Agribusiness Club's Speakers Series Topics Address Critical Issues in the Ag Industry
The March 29th event addressed “Management and Labor Organizations” and feature James Bogart, president of the Grower- Shipper Association of Central California, and Cesar Lara, executive director of the AFL-CIO Workers Union for the Central Coast.
Meeting attendees included club members, students from a variety of majors, and a group of high school students from Everett Alvarez High School in Salinas. Mr. Bogart and Mr. Lara addressed a number of local labor issues in agriculture, which included housing, wages, and the growing labor shortage of agricultural workers in the Salinas Valley.
Three specific areas of focus are currently immigration reform, farmworker housing, and farmworker safety. James Bogart explained, “We also worked together, along with the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner, to develop and implement the most enlightened, comprehensive, progressive and transparent communication and information program dealing with the application of pesticides around schools. Nobody else in the world (that I’m aware of) is doing what we’re doing here. Very proud of this accomplishment.”
Other Agribusiness Club events included “Logistics”, with Grayson Moore of Superior Foods and Lalainia Moules of Driscoll’s, and the “College of Business Career Gateway Ag Forum” with CSUMB Ag Bus Alums Wyatt Meigs and Coy Williams of C H Robinson, Cathryn Schofield of Driscoll’s, and College of Business Alumnus, Adolfo Bucio of Tanimura & Antle.