bigham is the sales manager of Western
Growers Insurance Services with over 16
years of experience in the insurance industry.
He is originally from Columbus, Ohio and
attended Ohio State University where he
captained the OSU Rugby Club and really
learned risk management. He now manages
risk for members of Western Growers and
other partner associations. He earned his
agribusiness and farm insurance specialist
(AFIS) from IBA West and commercial lines
coverage specialist (CLCS) from the Hartford
School of Insurance. He serves on the Arizona
Nursery Association board of directors and
attended Project CentRL, a rural leadership
program.
JESSICA HARRIS
A native Northern Califorian, Jessica has
been living in Southern Monterey County
for more than 10 years and enjoys the warm
sun of Arroyo Seco. Following graduation
from Chico State with a BS in Agricultural
Business and a BA in Journalism, she
started working in produce marketing and
currently is employed as a Senior Customer
Marketing Manager. She has worked on
numerous Committees for the Produce
Marketing Association and received the
Produce Business 40 under 40 honors in 2011.
She enjoys helping to better her adopted
community and volunteers her time on many
local non-profit boards including the Salinas
Valley Fair Heritage Foundation and Ag
Against Hunger.
BILL HASTIE
Bill is the founder of Hastie Financial Group
(HFG), a registered investment advisory firm
serving the Central Coast since 1985. HFG
provides comprehensive wealth management
services, including investment management
and retirement planning, and serves as a
fiduciary investment manager for 401(k)
retirement plans. Over the years, HFG has
received recognitions from Barron’s, 401(k)
Wire and LPL Financial as a top financial
advisory team. Bill earned a B.S. in economics from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, an
M.B.A. in financial planning from Golden
Gate University, San Francisco, and holds
an Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst
(AIFA®) designation.
BRIAN MILNE
Brian is a former senior writer and editor
for McClatchy Newspapers. He currently
heads business development at Hortau’s U.S.
headquarters in San Luis Obispo, California.
Founded in 2002, Hortau is a global leader in
wireless, web-based irrigation management
system and has offices, irrigation consultants
and technicians throughout North America.
Learn more at Hortau.com or set up a free
irrigation consultation by contacting them at
(805) 545-5994 or [email protected]. MELODY YOUNG
Melody, a lifestyle consultant and owner
of MY DESIGNS, provides custom-tailored
home, personal and professional services to
meet each client’s unique needs. With many
years’ experience as a designer and organizer,
Melody acts as the liaison between her
clients’ real world and their perfect world.
Services include home design, organization
and event planning, as well as custom gifts
and accessories and concierge services. She
is a member of the National Association of
Professional Organizers and donates time to
various charities in Monterey County.
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STEPHANIE BOUQUET
Stephanie is a registered dietitian and owner
of SB Nutrition Consulting. She holds a
BS in nutritional science from Cal Poly,
San Luis Obispo and an MS in dietetics
with a dietetic internship from Cal State
University, Northridge. Since 1993 Stephanie
has practiced in the field of nutrition
with specialized board certifications in
weight management, diabetes and sports
nutrition. She offers individualized nutrition
consultations, group style classes, athletic
team presentations and wellness coaching
services. As a native of Salinas, Stephanie
returned to the area to raise her own
family. For more information visit
www.sbnutrition.net.
LARA GROSSMAN
Lara has worked in the produce industry
since 1999, after moving to the Salinas Valley
in 1996. Originally from Phoenix, Arizona,
she has an undergraduate degree in Business
Administration from the University of
Arizona and an MBA from Golden Gate
University. Lara’s experience includes
branding, logo and packaging design, trade
promotions and product development. At
Robinson Fresh, Lara’s efforts are focused
on the newly-relaunched Tomorrow’s®
Organics brand, customer development,
and innovation. When she has free time, she
enjoys reading, running, and hiking.
CHRIS STEINBRUNER
Chris is a partner of PMB Helin Donovan,
Certified Public Accountants with 20 years
of experience. Chris is well known as a
trusted tax and financial advisor and an
active community leader. He is experienced
in personal, business and estate tax, business
consulting and estate planning. He has
served as past chairman of the Salinas Valley
Chamber of Commerce and currently serves
as chairman for the National Steinbeck
Center and the International School of
Monterey. Chris is also actively involved in
the local agricultural industry.
JASON RETTERER
Jason Retterer is a partner at L+G, LLP in
Salinas, CA managing the firm’s land use,
real estate, and environmental practice. Jason
advises public agencies and private clients on
a broad range of legal issues involving land
use and environmental laws. Jason can be
reached by email at [email protected]
and telephone at (831) 269-7127.
LUIS ALVAREZ
When Luis founded Alvarez Technology
Group in 2001 he envisioned creating a
professional information technology services
firm that would cater to the specific needs of
small and mid-sized companies, affordably
providing the same IT support for which
Fortune 100 companies pay a premium. The
company is now recognized as the premier
IT leader on the Central Coast. Luis has a BS
in information technology and MBA from the
University of Phoenix. He is a retired noncommissioned officer of the U.S. Air Force
where he spent his career working in the field
of Intelligence.
LAURA NESS
Laura Ness, “Her VineNess,” is a wine journalist, critic and judge, whose passion is writing about wines of character and the characters who make them. She enjoys spending
time in vineyards and farm fields, where the
magic of food and wine begin.
Laura writes extensively for industry
and consumer publications, including Wine
Business Monthly and Vineyard and Winery
Management, as well as consumer publications like Uncorked, Wine Country This
Week and Edible: Monterey. She also has a
weekly wine column in several newspapers
and writes regularly for Wine OhTV and
winefoodexplorer.com.
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Contributors
BURTON ANDERSON
Burton is an author and historian whose
works include “The Salinas Valley: A History
of America’s Salad Bowl,” “California Rodeo
Salinas: 100 Years of History,” and numerous other articles and studies. A contributing
member of the Monterey County Historical
Society, Burton is a speaker on topics related
to the environment, culture and world agriculture. Burton is a member of the board
of governors at the UC Berkeley College
of Natural Resources (formerly the College
of Agriculture).
JESS BROWN
Jess serves as executive director of the Santa
Cruz County Farm Bureau and the educational organization Agri-Culture. His community activities include past president of
the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County,
Monterey Museum of Art, Cabrillo College
Foundation and Community Foundation
of Santa Cruz County. Jess served as chairman of Goodwill Industries for Santa Cruz,
Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties. He
served as commissioner of the Santa Cruz
County Parks and Recreation Department.
Currently, Jess serves on the board for
Leadership Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz
Area Chamber of Commerce and is chair of
the Tannery Arts Center.
KEN SKINNER
Ken Skinner, affectionately known as “Chef
Ken,” began his culinary career at the young
age of eight cooking alongside his mother.
Watching famed chefs Julia Child and Jaques
Pepin on television piqued an insatiable
curiosity in Ken, and desire to learn all
things gastronomy. After graduating from
the Culinary Academy, Chef Ken honed his
skills at restaurants in Salinas for several
years. Now, after a decade as Executive Chef
at PortaBella and Merlot Bistro restaurants
in Carmel-by-the-Sea—and the past 4 years
as Chef for Green Giant™ Fresh—Chef
Ken’s trademark Mediterranean and French
country cuisine have a loyal following.
STEVE MCSHANE
Steve McShane is Owner & General Manager
of McShane’s Nursery & Landscape Supply
in Salinas, California. He has a B.S. in Soil
Science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
and an M.B.A. from Santa Clara. He serves
on the Salinas City Council. When not
working, he loves hiking, traveling to far
reaches of the planet and experimenting with
exotic fruits. He can be reached at steve@
mcshanesnursery.com .
MATT PRIDEY
Matt Pridey is a Professional Golfer residing on the Monterey Peninsula. He plays on
several professional tours, trying to make his
way onto the PGA Tour. Through the help of
his generous sponsors, Matt is able to play
golf full time and travel to tournaments. He
is originally from South Dakota, and played
collegiate golf in both South Dakota and
Arizona. He turned pro in 2011 and eventually moved west to the home of his wife,
Whitney. He has had many successes at the
professional level, including a successful run
at Qualifying School in 2014 and looks forward to an exciting 2015!
CELESTE SETTRINI
Celeste is a 4th generation cattle rancher and
a partner/owner in CS Connections, a boutique graphic design and communications
agency whose clients are primarily in the
agricultural industry and rodeo. She has previously served as State President of California
Women for Agriculture, Legislative Director
for California Cattlewomen, and been voted
Woman of the Year by Ag Against Hunger.
Celeste travels throughout the United States
speaking to a wide range of rural and consumer groups, sharing the story of American
agriculture and advocating for ranchers.
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PATRICK TREGENZA
Patrick operates a thriving commercial
photography studio in downtown Monterey.
Celebrating his twentieth year in business,
Patrick is proud his list of clients and
interesting projects continues to grow.
Targeting the agriculture industry as being
one of the most dynamic areas of local
commerce, Patrick carved out a niche and
is recognized as a leader in photographing
food and produce. Most recently, he has
expanded his repertoire to apply his lighting
and compositional skills to live action video
so he can accommodate the ever increasing
demand for compelling web content.
MONEY
IN YOUR POCKET
American AgCredit members earned $39 million
in cash dividends for 2014, for a total of more
than $250 million since 2006.
SALINAS
Coastal Grower values the contributions of all our
writers. Contributors wishing to be recognized are
listed here. In some cases contributors prefer to remain
unrecognized with a bio and photo, or prefer complete
anonymity. In those instances articles are published
with no recognition or attribution.
Call 831.424.1756 or visit AgLoan.com
A part of the Farm Credit System. Equal Opportunity Lender.
AAC_CoastalGrower_Dividend_4.75x9.5_4c.indd 1
2/19/2015 3:45:28 PM
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DESIGN
Is Your Workplace Ready?
Five Issues That are Redefining
the Work Environment
By Meryl DeYoung-Rasmussen, Peninsula Business Interiors
O
ver the past decade, technology
has transformed the way we do
business. Many workers are no
longer tethered to high-walled cubicles
within the confines of a nine-to-five workday.
Whether we like it or not, our smart phones,
tablets, etc. are forcing us to be “always on” in
this increasingly interconnected world. As we
witness these changes, it is becoming obvious
that our physical environments will also need
to adapt to keep our businesses relevant and
competitive.
About a year ago, I relocated back
to Monterey County after working for
four years at a company that provided
workplace solutions in Los Angeles. During
my time back, I have worked to share
current workspace trends with several local
organizations. Occasionally I am reminded
that the Salinas Valley is not Silicon Valley,
and that progressive workspace is for the
Googles and Facebooks of the world. I am
not asking business owners to have their
employees travel throughout their office
space on Razor scooters, or have a slide built
into their lobby. I am asking for us all to take
a deeper look at why space matters now
more than ever, and if designed properly, can
become a strategic business tool.
Steelcase, a furniture company that studies
how people work, asked CEOs from around
the world, “What business issues are keeping
you up at night?” Steelcase was surprised
to see that the same five concerns were
repeatedly brought up when it came to their
business and team. Through this exercise
came the birth of the five issues that are
redefining the workplace:
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Markon’s sales environment is open, collaborative, and bright.
1) Real estate optimization
Real estate is the most costly expense for most
organizations, second only to personnel costs. A company cannot simply reduce its
real estate. Instead, workplaces must work
harder and smarter. To be fully optimized, the
workspace must provide a range of spaces
that serve multiple functions to provide
everyone in the organization with the type of
space they need.
2) Distributed collaboration Collaboration is the way innovation is
achieved in today’s interconnected world.
The workspace needs to support distant
collaboration with the proper technology
which gives consideration to people, place,
and information.
3) Attract. Develop. Engage. In the war for talent, you need to get and
keep the best. With unemployment still
high in many areas, leaders might think that
attracting, developing, and engaging talent
is not a critical priority, but now that rapid
innovation and creativity is king, it is critical
to maintain highly motivated workers with
the right talents and skills.
4) Building brand and culture Brand is a critical driver to an organization’s
success. And space can help foster the type
of culture that fits the brand. Space gives
permission to behave differently – to live the
company culture. The workplace can be used
to communicate what the company believes
to an internal and external audience.
5) Well-being An overall view of worker well-being has
become a recognized strategy to boost an
organization’s ability to innovate. To achieve
well-being in the workplace, the whole person
must be considered by providing a variety of
spaces, tools, and postures.
To better understand how the five
workplace issues impact Salinas Valley, let’s
take a look at how a local agriculture firm,
Markon, has changed the way they work.
I met Tim York, president of Markon, when
I first moved back to the area. Tim has a
passion for his team and wanted their new
workspace to not only support them today,
but be able to adapt and grow with them
into the future.
Our process began with several
conversations regarding current design
trends and how putting those trends into
practice would impact Markon’s culture and
business operations. Tim reached out to his
staff to complete a broad survey about what
was/wasn’t working within their existing
workspace. The information gleaned from
this exercise, as well as a focus on the five
workplace issues, gave us a strong idea of
what needed to be achieved within their new
office space.
When considering the five workplace
issues, the two that stood out the strongest
to Markon were: well-being in the workplace
and attracting/retaining employees. Wellbeing is no longer simply about offering
an ergonomically fit environment-that is a
given. It is about offering your team choice
and control over a palette of posture and
place. When looking at how to design an
Markon has private enclaves designed into their open
plan environment, allowing users privacy for intense
focus work or personal telephone conversations.
One of Markon’s team members utilizing their sit stand
workstation.
Well-being is no longer simply
about offering an ergonomically fit environment-that
is a given. It is about offering
your team choice and control
over a palette of posture
and place.
office space, it’s helpful to reference the
way personal homes are laid out. A home
is designed with several different rooms
that support the different tasks we need to
accomplish in our daily lives. The spatial
allocation of a home is increasingly shaping
the way that progressive office spaces are laid
out. Offering teams different environments/
rooms to support the specific tasks that
are completed within a normal workday is
essential. Markon is designed where each
individual has a designated desk, but also has
access to a work café, dining space, breakout
lounge, whiteboard areas, and quiet zones.
Along with a palette of place, Markon offers
their employees a palette of postures. Each
team member has a height adjustable desk
that can be set to support both sitting and
standing work postures. This is increasingly
important as long-term sitting has now been
condemned (both scientifically and in our
popular culture) as “the new smoking” from
the standpoint of the cardiovascular and
musculoskeletal issues it causes. Several users
also switch out their ergonomic task chairs for
a Buoy, a yoga ball-like chair that keeps them
active and engaged.
Attracting and engaging talent was
essential to Tim. Salinas’s business community
is constantly competing with companies in
the Bay Area for talent, and it was vital to Tim
that the new space had a cool factor about it.
Markon’s new space also needed to support
the unique work styles of each different
generation represented in their workforce.
Finally, tastes had to be reconciled; Markon
has many staff members whose ideal version
of a workspace doesn’t include grey, highwalled panels. This was not necessarily a
generational divide—the emerging fact is that
very few individuals in any generation have
found those environments truly appealing.
According to a survey by Steelcase, “The
top three factors determining job satisfaction
are salary (identified by 55% of respondents),
the quality of the work environment (37%),
and flexibility to work outside the office or at
home (33%).”
You will notice the materials chosen
throughout the space are progressive, but still
pay homage to the beautiful architecture and
finishes of the building. Jana Caron, of Jana
Caron Designs, and Ken Young Construction
both played critical roles in bringing this
vision to life.
Through the design and implementation
process, Markon was able to witness how
space matters more today than ever before.
