Photo from L-R: Aaron Dillon, Speaker Rivas & Don Dillon Jr.
Four Winds Growers and Bonnie Plants hosted Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) for a tour of their Watsonville growing operations on June 28.
“We were honored to host Speaker Rivas at our Watsonville location. Tours like this with elected officials are an important part of needed outreach efforts to tell the story of the nursery industry and help educate decision makers about the critical role our industry plays in agriculture. A big thank you to Ag Council staff who helped coordinate the visits,” Four Winds Growers General Manager and PCA Vice Chair Aaron Dillon said.
The tours provided an opportunity to connect with Speaker Rivas about the important role of nurseries in California agriculture. During the day, policy issues were discussed including threats posed by invasive species, the potential impacts of legislative bans on some pesticides and challenges associated with affordable housing for agricultural workers. The implications of SB 54, the single-use plastic packaging statute, were also discussed.
Bonnie Plants’ Western Regional Manager Christian Zaleschuk said, “We welcomed the opportunity to host Speaker Rivas at our Watsonville growing station located in his district. The visit provided a chance to showcase the importance of the region to our business and demonstrate the array of vegetable and herb plants grown and produced there.”
“We also highlighted programs by which Bonnie Plants engages with the community. Two such examples are the Bonnie Plants Third Grade Cabbage Program that inspires a love of gardening and teaches children about how food is grown, and our engagement with AmpleHarvest.org in encouraging the donation of extra harvest to local food pantries,” Zaleschuk said.