My guest Thomas Amaro is a 4th generation family based agribusiness professional. Tom and his son Marcos Amaro co-founded Amaro Beauty and Wellness and they cultivate and grow top quality hemp CBD in Visalia California. The family’s goal is to provide consumers with the finest quality CBD products. Tom and I talk about the history of California agriculture and the present state of affairs in agriculture. Please enjoy the episode.

My guest Steve Church is the Co-Chairman of Church Brothers/True Leaf Farms. Steve Church has been a part of the produce industry for more than 50 years. In 1999,Steve and his brother Tom formed what is now known as Church Brothers Farms, a fully integrated farming, agribusiness from seed to salad bowl. He is also a partner in the grower-owned fresh vegetable processing plant, True Leaf Farms. Steve and I talk about the importance of taking care of customers, how people make our businesses and the impact of taking care of people on the profits of the company. Please enjoy my conversation with Steve Church.

My guest Brenda Allison is the CEO of Coast General Insurance Brokers, an insurance brokerage entirely dedicated to business owners. Her story of how her family came to America, the impact her grandmother had on Brenda's leadership style, the importance of giving back and importance of human connections is encouraging and inspiring for all business leaders no matter where they are in their leadership journey. Please enjoy my conversation with Brenda.

My guest is Glenn Miller, CEO, Saticoy Lemon Association, an agricultural cooperative that provides the finest quality lemons to the world and maximum return to the growers since 1933. Glenn Miller is the past Chair of UnitedAg’s Board of Directors and currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees. Please enjoy our conversation.

My guest is A.J. Cisney, General Manager at Rancho Guadalupe, a family-owned grower of fresh produce based in Santa Maria Valley, California. A.J. is the past Chair of UnitedAg’s Board of Directors and currently serves as the Board of Trustee. In this episode we discuss the importance of paying attention to mental health, having difficult conversations in a constructive way, true leadership, proactive vs reactive approach to decision making, listening for the sake of truly understanding, first understand to be understood and much more. Please enjoy our conversation.

My guest Eric Bream, is a 3rd generation citrus farmer and the President of Bream Family Farms. The Bream family has a long tradition of growing high quality citrus fruit that stretches back over 70 years. In 1952 Robert O. Bream purchased the first 10 acre orchard of Washington Navel Oranges in California’s beautiful Central Valley referred to as their “Legacy Block.” The trees were planted in 1912 and a member of the Bream family has cared for them for the past 70 years. While the land area and offerings has grown over the years, the age of the trees, high quality of soil and the perfect micro-climate in the Legacy Block has remained the backbone of our family farm, and produces fruit that offers a unique experience. We discuss how Eric is trying to do the ethical thing in business through the Bream Family Farm, the importance of building intentional inefficiencies in the system, and seeing obstacles we face in life and in business as opportunities.

My guest Lee Cohen is the General Manager of Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc. based in Terra Bella, California. His stories of how ag leaders are true stewards of the earth and of the people, the importance of treating trees as living organisms & taking care of their health and wellness not unlike human beings, and understanding how regenerative ag vs organic ag impacts our natural resources are inspiring. They help us understand why true stewardship is important in leading a successful organization.

My guest Steve Nelson is the President and CEO of Plant Sciences, a premier agricultural research company with emphasis on plant breeding and propagation of berry crops for the global marketplace. His story of how California strawberries got to Jordan, it's connection to his dad's doctor at the Stanford hospital shows the power of human connections in business. We discuss how to maintain an entrepreneurial culture in founder led companies, staying true to our values but being flexible with our methods, introducing technology while being people-centric and other leadership nuggets. Please enjoy the show.