It was the discussion and review of the five
workplace issues that set this project up
for success. Whether you are at a leading
technology company in Silicon Valley or an
agriculture company in Salinas Valley, it is
time you ask yourself, “Is your workplace
ready for the future?”
For more information about Peninsula
Business Interiors, contact Meryl Rasmussen,
831.717.7704, [email protected]
13
EMPLOYMENT
Workers’ Compensation Solutions
That Make a Difference to Your Bottom Line
By Matt Bigham, Western Growers Insurance Services
I
’ve been in the insurance business for
many years, and have never seen so
much news about this industry. Health
insurance is getting all the press these days
mostly because Obamacare is a hot political topic, not to mention that the Affordable
Care Act is fundamentally changing the way
medical insurance is offered. Health insurance
is important, but employers also need to be
mindful of workers’ compensation insurance
where some other dramatic changes are also
taking place.
Why? It’s all because the insurance carriers’
perception of risk has changed. This changed
perception has resulted in a newly modified
calculation of experience modifiers, which
influences costs. Employers are facing increasing challenges to obtain options for coverage
by all carriers, especially employers in the
agriculture industry. If you are an agriculture
employer, take heed.
Agriculture is viewed as a high-risk industry, and the list of carriers who will still take
agricultural businesses as customers is shrinking. Therefore, your choices are becoming
more limited. Western Growers Insurance
Services (WGIS) has tackled this challenge
and found some solutions. We have found
that if agriculture businesses take certain measures in terms of loss control, claims management and, most importantly, staff education,
they will remain viable candidates for those
carriers who continue to offer workers’ compensation coverage.
One area to focus on is your loss ratio:
claim dollars versus your premium. This is a
figure you need to know. Carriers view this
as the threshold for a profitable account. A
75 percent loss ratio is that threshold. If your
claims-to-premium ratio is above 75 percent,
a carrier might shy away from aggressively
pricing proposed coverage for you. If a carrier
14
does give you a proposal, it may omit credits
or include debits, which bump up your cost.
The carrier might also decline to offer you coverage altogether.
We studied a sample of 15 of its customers
last year. We had worked with these 15 businesses for three or more years on better ways
to assess control loss, manage claims AND
educate workers. Two of these turned out to
be of key importance.
Accidents can happen in even
the most attentive environments, so they are more
problematic to control.
The first, loss control, focuses on preventing injuries in the work place. Accidents can
happen in even the most attentive environments, so they are more problematic to control. But focusing on things you can control,
like how you manage claims and how you
educate your staff and employees about
workers’ compensation, can help you get
adequate coverage and keep workers’ compensation costs down. Our findings show
that if you manage claims with the goal of
getting them closed, your experience modifier and loss ratio will decrease.
Also, when supervisory staff members are
educated about how workers’ compensation
works, positive improvements can be realized.
There are four key areas to examine:
1. Claim frequency (dividing payroll or the
amount of payroll accrued by the time
a claim occurs)
2. The average annual incurred cost
of claims
3. The average cost of claims
4. The average annual loss ratio
We found that a key component is when
companies train supervisors to identify ways
to prevent injuries in the workplace. As part
of our study, we found significant improvements in each of the key categories above for
the companies studied after they received
training.
We know employers must successfully
manage multiple concerns of their business
operations. Obtaining competitive workers’
compensation coverage is just one of those
concerns, but the consequences of mismanagement can be expensive. What we hope
to offer is insight and information into how
better management can positively affect your
bottom line. We have found that the better
prevention of workplace accidents, aggressive management of claims and a program
that educates your staff about the nuts and
bolts of workers’ compensation can put
employers in a winning position.
Looked at
Before Training
After Training
Difference
Claim frequency divided by payroll
$758,034.96
$1,280,062.30
Improved 41%
Average annual incurred cost of claims
$129,086.89
$68,370.16
Improved 47%
Average cost per claim
$12,703.53
$8,654.86
Improved 32%
Average annual loss ratio
86%
31%
Improved 55%
15
YOUNG FARMER PROFILE
Alex Romans
By Jessica Harris
A
s the Ranch and Production
Manager for Mission Ranches, Alex
Romans, 35, works for one of the
many businesses that his family is a part of.
Being part of a family business can be hard,
but as Alex says “Every day is something
different. It’s entertaining. My dad (John
Romans) makes me laugh and makes me
work harder. If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t do
it. I love the relationship I have with my family. Sometimes it’s a love-hate, but I love every
part of it.”
Growing up in Greenfield, Alex and his
brother Neil started out working with their
dad at a very young age. “I think I was officially on the Mission Ranches payroll when I
was 12, but I definitely started moving sprinkler pipe when I was younger than that. It
was how we learned, from the ground up.”
Alex moved sprinkler pipe until he went
away to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, “Then
I graduated to driving tractor. I think I’ve
“I think I’ve done just
about every job on the
ranch, but it has allowed
me to really appreciate
what my employees do
for me every day.”
done just about every job on the ranch, but it
has allowed me to really appreciate what my
employees do for me every day.”
Alex currently manages 1200 acres of
ground in San Lucas, CA, 800 of which is
contiguous organic acreage – making it one of
the county’s largest organic ranches. “I actually prefer to farm organic because it’s more
restrictive, so you have to be strategic about
16
Alex at an event in King City (Photo courtesy of
Celeste Settrini).
how you farm it. It’s more of a challenge. I
watched my dad and Stan (Pura) start small
and build their organic farming operations.
My dad taught me how to farm organically,
and how important the soil is, emphasizing
irrigation techniques and planting schedules.
He was one of the first people to farm organic
successfully on a large scale, and him trusting
me with this much ground makes me want to
do it well and make him proud.”
Now Alex is in charge of working with processors and shippers on planting schedules,
crop rotation, irrigation and manages more
than 50 workers on the ranch and in their
shop. The ranch produces spinach, spring
mix, celery, carrots, peppers, herbs and frisee
during the Salinas season.
“I get to go to work every day and do something I love. I get to grow healthy food that
feeds people. I’m lucky I get to do that, it’s
not something everyone has the privilege
of doing.”
And, he gets to do it alongside his family.
Alex’s mom, Annette, also supports his
involvement in their family’s business. “My
mom has always been there and been supportive of me – from school to farming to
team roping. She helps keep all of us in line
and keep us on the right path. She deserves a
lot of credit, raising two boys and my dad.”
While Alex gets to work with his dad every
day, his family extends beyond those related
by blood. “I’ve always considered all the partners of Mission Ranches, especially Stan and
Mike (Hitchcock), family. Stan took me skiing
when I was younger and now I get to work
with him every day. He reviews my work
and helps me, mentors me to become a better
farmer, and I don’t want to disappoint him, or
my dad.”
Another thing that his family has instilled
in him is a solid work ethic. “Working on the
ranches with my dad when I was younger
made me accountable. It helped me understand that I need be at work, every day, on
time, because someone is always watching
and you never know who that is.”
Now, working on the ranch provides not
only Alex with his livelihood, but also his
employees. “Being in a position as a manager,
you need your employees to assist you in
accomplishing your goals. You also need to be
supportive of their needs – when they need
mentoring or help – you should be there and
be receptive because we are all responsible for
everyone’s well-being.”
Alex enjoys working with his team on the
ranch “They keep me going every day. I like
to understand their lifestyle, and if needed,
help them out. It’s important that they are
able to live a good life and that they enjoy
coming to work each day.”
Alex has worked with the team at Mission
Ranches to invest in land and homes in San
Lucas to provide housing for ranch workers.
A team at Mission Ranches, including Alex
and his father John, has also worked closely
with the Central Coast Regional Water Quality
Board, the City of San Lucas and the County
of Monterey to construct, and fund, a new
well to provide safe drinking water to the City
of San Lucas.
“Once we knew there was a problem with
the water, we knew we had to fix it. Our team
really had to get educated on the issues of San
Lucas’ water quality and understand the solutions to help improve the quality of life for the
residents. We wanted to make sure the City of
San Lucas had clean water to drink.”
Prior to the well installation, Mission
Ranches also provided bottled drinking water
to residents. “This is where our employees live
and work. We want them to be able to enjoy
their lives.”
Alex strives to make the community he lives
in a better place through his membership in
the King City Young Farmers and as President
of the Salinas Valley Fair Heritage Foundation.
The King City Young Famers, an organization that his dad and many of Alex’s other
mentors help start in the early 1970’s, provides funding to organizations in Southern
Monterey County. The organization’s positive
impact on community can be seen in many
ways, especially through their monetary donations and support of other non-profit organizations. “We have so many non-profits in
Southern Monterey County. Everything from
dance theatre to agricultural education and
many of those organizations ask for money.
It’s an amazing feeling to be able to give them
what they need to succeed. It’s my favorite
part of the meetings – giving away the money
we earned. It’s also a great way to spend time
with my friends and improve our community
at the same time.”
As President of the Salinas Valley Fair
Heritage Foundation, Alex oversees the capital
fundraising organization for the Fairgrounds
in King City. “I came on board right after we
finished the campaign for the new barns and
helped with the fundraising for the recently
completed entry office and livestock
bathrooms.”
Under Alex’s leadership, the Heritage
Foundation is currently working on the new
campaign to update and revitalize the Orradre
Building. “This new campaign is such an
important initiative for our community. There
are few events in South County that are not
held in the Orradre Building. I am thankful
that we have such a supportive community
that has allowed us to complete so many projects and keep our fairgrounds at the center of
“I want to teach my son
everything my grandfather and father have
taught me, from raising
cattle, to raising crops
and how to fish.”
the community.”
Aside from running his ranch in San Lucas
and his other activities, Alex also runs a commercial cow calf operation in Greenfield. The
cattle started out as part of his passion for
team roping. While in college, Alex won the
WORLD SERIES OF ROPING, and several
other large team roping events.
He then decided he wanted a herd of his
own, so he started raising Corriente cattle
for roping steers. The operation grew, and he
started leasing out his cattle to others. Over
time, the beef market prices started increasing
and Alex started incorporating Angus bulls
into his herd, converting his rodeo stock into
a commercial beef herd that he partners with
his dad and brother on.
Alex can be seen roping at an occasional
branding now, but his real passion is fishing.
Growing up in Southern Monterey County,
he occasionally went lake fishing. About five
years ago, he went on his first fishing trip off
the shores of San Diego. “It’s addictive. I was
hooked. It’s an unbelievable experience being
on the water, catching the fish, the camaraderie
that you feel with the other people on the boat.
It’s a different way to feed your family from
what I do on a daily basis.”
For the past three years, Alex has combined
his passion for fishing and his love for Baja
California, Cabo San Lucas to be exact, and
participated in the Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot
fishing tournament. He and his team, which
included his dad and uncle, Nick Azcona, won
in November of 2014.
“Cabo is one of my favorite places and I
enjoy the time I get to spend there, especially
with family and friends. Having the tuna tournament there is a huge bonus and was something that I could do with my dad and uncle.
If it had been anywhere else, we probably
wouldn’t have gone.”
“I had taken time to learn about sport fishing, tuna mostly, and I wanted to be able to
share that knowledge with my friends and
family. When we put our team together we
were just doing it for fun. In our first year we
placed third, our second year did not place,
and won our third year.
“I had a feeling when we left San Jose that
we were going to win, but winning – I cant
even describe how it felt to win!”
In September 2014, Alex married his long
time girlfriend, Jaquei, at a beachside ceremony
in Mexico. “Marriage has allowed me to grow
in a way that I didn’t know was possible and
I’m really just starting to understand this version of myself.”
And in January 2015, Alex is embarking
on his biggest adventure yet – parenthood.
“Raising a child is a lot like farming. You have
to spend a lot of time to get it right. I want my
son to farm here. I want to teach my son everything my grandfather and father have taught
me, from raising cattle, to raising crops and
how to fish. I’m excited to share this with him
and have him be the 4th generation of Romans
farming in the Salinas Valley.”
17
IRRIGATION
Using Precision Irrigation Management
to Reduce Water Consumption and
Environmental Impact
By Brian Milne, Hortau
Photos Courtesy of Brian Milne
P
recision irrigation has been a hot
topic on the Central Coast, following
three straight years of drought
in California.
Newscasters, educators and politicians alike
have all shown a renewed interest in precision
agriculture as they learn about its benefits in
the face of today’s water and environmental
issues.
But for those of us entrenched in the
agriculture industry, precision irrigation
isn’t a new topic of conversation, it’s a part
of our everyday lives as we continue to try
to produce more food with less strain on the
environment.
…Precision irrigation isn’t
a new topic of conversation,
it’s a part of our everyday
lives as we continue to
try to produce more food
with less strain on the
environment.
Over the past two decades, it’s worth
noting Central Coast growers have used
precision irrigation practices to cut back
groundwater extraction from the Salinas River
Groundwater Basin from 563,438 acre feet in
1996, to 495,968 acre feet in 2012 (according
to the Monterey County Farm Bureau).
Changing irrigation methods has been a key
factor in that water savings, MCFB notes, with
drip irrigation expanding from 26,080 acres in
1993 to 113,617 acres by 2013.
But even with those improvements, our
18
Keston Giudici, Hortau’s irrigation management
specialist for the Central Coast region, checks
one of Hortau’s systems in strawberries.
growers are the first to admit there’s more
work to be done in terms of protecting water
resources. And if the drought and water
scarcity issues continue, it’s clear those same
growers will have to continue farming with
that renewed precision to feed our growing
population.
Precision Irrigation Management Systems
So how can growers produce more with less
environmental impact in the face of drought,
regulations and California’s complicated web
of water issues? It comes back to precision
irrigation management, and doing everything
we can to provide the optimal amount of
water and nutrients to produce a healthy
crop. Whether you’re using drip irrigation,
sprinklers, or other methods, today’s
technology has made it possible to know just
how much water a plant needs to remain
healthy without overwatering or leaching
fertilizers and other inputs.
It takes using the right instruments to
determine not only how much water is in
the soil profile, but also how much water is
available to the plant depending on varying
soil types. Soil moisture monitoring systems
help do just that, helping growers gain a
better view into their soil by using soil tension
to help outline a blueprint for their irrigation
management program.
During a recent Irrigation Efficiency
Seminar in Salinas, Jean Caron, a professor
of soil physics at Laval University and soil
physics scientific advisor for Hortau, noted
soil tension was a critical measurement
for a growing plant.
“Soil tension measures the amount of
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Jeannette K. Witten
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19
energy that a plant has to exert to pull the
water from the soil,” he said. “It allows you
to initiate irrigation based on plant needs,
and it’s a great tool for detecting leaching
– or when the tension reaches zero (or full
saturation) at lower depths.”
Improving On-Farm Technology
Growers have been measuring soil moisture
with handheld tensiometers for decades. One
company in particular, Hortau, has helped
modernize the tensiometer by manufacturing
soil tension sensors that connect to wireless
“smart” stations at key locations in the field
and upload soil tension data to the cloud
in real-time.
Today, irrigation management stations
can be strategically positioned on the farm
with the help of GPS technology and satellite
mapping, giving growers instant soil moisture
readings at their fingertips via smart phones
and tablets, and alerts them to anticipate
upcoming water stresses.
“Technology today has made irrigation a
lot easier to manage,” said Jeremy Otto, head
of Hortau’s West Coast operations. “Before,
it was difficult to know whether you were
overwatering or underwatering, and exactly
how much water was in the soil profile. There
weren’t any tools that could manage this for
you in real-time using an exact measurement
like soil tension.”
Using soil tension and simplified software,
growers are able to monitor stress (from
drought, overwatering or a number of other
factors) in real time, keeping the soil tension
within the prescribed range to keep the crop
healthy and productive.
“By understanding the rate at which the soil
profile is being filled by an irrigation event,”
said Keston Giudici, Hortau’s Central Coast
irrigation management specialist, “growers
can better judge duration and frequency to
avoid leaching valuable inputs past the active
root zone.”
The Stresses of Overwatering
Crops can also stress when overwatered,
due to lack of oxygen or when an overly
wet environment leads to root rot or other
conditions that can leave plants susceptible to
disease or insects.
20
Without a precision irrigation management
tool that reports crop stress in real time, it’s
tough for even a veteran grower to identify
precisely how much water is needed –
considering irrigation needs are determined
by evapotranspiration, weather, soil type and
countless other factors.
Using a soil tension-based system, growers
can determine when there’s a drop in tension
deeper in the soil profile, which alerts them
there’s enough water for the plant and
encourages them to stop irrigating.
As the drought drags on,
and our growers are forced
to do even more with less,
precision irrigation practices such as soil moisture
monitoring are becoming
more and more important
to all of us.
Hortau’s irrigation management system in celery.
Continuing to irrigate, once the tension
reaches zero, would otherwise push water
and nutrients out of the root zone, otherwise
known as leaching.
“Nitrogen is essential for crop production,
and synthetic fertilizers play a key role in
agricultural production,” notes a 2014 report
by the Community Alliance with Family
Farmers, entitled Investing in On-Farm Water
Stewardship for California’s Future.
“However, over-fertilization and overirrigating crops will lead to nitrogen leaching
into groundwater or run off into surface
waters,” the report adds. “To address nitrate
contamination, UC Davis recommends
improving the timing of nitrogen fertilizer
application, animal manures, and irrigation
events. By improving irrigation efficiency
and timing, growers will reduce the amount
of water with nitrogen that percolates into
the groundwater, as water in excess of plant
needs will move beyond the root zone, taking
nitrogen with it. Effective irrigation and
nutrient management require individualized
on-farm solutions.”
Cutting Down Costs and
Environmental Impact
Along with the environmental impacts of
overwatering, it’s in the grower’s best interest
to use a precision irrigation management
system to determine the optimal amount of
inputs to help cut down on expenses (water,
pumping and fertilizer costs) and ensure a
healthy crop.
“Improving irrigation management can
potentially save water and fertilizer,” Caron
said, “and optimize yield and quality.”
As Caron pointed out in his recent seminar,
overwatering can also lead to:
• Growth and yield losses
• Lowered revenues
• Over-irrigation zone
• Water and energy over-usage
• Poor aeration
• Root diseases – pesticides
As the drought drags on, and our growers
are forced to do even more with less, precision
irrigation practices such as soil moisture
monitoring are becoming more and more
important to all of us.
“It’s important to growers because when
you monitor your irrigation using a tool like
this, it helps you use just the right amount
of water, and fertilizer settles into the root
zone,” Otto concluded. “It’s better for the
crop, which remains healthier and more
productive. It reduces the cost of inputs,
which historically continue to rise. It also
helps ensure a more sustainable water supply
for future generations.”
To learn more about smart precision
irrigation management systems, visit hortau.
com or call (805) 545-5994.
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liability companies, and corporations
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planning for the transition of ownership
to family members, current employees,
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sale, exchange, option and leasing of
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properties, both real property and
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21
BRANDING
Cosumer Produce Brands
and Their Effectiveness in Retail
By Lara Grossman, Robinson Fresh
P
roduce branding has evolved greatly
in the past few decades. The Salinas
Valley’s first brands were used
solely as a way to identify a packer’s carton
as it went to market. Over time, growers and
shippers began to place their names onto
packaged items to represent their brands to
consumers. Today branding is much more
relevant and can provide a way for produce
companies to connect with consumers.
Brands are elusive and intangible. In
produce it’s been argued again and again that
consumers simply don’t care about brands. At
Robinson Fresh, independent research shows
that about 50% of consumers believe that
brands are important when making a produce
purchasing decision. That number is probably
not surprising to most readers. We’re familiar
with the lackluster credit given to those
hard working brands of ours, and it can be
deflating to realize that ultimately, a branded
produce purchase may not be attributable to
anything other than lack of store selection.
In the Salinas Valley, the familiar brand
names on produce packages are recognized
and trusted by those of us in this agricultural
region. There’s a long-standing tradition
of bloodline brands, which capture the
family lineage that is truly a hallmark of our
region. These names are embodied by the
people who “walk the talk” of their growing
and shipping operations. In the world of
consumer branding, this is about as authentic
as it can get. Wisely, many produce brands are
focusing their marketing energies on social
media channels, an ideal showcase for making
the qualities and personalities of their brands
come alive.
But our focus must inevitably shift to
where the rubber meets the road-where the
sale itself occurs. The purchase decision is,
of course, a moment borrowed from the
22
Produce brands can play a pivotal role towards generating seasonal excitement and, in turn, increasing sales.
consumer; somehow, in the mental clamor
of a consumer’s thousand daily decisions,
a brand can earn lasting significance. These
moments are more likely to be found in
certain situations.
1) Retailers with under developed private
label business. Private label is stronger
than ever, and many retailers are shifting
into a dedicated store branding strategy that
includes expanded product offerings in the
store label. Retailers who astutely manage
their private label brands may not see the
need to support nationally branded programs.
However, as retailers continue to aggressively
build their own store brands, there may
be a shift in the role that consumer brands
play. Supermarket chains, wholesalers and
cooperatives that do not employ private label
strategies provide fertile ground for brands to
grow their unique value propositions. These
customers may be more eager for recognized
consumer brands in an attempt to build
credibility with their shoppers.
2) Shifting and exploratory formats.
Retailers that were once unique no longer
have assurance that their formula can be
sustained forever. Formats and channels
are being completely re-examined and
rebuilt. For example, the vending machine
channel seems to be getting more traction in
produce, and convenience store formats are
a relatively untapped market. Consumers’
lack of familiarity with these venues may be
overcome via familiar brands and the promise
of quality that they imply. Home delivery is
intriguing, and compelling in its indisputable
convenience. These are the new format
frontiers in produce, and we are obligated
to consider all of these as vehicles to help
maximize exposure of our brands.
3) Seasonal and cause marketing promotions.
Produce brands play a crucial role in
engaging both retailers and consumers and
generating seasonal excitement. When the
relationship between a retailer and supplier
is strong, brands can excel during in-store
promotions. For example, Tropicana® Fresh
and a southwestern U.S. retailer increased
branded citrus sales more than 55% with a
display contest that provided a prize incentive
to the chain’s produce managers. In a fastpaced retail environment where retail produce
leadership does not have the time or resources
to nurture their product assortment, brands
must take the initiative and prove why they
matter. Cause marketing, another opportunity
to provide relevance to consumers and
retailers, seems to be everywhere. A brand’s
ability to create large-scale goodwill, given a
meaningful marketing premise, can be quite
powerful and resonate deeply within the
consumer’s mind. In an age where stores are
looking to further their own unique identity,
brands have an outsider’s ability to execute
promotions with an intent and focus that may
not occur systemically within a store’s chain.
Today branding is much
more relevant and can
provide a way for produce
companies to connect
with consumers.
4) Innovation. While some retailers have
product development teams, the true
innovative spirit will likely remain within the
domains of the brand marketing teams. These
groups often have the bandwidth to develop
infrastructure to develop new products,
focus on particular targeted segments, and
measure against return on investment (ROI)
goals. In the interest of self-preservation and
promotion, brands are best positioned for
creating innovative new ideas and processes.
5) Category development. Produce suppliers
and their brands are optimally positioned
to provide category knowledge to their
customers. Technology platforms allow
brands to analyze their customers’ optimal
assortments, promotions, and pricing
structures. Using a variety of regional
demographic and pricing data, for instance,
national brands can create an actionable
merchandising and promotion plan that
ultimately increases sales.
Produce brands face many constraints.
Unpredictable supply, modest marketing
budgets, and a distracted consumer base
are common obstacles that we, as produce
industry experts, routinely face. The challenge
for us all is to create and sustain brands that
are authentic and relevant to consumers’ lives.
By focusing our brands’ activities in a specific
and impactful way, we can create meaningful
brand experiences for our customers and
consumers.
You manage your business.
We’ll manage your water.
www.culliganqwe.com
831.755.0500
23
L AW
The Dawn of a New Era
Groundwater Regulation in California
By Jason S. Retterer, L+G, LLP
I
n January 2014, Governor Brown
declared a state of drought emergency
in response to record low water levels of
rivers and reservoirs throughout California.
For example, according to the Monterey
County Water Resources Agency’s quarterly
report on Salinas Valley water conditions
of the first quarter of Water Year 2013-2014,
water storage in Nacimiento Reservoir as of
December 31, 2013 was 87,117 acre feet less
than in December 2012, while storage in the
San Antonio Reservoir was 165,233 acre feet
less. In April 2014, after several more months
of below average rainfall, Governor Brown
issued a proclamation of continued state of
emergency. Due to the lack of surface water
and reservoir storage, farmers, water agencies, and other water users have increasingly
relied on groundwater, which has created
further strain on groundwater basins that are
In September 2014,
the California legislature
passed and Governor Brown
signed the Sustainable
Groundwater Management
Act (SGMA), which will
govern the future use and
management of groundwater
in California.
currently in an over drafted condition. A basin
is in overdraft when the amount of groundwater pumped from the basin exceeds the
amount of water recharging the basin over a
period of time. When overdraft continues for
a number of years, significant impacts may
occur, including land subsidence, water quality degradation, dry wells, seawater intrusion
and increased extractions costs.
24
Salinas Valley lettuce field.
In September 2014, the California legislature passed and Governor Brown signed
the Sustainable Groundwater Management
Act (SGMA), which will govern the future
use and management of groundwater in
California. The new law, which the California
Farm Bureau Federation and other agricultural organizations urged Governor Brown to
veto, consists of three bills. First, SB 1168 mandates, among other things, the establishment
of local groundwater sustainability agencies,
who are tasked with creating groundwater
management plans. Second, AB 1739 establishes when the state government can intervene if the local agencies don’t comply with
their obligations and deadlines relating to the
creation of groundwater management plans.
Finally, SB 1319 seeks to address the concerns
of farmers and delays the state’s ability to
intervene in certain regions where surface
water has been affected by groundwater
pumping. According to the stated legislative intent in the three bills, the bills were
passed for a number of reasons, including
but not limited to, California’s high reliance
on groundwater to meet its water needs and
incidents of failed wells, deteriorated water
quality, environmental damage, and irreversible land subsidence when groundwater is
not properly managed.
Governor Brown has hailed the SGMA as
providing a strong local component, presumably recognizing every groundwater basin is
different, and that solutions must be tailored
to the basin and its users. As Governor Brown
explained in his signing statement, “[a] central feature of these bills is the recognition
that groundwater management in California
is best accomplished locally. Local agencies
will now have the power to assess the conditions of their local groundwater basins and
take the necessary steps to bring those basins
in a state of chronic long-term overdraft
into balance.” What remains to be seen is
whether these new local agencies will work
collaboratively with local stakeholder groups
and become effective vehicles for responsible
groundwater management as opposed to
another costly, ineffective, and largely political
bureaucracy based on the broad powers that
the SGMA delegates to these local agencies.
These agencies are empowered to allocate
groundwater supplies between users within
their boundaries and regulate, limit or suspend groundwater extractions. The agencies
may adopt rules, regulations, ordinances and
resolutions related to groundwater management, monitoring and the construction and
operation of new and existing wells. These
agencies may impose fees to fund the cost of a
sustainability program, including permit fees,
groundwater extraction fees and fees imposed
as ad valorem property taxes.
The Monterey County agriculture community recently convened to discuss the history
of water regulation in Monterey County, the
meaning of groundwater management and
water rights. As is typical after any discussion
of California Water Law, including the complexities of the SGMA, attendees at this meeting may have left with more questions than
answers, and more anxiety than assurances
regarding a long term sustainable groundwater supply. However, this initial mobilization
and meeting of agricultural leaders, who
have a history of collaborative success in the
Salinas Valley on similar governance issues,
is a critical and important first step in opening a dialogue on the meaning of “sustainable
groundwater management” of the Salinas
River groundwater basin and understanding
the requirements of the SGMA.
Not long ago, a similar group of agricultural leaders frequently met to assist in the
formation and approval of such projects as
the Castroville Seawater Intrusion Project, the
Salinas Valley Reclamation Project and the
Salinas Valley Water Project. Those projects
were ultimately approved, and are paid for, by
the rate-payers of Monterey County. Many in
Historically, when the
agricultural leaders of
Monterey County have
mobilized, the group has
been successful in shaping
important policies and
projects that affect
agricultural interests.
the same group were instrumental as strong
advocates for agriculture during Monterey
County’s General Plan Update process to
ensure that land use policies would not inappropriately limit or constrain “routine and
ongoing agricultural activities” and to ensure
the adoption of the Agricultural and Winery
Corridor Plan.
Historically, when the agricultural leaders of Monterey County have mobilized, the
group has been successful in shaping important policies and projects that affect agricul-
tural interests. It will be important for agriculture leaders, not just in Monterey County,
but in other predominantly agricultural areas
of California, to dedicate time – monthly,
perhaps even weekly – to thoughtfully craft
a strategy regarding the new requirements of
the SGMA, including the initial step of creating a local groundwater sustainability agency,
to ensure that agricultural interests are well
represented and protected throughout the
SGMA implementation process.
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25
TECHNOLOGY
The Internet of Things
and Agriculture
By Luis Alvarez, Alvarez Technology Group
F
or the last several years, the month
of January has seen me make my
annual pilgrimage to the Consumer
Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This is an international gathering of more
than 170,000 technophiles who are all seeking
the answer to the same question: What is the
Next Big Thing in technology?
Over the past few years, the CES has
taken on a role of setting the tech agenda,
largely because the consumer technology
market has encroached significantly into
the business world, a phenomenon called
“the consumerization of IT.” Many experts –
myself included – point to the introduction
of the original Apple iPhone in June 2007 as
the first example of technology designed for
the consumer market making inroads into
the workplace. I remember several business
owners and executives contacting us that year
and demanding that we make their iPhones,
which were designed for home users, play
nice with their office systems, especially
email. That trend has only continued to
accelerate over the last seven years, making a
visit to the CES a must-do for anyone in the
tech world.
Every CES is unique, to be sure, but
there are basically two kinds of shows:
revolutionary and evolutionary. This year’s
show was seen as the evolutionary kind, with
nothing really new coming out but a great
deal of significant progress being made on
technologies that made their appearance in
prior years. If there was a theme across the
entire week-long event, however, it would
have to be that the “Internet of Things” has
arrived.
The Internet of Things (IoT) describes a
concept where more and more devices are
interconnected wirelessly using the Internet
in such a way as to facilitate communications
26
between them to improve our lives. Most of
us already own several electronic devices
that connect to the Internet all the time. From
our smartphones and tablets, to our homes
with streaming capability built into our HD
television screens and gaming systems that
The IoT is at the foundation
of the explosion in ag-
related investment by
venture capitalists.
let our kids (or us?) play multiplayer games
online. To be honest, until recently the IoT
concept wasn’t something that the business
world had to deal with, but if this past CES is
any indication, the Internet is going to invade
the very fabric of our lives, and that includes
agribusiness.
As broadband Internet access has grown
across the country, it has enabled all kinds of
businesses to leverage cloud-based services
to lower costs and improve productivity, a
subject I’ve talked about in depth in the past.
The IoT will only speed up those efficiencies
and productivity gains as the devices we
use in our day-to-day operations start
communicating with each other directly and
supplying data in real-time. The IoT is at the
foundation of the explosion in ag-related
investment by venture capitalists. The market
intelligence company, Cleantech Group
(www.cleantech.com), reported that in just the
third quarter of 2014, over $269 million was
invested in agriculture and food technology, a
48 percent increase over the same period the
year before.
Investments are focused in several
key areas including improved yields
and production, pest control and water
conservation efforts. Field maintenance and
asset management is another area where tech
startups think they can help agribusiness.
While the CES featured the Connected
Home, a new vision of a house where all the
appliances and electronic equipment talked to
each other to make the owners lives easier, I
instead thought of the Connected Farm. Here,
every device and piece of equipment in the
field was linked via the Internet to each other
as well as a cloud-based management system
and data repository to make farming much
more efficient and cost-effective. Even today,
farmers are increasingly using mobile apps
to manage and control many of the functions
that in the past would’ve required a person to
turn a valve or take a measure manually.
The future of food production and delivery
is getting more exciting and interesting
because of the IoT. In the Salinas Valley,
the Steinbeck Innovation Cluster (www.
steinbeckinnovation.org) has developed
partnerships with many national academic
institutions and companies in the Silicon
Valley, with the goal of attracting investment
and innovation. It is also involved with the
Thrive Accelerator, a technology incubator
that provides investment and mentorships
to selected companies who want to develop
agriculture-focused technologies in the
Salinas Valley. It is a partnership that includes
the SVG Partners (www.svgpartners.com)
and Forbes (www.forbes.com) as well as
numerous prominent members of the Salinas
community.
This same group is also planning on
hosting a major conference locally, bringing
the “Forbes Reinventing America: The
AgTech Summit” to Salinas in July 2015. This
is expected to attract several hundred of the
smartest minds in Silicon Valley and global
agriculture to tackle some of the world’s most
critical challenges, from biotech and precision
farming to big data’s role in feeding the
planet.
And they are not alone in recognizing
the future potential of the combination of
agriculture and technology. The Chairman
of Google, Eric Schmidt, started a new
initiative called Farm 2050 (www.farm2050.
com) that plans to create partnerships and
drive investments focused on improving
agriculture. They are mindful of the fact that
by 2050, the population of the world will
have grown to 10 billion people and food
production will need to grow by at least 70%
to keep up. There are also a number of smaller
ag-tech initiatives sprouting up all over
the place, each with the same goal in mind:
discovering the Next Big Thing.
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27
NORTH
Barking up the Right Tree
Interview with David Van Lennep,
Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau President
By Jess Brown
ties in Santa Cruz, San Mateo and Santa Clara
Counties. I oversee employees in our office,
purchase of logs for the sawmill, prepare
Timber Harvest Plans, administer harvest
operations and act as the liaison to agencies
and neighbors. As a small office, we also
manage nearly 8000 acres in the area, and
all of the day-to-day needs as required from
fires to fences.
Where did you grow up?
I was born in San Gabriel CA, which is near
Pasadena, and lived there until about five
years old. My family then moved to San
Diego where we lived for eight years, then to
the high desert of Los Angeles County until
graduating High School.
How far back do you have to go in your
family to find someone who was a farmer?
Probably three generations, at least. My relatives still own a farm in rural Pennsylvania,
but do not farm it for themselves.
As a child did you have any thought about
agriculture or forestry as a career?
Not really. Growing up in Southern California
does not expose you to much agriculture.
As a family we did lots of camping and
hiking, and scouting provided lots of similar
opportunities.
When did you realize that forestry
was a career you wanted to pursue?
By my junior year of high school I had decided to pursue a career in forestry. This came
about from years of camping with my family,
and involvement in scouting, where I cultivated an appreciation and love for the outdoors.
I realized fairly early that a career behind a
desk was not going to suit me well.
Where did you attend college and
did you major in forestry?
I attended Humboldt State University,
and have a BS in Forestry.
What are the three misconceptions
about timber harvesting?
28
David Van Lennep, Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau President
I wish that there were only three, but here
are some of important ones:
• Timber harvesting is not sustainable.
• Timber harvesting is not regulated.
• Practices have not changed in the last
50-100 years.
How regulated is the timber industry?
Very regulated. A licensed Forester must
prepare a document equivalent to an
Environmental Impact Report, have it
reviewed by numerous State and Federal
agencies, and then approved before cutting a
single tree. Cal-Fire approves the final document and enforces the nearly 1000 rules that
apply to timber harvesting in California.
Each harvest also needs a waiver from the
Regional Water Quality Control Board
prior to operations.
What is your job title and what are your
responsibilities?
I am the Southern Area Operations Manager
for Redwood Empire, responsible for activi-
Is there a close relationship with other
timber professionals even though you
may be competitors?
Yes there is a close working relationship. The
timber industry is a very small and fairly close
knit group locally, and we are accustomed to
working together on common issues. This is
especially true when we need to collectively
address regulations, legislation or local movements that would affect everyone.
Do timber professionals go camping
on vacation?
I have in the past, but it is not the usual thing.
I generally get plenty of time outside, being
attacked by bugs under a host of weather conditions. Don’t misunderstand, my job is great,
but vacation is vacation.
How does interacting with people growing
strawberries and lettuce help with your
commodity?
It has provided a broader perspective on
different ways to view and address issues.
Over my years on the Farm Bureau Board,
I have learned a great deal about the issues
involved with producing other commodities.
Seeing how those growers adjust to changes
is illuminating.
Why did you become involved in the
Farm Bureau?
I was approached by another forester who
has been very involved with our Farm Bureau
over the years. He made a great pitch for
Farm Bureau as an organization, and the
importance of having timber represented on
the Board.
What would you like to accomplish during
your two years as president of the Santa
Cruz County Farm Bureau?
This organization is well run and very
involved in issues affecting agriculture. My
goals are to continue the successful Farm
Bureau involvement in education, public
outreach, and policy formation both local and
statewide.
Do you enjoy the political involvement
of Farm Bureau?
Enjoy is probably not the right word. Politics
are rarely nice or fun for average people,
because by the time you are involved something is wrong. I do greatly appreciate the
access that Farm Bureau has to legislators and
policy makers. It is essential to get your ideas
across and show a strong political base.
The Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau recently received Organization of the Year at the
Chamber of Commerce 125th Anniversary
Gala. How did you feel accepting that award?
It was such a privilege to accept the award
with Cynthia Mathiesen, our past President.
I was humbled by the proud farming history
and achievements that were chronicled during the ceremony, even though it was just a
small snippet of the remarkable accomplishments of agriculture in Santa Cruz County.
Your Farm Bureau appears to be viewed locally as a moderate-to-conservative organization,
but among many other county Farm Bureaus,
it’s considered a liberal organization.
Why is that?
Within the generally liberal perspective of the
County, the Farm Bureau is generally more
conservative than much of the population.
However, in relation to the farming community statewide and nationwide, Santa Cruz
County Farm Bureau takes a more liberal
view on many issues.
1970 Dodge, slated to be the next project.
Though I am partial to Chrysler products
from the 60’s and 70’s, I can appreciate many
different brands and visions that people
undertake in the hobby.
David’s 1966 Plymouth Barracuda engine at a car show.
Do you take your 66’ Plymouth Barracuda
to car shows?
I have shown the car many times over the
years, though not regularly. It is nice enough
to show, but not really a “show car”, because
I drive and enjoy it.
What other cars do you own and if money
wasn’t an object what vintage car would
you like to own?
I have a 70’ Dart Swinger 340, which is my
only other hobby car. If I had to pick just one
car, which is difficult to do, I think it would
be a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB. Something about
the lines and sounds of mid 60’s Italian cars is
very appealing.
David inspecting a timber harvest.
What other organizations do you belong to?
I belong to a statewide professional organization for Registered Foresters, The Alumni
Association for Humboldt State, and the
Soquel Firesafe Council.
How do you participate in programs that
educate the public about local agriculture
and specifically, the timber industry?
I have been active n a number of programs
over the years. Most programs, such as Focus
Agriculture, look to open up the daily workings of forest management, which most know
very little about. I have given presentations to
school classes and service organizations. My
presentations focus on providing some insight
on how the industry works, the people and
equipment involved and how regulations play
a part in our work.
I see you have an interest in vintage cars.
How did you develop that interest?
I was raised in a hobby car family, and began
helping my father early on with his automotive passions for both American and British
cars. My first car was our family’s 1966
Barracuda, which I still own. I also have a
You settled in South County although most
of the timberlands is north of Santa Cruz.
Why did you decide to live in Watsonville?
When we were looking at homes, Watsonville
was more affordable than other markets. We
do manage some large tracts in South County,
so it works out very well sometimes to work
at that end of the county.
What does David Van Lennep do in
his free time?
Most recently, a very busy toddler has taken
up my non-working time. She always has lots
to show me when I get home, and weekends
we try to get out for one activity or another.
Once and a while, I can sneak away for a car
show or a drive.
In three years the Santa Cruz County
Farm Bureau will be celebrating its 100th
Anniversary. This is quite the accomplishment, what is in store for the next 100?
The answer to that would be worth a lot. So
much has changed in local farming over the
last 100 years, from the crops to the methods,
it would be very hard to predict. What is likely is that Farm Bureau will be around to assist
and advocate for farmers and farmland.
29
HISTORY
California Redwoods
By Burton Anderson in cooperation with the Monterey County Historical Society
T
he Coastal Redwood, Sequoia sempervirens, and the Sequoia gigantea
in the Southern Sierras, grow only in
California. The State of California designated
the Redwood as the State Tree in 1937. In 1847
a German botanist, Endlicher, named the
redwoods Sequoia after the Cherokee Chief
Sequoiyah, who created an alphabet for his
tribe. Sempervirens is Latin for “evergreen”.
There is a related specie, native to China,
Metasequoia glybitosboides, the common
name is “Dawn Redwood”. It was brought
to The United States in 1948 by Dr. Ralph
Chaney, of UC Berkeley, who carried seed and
specimens to the UC Botanical Gardens. It
is now commercially available in the United
States at upscale nurseries.
The Redwoods inhabit a narrow band in
the fog belt, from the southwestern Oregon
border, at the Chetco River, to Salmon Creek,
21 miles south of Lucia in Monterey County.
The Central Coast Redwoods extend from
Santa Cruz County south to approximately
the town of Aromas. There is a gap in
Redwood occurrence across the mouth of the
Salinas Valley. Redwoods reappear in the San
Jose Creek watershed south of Carmel, near
Monastery Beach. From there they grow on
the Coast ridges and canyons, in the sea coast
fog belt, to Salmon Creek, two miles north of
the Monterey-San Luis Obispo County line.
The two species, in their native range, have
different leaf shapes. The Coast Redwood
has needle-like leaves and the gigantea has
scale-like leaves. The Coast Redwood is taller.
A tree in Humboldt County in 2003 measured
379.1 feet. Semperviren trees can live for
about 2500 years. The gigantea is the oldest;
the estimated age of the largest trees are 3,000
or more years, and have a buttress diameter
of 19 to 25 feet. Scientists have found evidence
that Redwoods grew in North America in the
Cretaceous and Tertiary periods before the
30
Coastal Redwood cross section.
last glacial period that ended 10,000 to
12,000 years ago.
The discovery of Redwoods by Father
Juan Crespi near Pinto Lake (Santa Cruz
County) was the first by the early explorers.
Father Crespi was a member of Gaspar de
Portola’s land expedition to Alta California.
He recorded in his diary, on October 10, 1769,
The estimated age of the
largest trees are 3,000
or more years, and have
a buttress diameter of
19 to 25 feet.
observing extremely tall trees with reddish
bark of an unknown name. There is no
record of commercial logging between 1771
and 1831, but the first site of Mission Santa
Cruz in 1791 was constructed of poles and
slabs of hand-split redwood. The nearby vast
Redwood forest provided plentiful timber for
buildings, in conjunction with adobe bricks.
The first logging on the Central Coast other
than by the Padres occurred in 1832 near
Corralitos. Thomas Larkin and Jose Amesti
constructed a “whip-saw” operation to
produce lumber. (Whip-sawing required two
men, one in a pit and the other on platform
above him pulling a large saw up and down).
Beginning in 1835, Thomas Larkin built his
home in Monterey with lumber he hauled
by wagon from the Santa Cruz Mountains.
(Whip- saw marks can still be seen in his
State owned Redwood-adobe structure). The
first mechanical sawing occurred in 1841 by
a water-powered mill constructed on Zayane
Creek. One of the owners of the mill was Isaac
Graham. He was the target of Captain Jose
Castro’s raid on Graham’s Natividad saloon
in 1840, Known as the “Graham Affair”. With
the discovery of gold in 1849 the price of
Redwood lumber skyrocketed to $200 a board
foot. Woodside, the nearest Redwood groves
to San Francisco, had seven water-powered
mills by 1865. Gradually steam power
replaced water power since the mechanical
parts could be moved to a new location, not
necessarily on a creek. The fresh cut logs
were skidded downhill by oxen, on a bed of
greased cross logs to the mill site. The lumber
was hauled down by wagon to the Port of
Redwood City and loaded on schooners
for San Francisco. Santa Cruz County had
seven operating mills by 1865. The lumber
was shipped on schooners from landings at
Davenport, Ano Nuevo, and Pigeon Point.
Redwood lumber was also hauled by wagon
to Salinas and Monterey. Boulder Creek, in
the Santa Cruz Mountains, became the center
of logging in the area. Aptos, Ben Lomond,
Soquel, and Felton were all lumber towns for
over half a century.
In the early 1860’s immigrant farmers
began leasing or buying ranches in the Salinas
Valley. The closest source of lumber was the
Santa Cruz Mountains and all the houses
and barns were constructed with Redwood
lumber. When Salinas City was built, the
houses were made of first growth Redwood.
My grandfather, with the help of his brother,
built his ranch house and barn on Hunter
Lane with Santa Cruz lumber. Not only that,
he fenced his property line along the county
road with hand split Redwood pickets; a
distance of 1/4 mile. Today the cost for the
same fence would be prohibitive. It was
common practice on early day ranches to have
picket fences constructed of Redwood, and
even today some remnant picket fences can be
seen thoughout the Salinas Valley. It was also
common that the ranch barns were built of old
growth Redwood as observed by the beams
in surviving barns. Redwood was used as
the preferred lumber for a multitude of uses;
among them were fence posts, shakes, pickets,
railroad ties, grape stakes, water tanks, mine
timber, bridge timber, homes and barns.
Redwood as fuel for the first lime kiln
was readily available in 1853 from the Santa
Cruz Mountains. The early producers of
lime were bought out by The Cowell Lime &
Fortunately, Redwoods
sprout new growth from
stumps, and today the
secondary growth is
almost back to pristine
forest.
Cement Company in 1888. The need for fuel
cut nearly every standing tree near the Cowell
Kiln. (Fortunately, Redwoods sprout new
growth from stumps, and today the secondary
growth is almost back to pristine forest). The
limestone based cement was phased out by
Portland cement and the Cowell plant closed
circa 1920.
Adolph Spreckels built his sugar beet
factory and established the town of Spreckels
in 1896. He extended the Pajaro Valley
Consolidated Railroad to the new site the
same year. The line was built on Redwood
ties from the Santa Cruz Mountains, to haul
sugar beets to the new factory in the Salinas
Valley. The railroad ceased operations in 1927
because of the competition from trucks. It was
abandoned and sold to the Southern Pacific
Railroad in 1930. The railroad ran across the
top of my family’s Hunter Lane ranch and
the Southern Pacific sold the Right of Way to
the adjoining landowners. The Redwood ties
we acquired in the sale, were used as fence
posts on our Natividad cattle ranch; some still
standing after 85 years.
The period between 1880 and 1890 saw
most of the first growth Redwoods logged
indiscriminately, especially in the Santa
Cruz Mountains. Somehow, the Great Basin
Redwoods were spared, and on May 9,
1900, 3800 acres were designated as a State
Park. (later expanded to 10,000 acres). After
the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, the
cutting of Redwoods accelerated in the frantic
effort to rebuild the city houses. Much of the
reconstruction was built with Santa Cruz
County lumber.
In the Redwood belt south of Carmel
lumbering also occurred at Bixby Creek and
Mill Creek. Many cabins, barns, bridges,
railroad ties, and mine timbers came from
those two mills in the late 20th century.
Logging the area ceased in the 1920’s but
re-growth has largely hidden the devastation
that occurred. The mining town of Manchester
in the Los Burros Mining District was built
of Santa Lucia Redwood. It survived until it
Coastal Redwood new tree sprouts from stump.
31
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burnt down in 1909 from an overheated wood
stove. The original Coast Road bridges and
fences were built with Santa Lucia Mountain
lumber.
In the early 1930’s Douglas Fir became the
preferred wood for new homes and business
construction. Redwood was more expensive
and the old growth trees were being harvested
at a non-sustainable rate. The demand for
Redwood did not diminish, but was used to
a lesser extent for decks, fences, and
ornamental uses.
Recently, in the newspapers, there have
been articles speculating that Redwoods are
in danger of extinction. This is highly unlikely
since sempervirens and gigantea have
survived from 2500 to 4000 years respectively.
They have survived climate change, drought,
fire, insects, and disease. Rainfall in the
historic Redwood range is thirty to sixty
inches of rain per year. Redwoods also receive
substantial water from the summer Coastal
Fog, up to ¼ inch per day. To anyone who has
ever stood under a Redwood tree in heavy fog
it feels like it is raining. Fire is not a big factor
unless the two-inch fiber bark is damaged
to the point flames can reach the wood.
Redwoods are remarkably resistant to fungus
diseases. Likewise they are not bothered by
insects, especially termites. There is no known
disease that threatens the trees. Redwoods’
ability to sprout from logged stumps assures
perpetuity of the forest unless disturbed
by man.
The sempervirens Redwood is now
available in several variants that enable it
to grow outside its native range. The trees’
natural variability has led to a selection of
distinct varieties that will thrive in dryer
climates. There are six distinct Coastal
Redwood variants that can be purchased at
nurseries for landscaping and gardens.
Logging has resumed on the Central Coast
by permit from the California Department of
Forestry. The rules are strict and provide for
sustainability of the forest. Logging operations
are inspected for compliance to all permit
regulations. In the long run Redwoods
are here for the foreseeable future.
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33
NUTRITION
Carbohydrates
Separating Fact From Fiction
By Stephanie Bouquet, SB Nutrition Consulting
C
hances are a discussion about the
optimal diet has made it into your
conversation circles. Currently, one
of the hottest debated topics is whether carbohydrates should be a part of it. Nutrition
advice touting carbohydrates as good, bad or
downright ugly can be found in a plethora
of books, articles or on the World Wide Web.
This can be confusing to the most educated
nutrition professional let alone the average
consumer. It’s important to clarify some truths
and dispel myths surrounding carbohydrates:
Choosing better quality
complex carbohydrates
in your diet are necessary
to promote sustained
energy.
FICTION: Carbohydrates are unnecessary
and should be cut out of the diet.
FACT: Carbohydrates are one of the three
main macronutrients (protein and fat are
the others) found in foods that the body
uses for energy. Carbohydrates are the only
energy source that our brain uses (known as
glucose) and are the body’s primary fuel for
working muscles (glycogen). Food sources
of carbohydrates are classified as either
34
Fruits and vegetables are a great source of healthy carbohydrates.
simple or complex in nature. These names
refer to the nutrient’s chemical structure,
but can easily be thought of as the energy
provided to the body quickly (simple) or
in a slower, more steady state (complex).
Foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole
grains give the body the steady flow of “gas”
needed to mentally and physically perform
efficiently. Foods that naturally contain
simple carbohydrates (like honey, molasses,
fruit juice) as well as processed products
(like cakes, candies, cookies, refined grains)
provide a quick burst of energy, but then
subsequently drop the blood sugar too low
often leading to fatigue, lethargy and desire
for additional carbohydrates. Choosing better
quality complex carbohydrates in your diet
are necessary to promote sustained energy.
Without carbohydrates in the diet, the body
will begin to breakdown muscle tissue for
energy.
FICTION: Carbohydrates are fattening and
lead to unwanted weight gain.
FACT: Consuming a diet in excess of what
the body needs will lead to weight gain.
If the body takes in more calories from
carbohydrates, protein or fat sources than
is needed, it will be sent to storage for later
use. If “later” never arrives, body fat (and
the number on the scale) will increase. What
is deceiving to dieters is that carbohydrates
Complex Carbohydrates
Simple Carbohydrates
Broccoli
Brown Rice
Brussels Sprouts
Cauliflower
Corn Tortillas
Oatmeal
Quinoa
Sweet Potatoes
Whole Fruits
Whole Grain Bread
Cakes
Cookies
Fruit Juices
Honey
Molasses
Pastas
Pastries
Pretzels
Saltine Crackers
Sweetened Beverages
hold onto water in the body (every gram of
carbohydrate holds three ounces of water
in a muscle cell) so the extra fluid will
show an increase on the scale. If decreasing
carbohydrate content in the diet, weight
(actually fluid) will show a favorable drop.
When a small amount of carbohydrates
are put back in the diet, the scale will
move upward again frustrating even the
most seasoned dieter. It’s best to keep
carbohydrate intake consistent to avoid
these fluid fluctuations. Keep in mind that
our body does not need the same amount of
carbohydrates every day and is dependent
on factors such as activity level and body
composition. Generally speaking, 45-50% of
our diet should come from carbohydrates
(with most of that derived from vegetable
sources), 15-20% protein and the remaining
coming from healthy fats (like avocados,
nuts and oils). It is advantageous to consume
a larger intake of carbohydrates earlier in
the day when the body is more active and
gradually decrease the quantity as the day
progresses and energy requirements lessen.
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FICTION: Carbohydrate consumption leads
to disease development.
FACT: There is no scientific evidence to
substantiate that a particular food is the
direct cause of disease development. What
is known is that consuming a diet high in
refined, processed carbohydrates can lead
to unwanted weight gain and obesity. This
change in body composition in turn effects
how the body operates metabolically. As
the body adapts to environmental changes,
production and output of needed hormones
and other active metabolic constituents are
altered leading to disease development.
Therefore, an indirect relationship is
established with excessive carbohydrate
consumption and disease development.
Remember, there are no bad foods but rather
only bad habits that can develop with foods.
Instead of eliminating carbohydrates from
the diet, choose them wisely. Eating whole,
unprocessed carbohydrates will provide the
needed energy and nutrition the body needs.
Look at the big picture when it comes to
weight loss. Consume a diet rich in nutrient
dense carbohydrates, watch portion sizes of
all foods and move your body!
In a sea of uncertainty
You need proven guidance
Find it at Hastie Financial Group
1260 South Main Street, Suite 102 Salinas, CA 93901
[email protected] 831.422.4910 www.hastiefinancialgroup.com
The Advisors of Hastie Financial Group are Registered Representatives with securities and advisory services
offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC.
35
VINE
A Growing Passion
for Green and Red
By Laura Ness
T
here are few more admirable things
in life than a man who puts his
passion first and foremost and will
compromise nothing in its pursuit. For Josh
Ruiz, Salinas born and raised, that passion is
farming. He wears it proudly on his sleeve,
and when he tells you how he fell in love with
this most noble occupation, he puts his hand
over his heart. “It’s in here. If you don’t have
the love of farming in here, you’re not going
to succeed,” he says. “It’s not about the fancy
truck, the laptop or the cellphone. You’re not
going to get rich in this business, but if you
love what you do, it is richly its own reward.
Farming is my passion, and I wouldn’t trade
it for anything.”
Ruiz, aged 34, doesn’t come from a family
involved in farming. Far from it. Although
he grew up surrounded by the fields and
ag business, he had no understanding of
its inner workings. His Mom is a computer
programmer, and his father passed away
quite young due to complications from
diabetes.
When Josh was in high school, he decided
to raise an animal to see what that experience
was like. That Mini Lop rabbit, named “Tuff,”
taught him a lot, and it ultimately led Ruiz to
wonder what life on a farm might entail. So
one day, he dropped into a farm on highway
68 and approached a man in a pickup truck,
saying, “I don’t want anything from you. I
just want to ride around in the truck with you
and see what you do.” He pauses to reflect
on how odd that request must have sounded
coming from a teenager. Yet, Charlie Michaels
took that kid under his wing and soon Ruiz’s
idea of being a lawyer went out the window.
Says Ruiz, “Suddenly I was in a lettuce
field, surrounded by good, honest,
community-minded people. I couldn’t leave.
36
Josh with his lineup of wines (Photo courtesy of AK Crump).
I loved watching the grower interactions.
Everyone should spend time in the fields, to
see how it all happens.”
That two-week experience opened his eyes
and heart to the incomparable satisfaction of
putting seeds in the ground and months later,
reaping the harvest. Not only food for yourself
and your family, but also food for thousands
– millions – of people around the country and
around the world. “Feeding the world,” says
Ruiz. “It doesn’t get better than that.”
He decided to pursue a degree in
Agribusiness at Cal Poly, literally absorbing
every aspect of the experience and enjoying
every minute of it. During the summers, he
interned at The Farm, and he also worked
for Greg Lazarini, who grows for Church
Brothers.
Right out of college, he took a job with T
& A, where he worked for nine years, doing
everything from working in the fields and
overseeing production to becoming General
Manager of Harvest. “It is a great family. I
loved the experience working there,” says
Ruiz.
In early 2013, after almost a decade in the
business, Ruiz decided to take a break from
produce to focus on another growing project
he’d undertaken: a winery. He took some time
off to tend to the new project before resuming
his produce career, this time at Church
Brothers, where he’s been since January of
2014. One of the larger brands in the Valley,
Church puts out nearly 400 million boxes of
produce yearly. Again, Ruiz is proud to be
part of the Salinas Garden of Eden, saying,
“We quite literally feed the world.”
The vineyard and winery story tells a lot
about this young man’s integrity and drive.
His wife’s family owns 45 planted acres of
vineyard property in Lodi, where they grow
grapes sought after by many prominent
Twisted Roots Old Vine Zinfandel.
wineries, including Helen Turley and the San
Francisco Chronicle’s 2015 Winemaker of the
Year, Tegan Passalacqua. Three generations
have farmed this land, which was first
planted in 1918, originally to Zinfandel. It has
since been replanted with Cabernet and Petite
Sirah, but a lot of those old Zin vines remain.
Ruiz decided to pursue a little winemaking
as a “stress reliever” from his day job, saying,
“I like wine and learning. Let’s give it a shot!
The family already had the most important
asset in place, good grapes.”
Then his wife’s uncle, the chief grape
Josh checking on a celelry field.
farmer, Ross Schmiedt, developed Lou
Gehrig’s disease and suddenly it was “go
time.” Ross had made some wine in the past,
which was pretty good, and his dream was to
have his own brand.
Says Ruiz, “I saw this as an opportunity to
do something for the family. I went to Ross
and said I wanted to take his brand and build
it into something.”
So he took the brand, Twisted Roots, and
made it a commercial reality, producing 45
cases in 2009, all Petite Sirah, the year they
incorporated. He sold it all out of the back of
his car. “Victor at Star Market was my first
customer,” Ruiz recalls with a smile. Really,
where would this Valley’s wine dreamers be
without Victor?
He has a story about Petite, saying that
a well-known local winemaker who was
teaching him about the wine business,
inquired about his favorite wine to drink.
When Ruiz answered, “Petite Sirah,”
the winemaker replied, “You really are a
peasant winemaker!” Ruiz chuckles, saying
the big bold wine suits the kind of food he
particularly loves: big hearty stews, steak and
BBQ. He has no problem being associated
with a peasant, noting that when he goes
winetasting in Europe, he’s not drawn to the
chateaus, but to the peasant style wineries.
“The peasant guys get it right!” he says with
a smile.
Today, in addition to being a partner in
the Twisted Roots winery, Ruiz is also a
partner in a very successful custom crush
operation in Lodi where he was originally
a customer. With 75 clients, the business is
completely maxed out and is searching for
space to expand. The problem, observes Ruiz,
is that downtown Lodi is landlocked. But his
partners are creative.
The winery itself is up to 1,000 cases as of
2014, and operates a tasting room in Carmel
Valley Village, right next to Café Rustica.
Uncle Ross, who passed away in March of
2014, would be proud of the reception the
flagship Petite Sirah and the lovely Cabernet
he insisted on planting, are receiving. After
he passed away, Ross’s wife Susan took care
of the vineyard, but for 2015, it will be in
the very capable hands of well-respected
Lodi grower, Markus Bokisch, who owns a
neighboring vineyard. So highly regarded
is this land, that Tegan Passalacqua himself
bought a vineyard next door. Ruiz is itching
to care take the vineyard at some point, but is
content to have such star power in charge for
the time being.
Although the produce business is his day
job and primary focus six days a week, Ruiz
has developed a stronger and deeper passion
for the winery business he helped found and
is now jointly operating with his wife, Julie.
“Evenings and weekends are my ‘wine time,’”
says Ruiz.
He notes that at first Julie wasn’t so keen
on the whole wine concept, but it’s growing
on her. Working so close to home, just two
blocks away, in such a fun-based business,
does have its appeal. Says Ruiz, “The best part
of the tasting room is the interaction with all
the people you meet. Everyone always wants
to escape something! Wine is the catalyst for a
good time. With such a heavy tourist base in
Carmel Valley Village, it turns out everyone
has a story!”
So busy are the couple, between produce
and wine and their love of travel, that they
sold their home two years ago in favor of
living in a condo where they have no garden,
no lawn, no worries. “We travel a lot,” says
Ruiz. “We’d like to go around the world. I’m
a big believer in travel. It helps you really
appreciate what we have here in America.” He
particularly enjoyed visiting Taiwan, where
the beauty and service culture of the former
delighted him, while the abject poverty of
the general populace outside the cities was a
depressing revelation.
Japan really appeals to his innate sense
of order, structure and cleanliness. Asked if
he could maintain a Zen garden, he admits
he’s not that patient. But this prompts the
recollection of a story of a grower he met in
Taipei, who had an entire deck filled with
beautiful bonsai trees, some of them older
than a century. In the middle was one tree,
completely dead. He asked the man what the
story was. The man replied that years ago
he had left on a trip, leaving his employees
in charge of his precious collection of trees.
When he returned, the tree had died. The
lesson? Manage your own assets.
This is the kind of man you want growing
your food, and your wine. Luckily, you can
have both.
Twisted Roots
Twisted Roots is open Friday
through Sunday from noon to 5
p.m. and holiday Mondays as well.
They offer a different kind of wine
club for the local clientele, called
The Locals Club. Every release,
Ruiz throws a big party for
members, and if you’re a military
vet, The Military Club, named for
Ruiz’s father-in-law, Mike Hodge,
is for you.
37
RETIREMENT
Life Planning through
Holistic Wealth Management
By Bill Hastie, Hastie Financial Group
F
or more than 40 years, financial
planning has provided individuals and families a clear pathway to
achieving their goals. In the simplest terms,
the financial planning process examines current and projected assets relative to, in most
cases, a desired level of retirement income.
For the most part, it’s math. Computer programs have been developed over the years
to help the financial professionals accurately
project income and asset levels well into
the future. The client is told how much to
save, how to invest and perhaps how to best
employ strategies to get desired results. So if
you save this much and earn that much, you
get the income you want. But isn’t something
missing?
Traditional financial
planning will tell you
what income you’re going
to have in retirement,
while adding a holistic
perspective will address
how you will pursue
your passion.
What’s been missing from traditional
financial planning is the human element –
passion and purpose for starters. Many of
the online financial calculators are the best
examples. You input income and assets, and
38
how much you want and when you want
it, and presto! The program tells you if you
make it or not. Does the online program
address what makes the client tick, their
passion and their purpose for doing what
they do? Not even close. Now enter the
concept of “holistic” financial planning,
planning that is much more focused on the
client’s heart as it is on their wallet. Here’s a
real life example to help illustrate this point.
I was helping a very successful medical
professional plan his retirement who was just
a few years away. He was pleased to know
that he could retire with the monthly income
he wanted and when he wanted it, but he
didn’t seem too excited by it all. We had a
conversation about what he loves and what
he would most want to do with the rest of
his life. Surprisingly, he stated that what he
wanted more than anything else was to work
in a bookstore in his retirement. Reading was
his passion. We agreed that upon retirement,
we would begin looking for a bookstore to
purchase. Over the next three years until he
retired, he was a man on a mission to achieve
his passion. His retirement planning now
had purpose. It changed everything as he
became completely engaged in the planning
process, and now was truly happy.
One of the newest areas in the financial
planning field is behavioral finance, a
marriage of finance and psychology.
Behavioral finance looks beyond the facts
and figures of traditional financial planning
and seeks to understand not only how
one feels about their money, but also to
understand why they feel that way. How
people feel about money can vary widely
based on many things – education, past
experiences, preconceived notions, etc. We
are hardwired to feel and believe many of
the same things about money and investing.
Here’s a test. When the stock market goes
down, what is the first thing most people
want to do? Sell. While getting out of the
market feels good at the time, the reality
is that selling when the market is low
is probably the worst thing you can do.
Yielding to an emotion can feel better yet
may cause a very poor financial outcome.
Planning for passion
Taking a holistic perspective with your
financial planning goes beyond the facts and
figures and asks one critical question – what
are you most passionate about? Traditional
financial planning will tell you what income
you’re going to have in retirement, while
adding a holistic perspective will address
how you will pursue your passion. Many
financial planning engagements begin
with describing the perfect retirement.
Approached this way, numbers never come
up in the conversation. Travel that had been
put off for years, retracing family roots,
golfing on every continent, philanthropy
to causes that matter most are all examples
of people recognizing that pursuing their
passion becomes a welcomed labor of love.
Planning with purpose
Getting people to “buy into” the financial
planning process is often quite challenging,
not only because the process seems lengthy
and detailed, but because the outcome may
be to make additional sacrifices today for
a probable outcome in the future. To many
people the inconvenience of process is not
worth the perceived result. When you add
the pursuit of one’s passion as the result of
financial planning, the process always seems
much more worth the effort. The “buy in”
is often so much greater because the result
is achieving one’s passion. Truly holistic
When you add the
pursuit of one’s passion
as the result of financial
planning, the process
always seems much
more worth the efforts
produces a personally rewarding result. It’s
been said to start at the heart and then go to
the balance sheet; that’s to say, start by identifying what you most want out of the rest
of your life, then crunch the numbers. The
goal becomes more than reaching a certain
income or asset level, it becomes achieving
that which is of most value.
Working with a financial professional who
takes a holistic perspective in their financial
planning process is vital. Without the human
element one might as well use an online
financial calculator that provides a “numbers
in, numbers out” result. No emotion and
no passion, and most likely the least chance
of success. Planning with the purpose of
achieving one’s passion is a roadmap toward
success.
financial plans deliver the most personal
and emotional benefits, far beyond facts
and figures.
Traditional financial planning will always
be a vital part of comprehensive wealth management, but adding a holistic perspective
39
CATTLE RANCHING
Ranch Life
A Legacy of Pride
By Celeste Settrini, CS Connections
“You don’t ranch for the glory, you ranch
because of a deep-rooted passion. You
don’t ranch for the money, you do it for
the satisfaction. You don’t ranch as a job,
you ranch as a life.”–Jennifer Gardner,
Iowa cattle rancher
A
s you begin to enjoy the maiden
voyage of this cattle ranching section in Coastal Grower magazine,
my family will have recently celebrated our
100-year birthday! As an immigrant from
Canton, Ticino Switzerland, my great grandfather, Serafino Settrini, came to America in the
late 1800’s. In 1915, he settled on our ranch,
which is nestled in the foothills of the Gabilan
Mountains of the Salinas Valley. In the early
years dairy farms were commonplace and
like many Swiss immigrants, grandpa bought
a few cows and started a dairy. After a bit of
time, Grandpa’s three sons, Gus, Walter and
Henry, had a different vision for the ranch
and created Settrini Brothers. They put the
SIS brand on the hide of their Hereford cattle.
Salinas Dressed Beef – wholesalers, butchers
and jobbers – was the place where much of
the beef was sold locally for use within the
Salinas area and beyond. It has been said that
Settrini Brothers had some of the best beef
in the valley! Years of hard work and penny
pinching helped the brothers thrive through
the depression. Later, Gus Jr., entered into the
partnership. He had a keen sense for cattle
genetics and with that, cemented the successful legacy the family had begun.
The cattle industry is a very different
business today than it was for my grandpa
and his brothers’ generation, and even my
father’s generation. Change is inevitable in
40
Celeste on her family’s
home ranch in Salinas, CA
With planning, true heart
and a love for what you do,
it is possible to roll with
the changes and thrive.
any business. With planning, true heart and a
love for what you do, it is possible to roll with
the changes and thrive. My brother and I are a
living example of just that. Unfortunately for
some ranching families, without the benefit of
an estate plan, and/or an inheritance or land
gift, there are big hurdles to overcome. Many
of these hurdles can be too much to conquer
and therefore, quite a few young people
choose a different path.
With cattle prices at an all time high, there
are still challenging factors young folks, like
myself, will face as we forge ahead and try to
keep our family’s legacy alive. Increasing land
values, limitations on water (in my family’s
case) due to one of the longest droughts
California has ever seen, environmental
concerns, air quality issues, increased costs of
feed and supplements, as well as day-to-day
inputs, make it difficult for seasoned ranchers
to prosper, let alone the younger generation.
Ranching is hard, manual work. With
immigration issues still in the works, this
is another hurdle that many ranches face.
Constant, increased regulations at so many
levels (especially those based on marketing
and consumer emotions rather than hard-core
science) is another hurdle challenging this
generation, in which past generations did not
have to worry about.
In light of all the challenges facing today’s
cattle ranchers, I asked some fellow ranchers
why they continue to do what they do. I
was humbled by the array of responses from
young people who truly do enjoy the life
that they were destined for. One young lady
in particular said that ranching grips her
soul in a way that only other ranchers will
understand. It allows her to be close to nature
and appreciate the beauty of God’s creations.
Ranching also puts her in touch with her food
source, producing a product that she is proud
of for consumers. She loves being a part of
something that is so much more than the ranch
and the cattle. She is part of the bigger picture.
So why do I continue to ranch? My answer
is quite simple; because I love it and I can’t
imagine doing anything else. I hold tight to
the countless hours spent sitting in the pickup
with my dad, opening gates and listening as
he shared the challenges he faced throughout
the years, many times not realizing how big
those challenges really were. He taught me
how to face low cattle prices, drought, sick
calves, broken equipment and all the things
that went hand in hand with owning his own
land and livestock. Through all the hours in
the pickup, I learned about perseverance and
making it work in order to make a life. I also
learned that no matter how gray the future
may seem, there is always a shiny spot. The
rains will come, the markets will pick up, we
will work hard and we will be fine. I miss
those times spent with dad and am thankful
for them. Those hours of encouragement and
constant teaching turned into days, which
turned into years, and now my brother and
I are in the driver’s seat and we are doing
pretty darn well.
Anymore, ranching is not all about
working with the cows. Today it includes
sharing our information with consumers so
In a time when people are
curious about why we do
this or that, it is our
responsibility as ranchers
to share our journeys.
they can make meaningful choices regarding
the type of beef they want to buy and support.
Ranching is now a profession that is a part
of the bigger picture. Transparency from
ranch to table and everything in between is
important. This is another reason I love it;
I love talking with consumers and sharing
what I enjoy. That’s what makes me tick and
why I continue ranching. I enjoy not only
representing my ranch, but all of the ranchers
that might not feel as comfortable sharing the
story of the good, beneficial things we do for
our environment, for our businesses and for
our communities.
It is an encouragement that today’s young
producers are becoming increasingly more
educated about a wide range of things that
complement their chosen lifestyle. They are
being active in issues, understanding how
those issues will impact ranches and sharing
stories of “why we do what we do.” They are
putting a face on the cattle rancher, sharing
not only with each other, but on social media
platforms in order to connect with consumers.
In a time when people are curious about why
we do this or that, it is our responsibility as
ranchers to share our journeys.
My dad taught my brother and me about
a lot of things - cattle ranching being a small
part- but above and beyond that, how to be
responsible, good people. To be proud of
the product we were raising and to never
be afraid to share how we raised our beef
with our consumers. Without consumers we
would not be in business. I consider myself
to be very blessed by all that my dad instilled
in me. My love for our ranch is something
that is tangible. I look forward to many
days working beside my brother, facing the
inevitable opportunities and challenges that
will come, as we continue to build upon our
100-year legacy.
Fifth generation ranch resident,
Paige Settrini, helping feed the cattle
41
HOME SHOWCASE
Louie & Kathy Paolino
By Melody Young, My Designs | Photos by Patrick Tregenza
S P Rview.
ING 2015
The4amazing
2
| C O A S TA L G R O W E R
An impressive exterior.
SS
ophisticated and refined
Although the home presents a formal air,
are two adjectives that
the friendly welcome and family touches
immediately come to mind
give visitors a warm reception. Each room
when entering the home of
boasts treasures and pieces of art from the
Louie and Kathy Paolino.
couple’s travels. Collections are visible at
We were invited into their home on the
every turn. This only seems to enhance
east side of Santa Cruz on a hazy day in
the welcome and give each space it’s own
January. Although the view was not as
personality.
clear as it usually is this time of year, it was
Louie and Kathy Paolino moved to
amazingly breathtaking. Looking out over
Santa Cruz soon after they married in 1967.
the entire bay, on a clear day it is possible
She was from Chualar and he was from
to see all the way to South County. Louie
Hillsborough. They struck out on their own
tells the grandchildren to look for Grandma
in new territory. Now their two children
Garlinger’s ranch.
return home for visits with their spouses
The stately home is a modern rendition
of a second empire French home boasting
The home sits behind a
gated drive at the end of
a city cul-de-sac, but one
couldn’t feel farther from
the city once behind
the gates.
and a total of seven grandchildren.
This 5,500 square foot home has a unique
a customary mansard roof. Double entry
story of it’s own. It was built in 1979 and
doors in high gloss jet black flanked
has seen several unique transformations.
by topiaries set the tone of the waiting
For many years it was a student boarding
interiors.
43
A sparkling welcome.
house only then to become a rescue home for dogs and cats. At
some point it was even on a symphony home tour. The Paolinos
purchased the home in 2000 and spent a considerable amount of
time updating and renovating. The home boasts 6 bedrooms, 2
family rooms, formal living and dining spaces and a kitchen that
Kathy remodeled in 2012.
The Paolinos were able to refurbish
and restore most of the original surfaces
and design elements in the home when
they purchased it.
The entry hall is one of Kathy’s favorite spaces. As expected
with this style home, the space runs entirely down the center of the
main floor with a staircase leading to the second floor landing. An
exquisite crystal chandelier with a ceiling medallion that is original
to the home brightens its lofty ceiling. The hand-knotted rugs on the
Italian marble floor are from the couple’s travels. The smaller of the
two was brought from Istanbul.
The formal living room is the first room to the left of the entry.
The room has a decidedly Asian feel. Another gorgeous rug sits
atop oak floors. The window coverings in a flowing quiet colored
44
Sophisticated elegance.
45
Where
S P R I Nbegins.
G 2015 |
46the party
C O A S TA L G R O W E R
A grand place to dine.
Good friends and family, great food,
a warm atmosphere, and maybe
even a game of bocce ball. That’s
what the Paolinos’ life is all about.
47
silk enclose the space with a luxurious feel. The animal print on
the ebonized Ming dynasty chairs is a small taste of the family
room décor that is just out of view. It is full of the couple’s travel
souvenirs from Africa.
The formal dining room is situated at the end of the entry hall.
The dining table at over 15 feet long requires not one, but two
chandeliers. At night the subdued colors in the room allow the
colorful rug to take center stage. During the day however, the
remarkable view has that honor.
The Paolinos were able to refurbish and restore most of the
original surfaces and design elements in the home when they
purchased it. The oak floors, the walnut fireplace mantels and
cabinetry, marble, crystal, and brass are all an integral part of the
design and ambience of the residence.
When re-modeling and updating the kitchen in 2012, Kathy was
able to retain much of the original walnut cabinetry. She added an
island with an end cut walnut butcher block, updated appliances,
and solid surface countertops, to make the kitchen relevant for
today’s living all while blending with the style of the existing
home. The Paolinos love to entertain. That much is evident by their
expansive dining table and dual refrigerators. Working out of her
kitchen is now more convenient than ever.
There are several spaces in the house that are designed
specifically for the couple’s grandchildren. One such space is a
sunny upstairs bedroom. The little girls have their choice between
the “bear” bed and the “bunny” bed. Ahh, a tough decision. White
Battenberg lace curtains adorn the windows. Family treasures are
interspersed everywhere, including a vintage bear that was actually
one of Kathy’s mother’s dance cards.
Another of Kathy’s favorite spaces in the home is their master
bedroom retreat. Rich in color and texture, the room has it all. The
crimson and gold enhance the crystal chandeliers and a marble
fireplace. Marble inlaid nesting tables are flanked by two English
wingback chairs. A room that is simultaneously opulent and snug.
The home sits behind a gated drive at the end of a city cul-de-sac,
but one couldn’t feel farther from the city once behind the gates. It is
a hidden gem perched high above the bay. When entertaining in the
back yard, guests are treated to stunning views close and afar. Good
friends and family, great food, a warm atmosphere, and maybe even
a game of bocce ball. That’s what the Paolinos’ life is all about. That
and a little trip around the world every once in awhile. Life couldn’t
be better.
48
Every little girl’s dream.
fit1 5for royalty.
C O A S TA L G R O W E R | S PARroom
ING 20
9
4
TAX
Tax Breaks
are Back for 2014
By Chris Steinbruner, PMB Helen Donovan CPA
O
n December 16, 2014, Congress
finally passed the Tax Increase
Prevention Act of 2014. I say
“finally” because the Act extended many
provisions that tend to carry over year after
year, and which taxpayers throughout the
country count on when making financial
decisions all year long. Even though many
of these tax break “extenders” are expected
each year, it is by no means guaranteed
that Congress will actually act. Business
and financial planning is far more difficult
when the tax rules for the entire year are
determined in the last two weeks of the year.
Perhaps clairvoyants should replace CPAs as
trusted financial advisors.
At any rate, the Act retroactively extended
many of the federal income tax provisions,
affecting many taxpayers for 2014. Below are
a few of the key provisions:
Qualified Conservation Contribution
Deduction Qualified conservation
contributions are charitable donations
Even though many of these
tax break “extenders” are
expected each year, it is by
no means guaranteed that
Congress will actually act.
of interests in real property, including
remainder interests and easements
that restrict the use of the property. A
common example includes the donation of
development rights to a land trust. The Act
retroactively extends these liberalized rules
50
for contributions made in 2014.
100% Gain Exclusion for Qualified Small
Business Corporation (QSBC) Stock. The
Act retroactively restores the 100% gain
exclusion and the exception from alternative
minimum tax treatment for sales of QSBC
stock acquired in 2014. You must hold shares
for more than five years to be eligible for the
100% gain exclusion privilege. This could
be one reason to organize a new business as
a “C corporation,” since interests in an “S
corporation” or LLC are not QSBC stock.
Extended Cost Recovery Provisions
50% Bonus Depreciation. The Act extends
the 50% first-year bonus depreciation to
cover qualifying new (unused) assets that
are placed in service in 2014. Note that the
deadline is extended to December 31, 2015,
for certain assets that have longer production
periods. Under the extended deadline
provisions, only the portion of a qualifying
asset’s cost that is allocable to costs incurred
before 2015 is eligible for 50% bonus
depreciation. Note that Congress might
extend the first-year bonus depreciation
provision to 2015.
Section 179 Rules. For qualifying assets
placed in service in the tax year beginning in
2014, the Act restores the maximum Section
179 deduction to $500,000, which is the same
for tax years beginning in 2013. Without this
change, the maximum deduction would
have been only $25,000 for 2014. The Act also
restores the Section 179 deduction phase-out
threshold of $2 million. Without this change,
the phase-out threshold would have been
only $200,000 for 2014. Likewise, the $250,000
Section 179 deductions for qualifying real
property placed in service for tax years
beginning in 2013 was also retroactively
restored for tax years beginning in 2014.
15-year Depreciation for Leasehold
Improvements, Restaurant Property,
and Retail Space Improvements. The
Act restores the 15-year straight-line
depreciation privilege for qualified leasehold
improvements, qualified restaurant property,
and qualified retail space improvements for
property placed in service in 2014.
Extended Tax Credit
Provisions for Business
Research Credit. The Act retroactively
restores the research credit to cover
qualifying expenses paid or accrued before
2015. As discussed in a previous article, the
research credit can be very beneficial to an
agricultural enterprise.
Work Opportunity Credit Hiring
Deadline. The Act retroactively extends the
deadline for employing eligible individuals
for purposes of claiming the Work
Opportunity Tax Credit to cover qualifying
hires that begin work in 2014.
Differential Pay Credit for Small
Employers. The Act also restores the credit
for eligible small employers that provide
differential pay to employees while they
serve in the military to cover payments made
in 2014. The credit equals 20% of differential
pay up to $20,000 paid to each qualifying
employee.
Credits for Renewable Energy Production
Facilities The Act retroactively restores
the renewable energy production credit
for one year to cover facilities that begin
construction before 2015.
basis plus half the value in excess of basis
or (2) two times the basis. This enhanced
deduction provision has been available to C
corporations for some time. So, the new rule
extends the deduction to entities such as S
corporation and LLC’s.
Benefit for S Corporation Built-in
Gains. When a C corporation converts to S
corporation status; the corporate-level built-
The Act retroactively
extended many of the
federal income tax
provisions, affecting
many taxpayers for 2014.
in gains tax generally applies when built-in
gain assets are turned sold or collected,
within the recognition period. The tax is only
assessed on the excess of FMV over basis
that exists on the date of sale or collection.
The recognition period is normally the
10-year period that begins on the conversion
date. However, for S corporation tax years
beginning in 2012 and 2013, the recognition
period was five years. The Act retroactively
restores the five-year recognition period for
tax years beginning in 2014. In other words,
for gains recognized in 2014, the built-in
gains tax won’t apply if the fifth year of the
recognition period has passed before 2014.
Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings
Deduction. The Act restores, for one year, the
deduction for the cost of an “energy efficient
commercial building property” placed in
service during the tax year, for property
placed in service before 2015. The maximum
deduction for any building for any tax year is
the cost over and above $1.80 for each square
foot of the building, over the total amount of
the Section 179 deductions claimed for the
building for all earlier tax years.
“Better late than never” is the theme for
the 2014 tax filing season. The Tax Increase
Prevention Act of 2014 included many
provisions not covered by this article,
including a number of provisions affecting
individuals. Please be sure to discuss your
particular situation with your CPA.
Security. While You GROW.
Other Extended Business Provisions
Enhanced Deduction for Food Donations.
The Act retroactively restores the enhanced
charitable contribution deduction for non-C
corporation businesses that donate food.
This provision is intended for businesses that
have food inventories, such as restaurants.
Without this provision, deductions for
donated food are limited to the taxpayer’s
cost basis in the food or the value of the food,
whichever is lower. However, the enhanced
deduction equals the lesser of: (1) the cost
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51
GOLF
Harder Doesn’t Equal Farther
By Matt Pridey, Professional Golfer
E
very player wants to be able to hit
the ball farther. The only issue is that
more times than not they go about
it all wrong. Before you give up all hope and
adopt the “grip it and rip it” mentality, allow
me to share a few simple thoughts that just
might help you not only to hit it farther, but
make better contact and increase consistency
at the same time.
The Hazard of the Internet
The Internet has become the recreational
golfers’ worst enemy. Articles often preach
about a “quick fix” when the reality is there
isn’t much that is quick when it comes to
the process of shaping a golf swing. It takes
time, repetition, and more importantly,
understanding what you as an individual do
wrong and how to fix it. It’s important to keep
in mind that every “fix” you read about or see
on television, although potentially valuable, is
not tailored specifically to you. Golf is a game
that is performed based on the unique abilities
of the individual; take what you do well and
build on it! At times it’s easy to get lost in
the complexity of the golf swing and forget
simply to do just that, swing.
Creating Effortless Power:
Ease the Tension!
Set aside the idea that harder equals farther.
The reality is that if you try to swing “harder”
the only place you’re going to hit it farther is
in the wrong direction! The first important
concept to understand is that generating
speed and power in the golf swing results
from proper sequencing of your hips, arms,
and shoulders. Each piece needs the other
to create effortless power, and ultimately
improve contact and distance. Most people
try to swing harder by using their arms. This
is where the problems generally begin. If the
52
This is the impact position. The hands are slightly
ahead of the ball and the weight is off of the right heel.
arms start to do all the work, they leave the
rest of your body behind leading to a loss of
power and often times poor contact, again
contributing to lost distance. Next time you
watch golf on television or at a PGA Tour
event, pay close attention to the rhythm the
PGA Tour players have. You will have a
difficult time finding a player that looks like
he swings hard. Watch closely and you will
notice that the speed in the swing doesn’t
start from the top of the backswing; it is
created near the ball as the hips rotate and
drive the hands and arms through the shot.
Swinging harder from the top of the swing
creates tension primarily throughout the arms
and wrists. This is detrimental to creating and
more importantly, repeating good contact.
Tension leads to limited mobility and if the
body is not able to function normally it will
lead to poor timing and once again, poor
contact. Remember, swing easy to hit it
far. It’s true that increased club head speed
contributes to further drives, but if the speed
isn’t created in the right way, it’s done for
nothing.
Make Good Contact
You may begin to see a theme forming here:
good contact is crucial to gaining distance. A
common misconception in the golf swing is
that your swing speed directly relates to how
far you can or will hit the golf ball. While
this is true in the grand scheme of things,
the deciding factor is actually ball speed.
And how do you increase ball speed you
might ask? The answer remains simple, good
contact. A player that swings with no sense
of balance and rhythm will often times mishit
their tee shot. A study done by Golf Digest
found that with a driver, a ball mishit only
1 inch away from the center of the clubface
lost roughly 30 yards in distance! That’s a
substantial loss in distance for something that
sounds as simple as making good contact.
Take a moment to think about your time spent
on the driving range when you hit balls. What
happens when you make a practice swing?
It’s likely that you swing with great balance
and tempo and don’t even know it. Add a
A balanced finish with nearly all of the weight transferred to the left side.
ball into the equation and what happens?
The natural instinct is to react to the ball and
increase tension throughout the body, swing
out of balance and even out of tempo. Not
exactly a great recipe for good ball striking!
The next time you practice or play, make a
practice swing at a smooth pace with no golf
ball then repeat that same smooth swing as
you hit a golf ball. If this is done correctly you
will likely notice that your tempo, balance,
and contact improved leading to increased
distance!
Golf is a game that is performed based on the unique
abilities of the individual;
take what you do well and
build on it!
Create Consistent Impact
The greatest challenge amateurs face when
trying to find good impact consistently is that
they don’t know what it feels like in the first
place. Players generally battle the same issues
in the swing year after year because they
never focus on improving their impact position! Over the years, teaching has been geared
toward creating the perfect backswing before
you even learn how to hit the ball. The truth
is, consistent golf shots start with consistent
impact, not a great backswing! The pros are
the best in the world at creating consistent
impact position because they know what it
looks like and how to get there. Next time
you watch them swing, don’t pay so much
attention to the backswing, but instead watch
the position that the body and club are in
when the club returns to the ball (see photo of
impact position). This is the impact position,
and the key to creating consistent contact and
distance control. Here’s a drill that may help
you get there: Practice getting your club and
body into the impact position like you see
in the picture. From that point, finish your
swing. Repeat this process as you begin to feel
what it’s like to swing through the ball with
great impact. As you begin to hit shots, try to
re-create the feelings you worked on in the
drill and start striking it like the pros!
Enjoy a lovely spring
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GARDEN
Easy Backyard Citrus
By Steve McShane, McShane’s Nursery & Landscape Supply
I
t is with great excitement that this issue’s
segment will focus on growing citrus
along the Central Coast. Citrus fruit
presents a host of opportunities in the kitchen
and has unmatched flavor when eaten fresh.
With a few pointers, I am confident you will
be able to successfully select, install and grow
citrus in your yard.
One of the first steps is selecting the right
location and the right variety. Citrus do best in
full sun and free of as much frost as possible.
This means, south-facing exposure next to
a fence or structure is best. When choosing
a citrus tree, I always advise my clients to
pick a variety that is both unique and well
suited to your microclimate. A visit to an
independent nursery will help you. I would
strongly recommend dwarf varieties, as they
will keep you from having to get on a ladder
for harvest. Some of my favorite varieties are
as follows:
Orange: Washington Navel – Outstanding
flavor, production and well suited for the
coast.
Lemon: Eureka or Meyer – Eureka is more
frost tolerant, both have great flavor and yield.
Lime: Mexican Lime – Superb flavor, tons of
juice, can be frost sensitive.
The best time to plant is in the spring. Spring
will assure there is no frost, plus you will
have a great selection at your favorite nursery.
When planting, use a high quality planting
mix and a starter fertilizer. I am a big fan
of Gold Rush Planting Mix and E.B. Stone
Organic Starter Fertilizer. You will want to dig
a hole that is two to three times the size of the
56
infest, consider a Neem Oil for sucking insects
such as aphids and a Spinosad based product
for chewing insects. Tips for the backyard citrus growers
Watering: You will want to water once or
twice per week during the growing season. A
deep watering once every year is a good idea
as well. Citrus do not like wet roots. You will
need to be sure your soil drains.
Suckering: All quality citrus are grafted. As
such, sometimes you will observe what looks
like new trees emerging from the root zone.
You will want to clip these as soon as they
present themselves, as they will suck life from
your tree.
Citrus fruit presents a
host of opportunities in the
kitchen and has unmatched
flavor when eaten fresh.
container, and mix the existing soil 50/50 with
the Gold Rush Planting Mix. Apply a half cup
of the starter fertilizer as you are backfilling
the hole with the tree inside it. Use the excess
soil to build a ring around the tree that will
aid to keep water in place when you water
your new tree.
Care and maintenance of citrus is
much easier than you probably think. The
two greatist responsibilities you have are
regular watering and feeding. Monthly
feeding is what the experts say is best. My
recommended fertilizer is an E.B. Stone
Organic All Purpose Fertilizer. Should bugs
Frost: Here on Central Coast we often
experience frost. Should you hear of a freeze
warning, I recommend covering citrus with
frost fabric. You can also spray pine resin in
a product like Wilt Stop. These things will
give you several degrees of safety against
a dead tree.
You will find that citrus trees are widely
available at local independent nurseries and
easy to grow. The flavor and savings to your
weekly grocery bill will be more than enough
reason for you to make the investment. Here’s
to a successful spring!
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RECIPE
Cauliflower and Avocado Croquettes
with Honey Dijon and Avocado Aioli
By Chef Ken Skinner, Green Giant Fresh
INSTRUCTIONS
Croquettes: 1. Cut cauliflower into small florets. Drizzle 1/2 of the cauliflower florets with olive oil, season with salt and pepper on a sheet tray and
place in a preheated 375ºF oven for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally
to ensure even roasting. Cauliflower should be golden brown in color
when finished. Set roasted cauliflower aside to cool.
INGREDIENTS
Croquettes:
1 medium cauliflower 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, minced
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 russet potatoes 2 large avocados, diced
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons of olive oil
5 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs 1 box panko breadcrumbs
1 cup of all-purpose flour
Honey Dijon Aioli:
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
3 teaspoons honey
Salt and pepper to taste
Avocado Aioli:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 large avocado
Juice of 1 large lime
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon Tajin Salt and pepper to taste
58
2. Place the other 1/2 of the cauliflower florets in a food processor or
blender. Use the chop setting and pulse until cauliflower is at a fine
mince. In a medium pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add peeled and
quartered potatoes; cook until tender. Drain potatoes and mash with
a potato masher. Add the ground cauliflower, heavy cream, Monterey
Jack and mozzarella cheese, minced parsley and combine with the
potatoes. Fold in roasted cauliflower and place in a 9x11 baking dish.
After mixture is in the baking dish, sprinkle the diced avocado on top
and lightly press into cauliflower mixture. *Note: too much pressure
or folding of the avocado into cauliflower will cause the croquettes to
be green in color.
3. Set aside to let mixture chill for 15 minutes. Heat 5 cups of vegetable oil in a large pot to a temperature of 375ºF. With a small 1 oz.
ice cream scoop, scoop mixture into a small ball and coat croquette in
flour. After removing the croquette from the flour, coat the croquette
in the beaten eggs and then remove and coat in the panko breadcrumbs. Place croquettes in oil and fry until golden brown. You will
need to fry in batches of 4-5 croquettes per batch in order to keep oil
at 375ºF. Remove croquettes from the oil and place them on a paper
towel lined sheet tray to absorb access oil and sprinkle with salt. For Honey Dijon Aioli:
Combine mayonnaise, rice wine vinegar, and honey in a small bowl.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Let chill for 10 minutes in the refrigerator before serving.
For Avocado Aioli:
In a food processor, combine mayonnaise, diced avocado, lime
juice, cayenne pepper. Salt and pepper to taste. Combine until aioli
is smooth in texture. Transfer aioli to a small bowl and let sit in the
refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Serves: 25
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COMMUNITY
River Road Wineries
Valentine’s Passport
Photos Courtesy of Anthony Pessagno
T
he ten tasting rooms along
Monterey’s River Road Wine Trail
hosted their annual “Valentine’s
Passport” event on Saturday, February 14th,
from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
It was a great opportunity for wine lovers
to visit and enjoy the vintages and ambience
of these artisan vintners. The wineries that
collectively opened their doors for the
Valentine’s Passport were Paraiso, Hahn,
Pessagno, Odonata, Puma Road, Scheid,
Ventana, Manzoni, Boekenoogen, and
Talbott.
At this sweetheart of all wine tastings, the
member wineries featured rare vintages,
music, food, and celebration all things
amour. As a Passport-carrying VIP, guests
received a souvenir glass, a special gift, entry
into a grand drawing, and special discounts.
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COMMUNITY
Young Farmers & Ranchers
Holiday Party
Photos Courtesy of Colby Pereira
T
he Central Coast Young Farmers
and Ranchers held their annual
Holiday Party on December 17th at
Growers Pub in Salinas. Outgoing officers
were recognized for their service and
Incoming officers were welcomed in. Special
recognition was made to 2014 Member
of the Year, Keston Giudici and to New
Chairman, Travis Lee. Attendees generously
brought canned food items to donate to
local food banks.
1
3
2
4
1. (l to r): Amanda DeDampierre, Norm Groot, Tami Hill.
2. Keston Giudici and Travis Lee.
3. (l to r): Evan Gomes, Brent McKinsey, Keston Giudici, Pete Aiello and James Roddy.
4. (l to r): Taryn Barsotti, Amanda DeDampierre, Natalie Vargo, Katelyn Robledo and Tami Hill.
62
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COMMUNITY
Salinas Lawyer Shows Heart
on National Wear Red Day
I
n honor of National Wear Red Day on Feb 6, Jeff
Gilles, founding partner of L+G, LLP Attorneys
at Law in Salinas, raised more than $7,000 for
the American Heart Association by traveling across
Monterey County and making stops to collect donations
all while wearing a red dress. Gilles is a longtime
supporter of the American Heart Association and
is passionate about building awareness throughout
Monterey County to help fight heart disease in women.
His final stop of the day was at Zeph’s One Stop in
Salinas where he treated all attendees to a glass of
red wine for a small donation to support the AHA.
Donations were matched for those who dared to also
wear a red dress.
Heart disease remains the number one cause of
death in Monterey County. Each year cardiovascular
diseases cause one in three women’s deaths, killing
approximately one woman every minute. Go Red For
Women is the American Heart Association’s national
movement to end heart disease and stroke in women,
because it’s not just a man’s disease. In fact, more
women than men die every year from heart disease
and stroke. The good news is that 80 percent of cardiac
events can be prevented with education and lifestyle
changes. Go Red For Women advocates for more
research and swifter action for women’s heart health.
The American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women
movement is nationally sponsored by Macy’s, with
additional support from cause supporters. For more
information, please visit centralcoastgored.ahaevents.
org or call (831) 238-8141.
1. (l to r): Chris Shake, Jeff Gilles, and JR Shake.
2. Bruce Taylor and Jeff Gilles.
3. (l to r): Paul Rovella, Jeff Gilles, Aaron Johnson, and Jason Retterer.
4. (l to r): Mike Hitchcock, David Gill, Jeff Gilles, Tom Romans.
64
1
2
4
3
COMMUNITY
Rancho Cielo’s 6th Annual
Culinary Round Up
Photos Courtesy of Richard Field Levine
N
early 500 community supporters attended
Rancho Cielo’s 6th Annual Culinary Round
Up on February 8 at the Monterey Plaza Hotel
and Spa. Current students of the Drummond Culinary
Academy were paired with 25 of Monterey County’s top
chefs to present gourmet grub at this Western-themed
fundraiser. Guests in fancy boots declared the food to
be “over the top” when paired with wine from 13 top
Monterey County wineries, Peter B’s Brew and
Alderete Tequila.
Auction items included golf and lunch with Leon
Panetta and Ted Balestreri, elegant dinners, and special
vacation packages to Beverly Hills/Hollywood, Alaska,
Las Vegas and Cabo San Lucas.
The highlight of the evening was hearing from current
students Stephanie and Michael, who shared some
personal struggles, how their experience at Rancho Cielo
has changed their lives, and their hopes for the future.
Several RC Alums were present, working for their
respective chef-employers at the party.
Due to the generosity of the Monterey Plaza Hotel
and Spa, chefs, wineries and donations, the costs for this
event are remarkably low. Almost all money raised, even
from ticket sales, goes back to the program to transform
the lives of at-risk youth. This year’s event, chaired by
Bert Cutino and John Narigi, raised $350,000 to fund
Rancho Cielo’s programs.
1
2
3
4
5
1. (l to r): Loree Dowse, Mike and Kim Costa.
2. Students being introduced.
3. Michael Diaz, age 17, speaks from the podium.
4. Roxane Narigi with Marc Cutino enjoying Talbott Wines.
5. (l to r): Supervisor John Phillips, Founder of Rancho Cielo, Joanne Taylor Johnson, and Dr. Ted Englehorn.
65
COMMUNITY
Impower Kicks Off 2015
with Another Memorable Event
Photos Courtesy of Richard Green Photography
I
MPOWER founders and Co-Chairs, Margaret D’ArrigoMartin and Cathy Schlumbrecht, started the New Year with
a reminder that we are all in this together and while we will
face setbacks and obstacles, there is nothing we can’t handle.
Cathy’s heartfelt introduction to the first luncheon of 2015
reinforced the message of IMPOWER to Inspire, Motivate, Prepare
and Organize Women to Engage and Reinvest.
Each IMPOWER luncheon has some things in common: great
fellowship and wine, stimulating conversation and networking
opportunities, handsome raffle ticket sellers, a call to action, a
featured non-profit, a local vendor and always a dynamic and
engaging keynote speaker. Sheryl Merrill led an impromptu live
auction for a gorgeous necklace and matching earrings designed
and handcrafted by Lynn Merrill Paduck.
The featured non-profit was Hospice Giving Foundation.
Siobhan Greene shared with the audience a bit about the great
work they do to advocate dying peacefully with comfort and
dignity. The “Call to Action” asked luncheon attendees to donate
gas or grocery gift cards to be distributed to families served by
Hospice Giving Foundation. Hospice Giving Foundation gives
structure, strength and stability to end-of-life care, ensuring that
services are available long-term in our communities.
Keynote speaker Shary Farr shared why thinking about – and
preparing for – your own death is not just a good idea, it’s crucial
for your loved ones. Farr has worked with terminally ill patients
and their families during most difficult times. Since 1977, Farr has
created programs to help those dealing with end-of-life issues.
These extraordinary programs include “Second Growth” and
“Family Matters” which help families plan and prepare during
their final days to ease the burden and strain on patients, their
families and their caregivers. Her message is to get people talking
about the inevitable and making sure that those who will be left
behind have the information they’ll need to move forward. Tough
subject matter shared with love and compassion – this is why so
many of us can’t wait for IMPOWER luncheons!
If you haven’t attended in the past, please check the Salinas
Valley Chamber of Commerce website at www.salinaschamber.
com for details on the May 7th luncheon.
1. Claudia Pizarro-Villalobos and Diana Guzman.
2. (l to r): Karina Rusk, Pete Wevurski and Janet Marcroft.
3. (l to r): Reed Geisreiter, Janet Janssen, Cathy Schlumbrecht, and Eric Summers.
66
1
2
3
COMMUNITY
AT&T Pebble Beach
National Pro-Am
T
he central coast showed off her true beauty
at the 30th annual AT&T Pebble Beach
National Pro-Am February 10th-15th. The
much-needed rain continued to hold off, but made
for some of the best weather this tournament has
ever witnessed. Temperatures reached near 80
degrees and the views were so spectacular, even the
locals were buzzing. Thousands gathered to watch
some of the top golfers and favorite celebrities
square off for four straight days of competitive
rounds. The tournament kicked off Tuesday with
the Chevron Shoot Out, which included the San
Francisco Giants and San Francisco 49ers going
head to head in a five-hole match. Players included
Buster Posey, Bruce Bochy, Steve Young, Jerry Rice,
and more. The 49ers came out on top, but the two
raised $100,000 for several charities.
The official tournament began Thursday with
three rounds and a cut after Saturday. Brandt
Snedeker’s 22-under par broke the record for the
lowest total score at the tournament, which was set
by Mark O’Meara in 1997. Snedeker played bogeyfree golf on the final day to finish with a 67 and
win his second AT&T victory in three years. He had
fallen out of the top 50 at the end of last year and
was guaranteed entry into only one Major unless
he finished in the top three at this year’s AT&T.
Just when he needed it most, Snedeker answered
the call and is now eligible to play in the Masters
and PGA Championship. The fog crept in during
the final holes, but held off just long enough to give
spectators some of the most beautiful days ever
seen during the beloved tournament.
1
2
4
3
5
1. Marissa Ritter and husband.
2. View from 10th fairway at Pebble Beach.
3. San Francisco Giants Manager Bruce Bochy stands over a putt at the Cheveron Shoot Out.
4. Laura Nicola and Mark Laughton.
5. (l to r): Audra Pura, Caitlin Antle Wilson, Meryl Rasmussen and Whitney Brem Pridey.
67
COMMUNITY
35th Annual
APMA Forum
O
ver 250 Human Resource and Safety
professionals in the agricultural
industry gathered on January 28-30,
2015 at the Monterey Plaza Hotel. This was
the first year for APMA President Joseph
Mallobox, National HR Director for Taylor
Fresh Foods to welcome participants to the
35th annual conference. James Houston,
Undersecretary for California Department
of Food and Agriculture, presented opening
keynote on Agricultural Outlook for 2015.
Philip Taluban, CFO of Ocean Mist spoke
about the benefits of the CFO and HR working
together during the annual association
luncheon. The first two Visionary Leadership
awards were presented to Lourdes Gonzalez,
HR Director for Gowan Company in Yuma,
AZ and Kathleen Thompson, HR Director
for Limoneira Company in Santa Paula in
recognition of their efforts to the development
of the Human Resource Professional in
Agriculture (HRPA™) Program. This is
the only HR certification program specific
to agriculture, trademarked and approved.
Graduation ceremony for the 5th HRPA class
was held during the 35th Annual APMA
dinner honoring nearly 60 graduates.
Agricultural Personnel Management
Association (APMA) is a non-profit
association headquartered in Salinas for
HR, Labor and Safety professionals in the
agricultural industry whose mission is to
encourage and develop creative leadership
within the agribusiness community. For more
information, visit www.agpresonnel.org.
1
3
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1. Graduate Joann Greathead and Jim Bogart.
2. Loretta Brow and Lourdes Gonzalez.
3. Luncheon keynote by Philip Taluban, with APMA president Joseph Mallobox.
4. REFCO Farms Graduates Viviana Ramirez & Maria Garcia.
68
4
Mike Jashinski
Expertise, Dedication, Results
831.236.8913 | mikejashinski.com
Hidden Valley Ranch
IMAGINE endless opportunity and enjoyment on this stunning, sun
drenched 40 acre ranch. Perfectly suited to a myriad of exclusive
lifestyle options: organic farm, vineyard or equestrian ranch. Live
your dream.
Fore Porches ~ Tehama
Nestled along the 16th fairway of the Tehama Golf Course, 360-degree views encircle you. Encompassing approx. 6.7 acres, “Fore
Porches” is a nearly new Craftsman design featuring “Build-itGreen” certification and eye-catching architectural style.
69
If you want to know about
farming, ask a farmer.
Informing Readers About Monterey County’s
Number One Industry Since 1988.
coastalgrowermag.com
Tom Koster
Publisher/Sales
70
Lorri A. Koster
Editorial Director
Whitney Brem
Managing Editor
Whitney Brem
Advertising Sales
Join us in San Diego for
90TH ANNUAL MEETING
Nov. 8 - 11, 2015
The Grand Del Mar
• networking
• education
• great friends and fun!
For more information, visit
www.wgannualmeeting.com
71
COMMUNITY
Winter Ball
and Farewells
T
he CG Bulls had a successful Winter tournament
season playing every weekend in January as we
prepped for high school league play. The 16 and
under team won the Winter Showdown tournament and
our 18 year old team went undefeated to capture the Frost
Bowl championship.
It was an emotional time as we bid farewell to our senior
players. Many have been playing with us for 6-8 years. It’s
been a pleasure watching them grow into such fine young
men and forge friendships to last a lifetime. We wish them
the best as they move onto college.
Many thanks as always to our coaches: Thomas Incaviglia,
John De Santis, Tom Gugale and Lou Fierro.
It’s time to hit the “pause” button as official league play
begins. We wish the best of luck to all of our Bulls players
at: North Salinas High, Salinas High, Soledad High, North
Monterey County High, Monterey High, Palma School,
Stevenson School, and Pacific Grove High School.
1
2
CG Bulls Class of 2015
Dylan Antonetti
Michael Avila
Brad Caraccioli
Chris Childs
Cameron Crone
Nico De Santis
Daniel Farfan
Isaac Garcia
Digger Gugale
Jack Koster
Mac Lardner
Josh Olivarria
Ethan Santos
Hayden Spencer
Gabe Valdez
1. Frost Bowl Champions, 18 Open. Back row (l to r) Coach John De Santis,
Danny Carnazzo, Brad Caraccioli, Brock Bueno, Anthony DeSantis,
Ricky Torres, Daniel Farfan, Noah Ryan, Michael Gutierrez,
Coach Thomas Incaviglia. Front row (l to r) Ethan Santos,
Ryan Jensen, Joseph Gutierrez, Gabe Valdez, Isaac Garcia.
3
2. Last tournament with Michael Gutierrez, Aaron Flores, Brad Caraccioli,
Brock Bueno, Noah Ryan, Isaac Garcia, team sponsor Lorri Koster,
Ethan Santos, Jack Koster, Daniel Farfan, Gabe Valdez, Ryan Jensen,
Nico De Santis, Andrew Mier.
3. Winter Blast Champs! Back Row (l to r) Michael Mercurio, Sean Nelson,
Alex Fierro, Ruben Ibarra, Tom Gugale, Vinny Caudill.
Front row (l to r) Dominic Scattini, Matthew Macias, Sam Koster, Zach Davis,
Ben Organista.
4. Some of our seniors with some of their wins over the years. Jack Koster,
Michael Avila, Brad Caraccioli, Nico DeSantis, Hayden Spencer, Daniel
Farfan, Gabe Valdez, Cameron Crone, Isaac Garcia.
4
72
BABY LEAF by Sakata
Riverside
Seaside
• Seaside has a nice, smooth, thick,
very dark green, spade-shaped leaf
• HR: Pfs: 1-11 IR: 12, 14
Baby Leaf,
• Riverside has a moderate growth
rate, an upright plant habit and
very dark green leaves
• HR: Pfs: 1-11 IR: 12, 14
C2-608
Big Hit!
Take advantage of our broad range of innovative baby leaf
varieties bred to get the job done! Growers can count on uniformity,
multi-market fit and exceptional color. Sakata is an industry leader known
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known for outstanding performance in the West. Go ahead—choose Sakata
baby leaf spinach, and start building something better.
© 2015 Sakata Seed America, Inc.
• C2-608 is fast growing variety
with medium dark green, spade
shaped, smooth leaves
• R: Pfs: 1-7, 9, 11, 13
sakatavegetables.com
24965 CORTE POCO
SALINAS, CA 93908
35(6257('
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3(50,712

spring | 2 0 1 5

Transcription

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