Trish Kelly Talks “The Business of Food and Ag”
On Thursday, March 14th Sacramento Business Journal hosted the second Business of Food and Ag event at the Milagro Center in Fair Oaks. The event, sponsored by Bank of America, was a moment for regional leaders and those vested in the progress of this industry sector, to come together and dive into some of the most pressing issues relating to food and Ag.
Valley Vision’s Managing Director Trish Kelly was invited to participate as a research expert on the food and ag industry cluster, as well as on related workforce issues. Trish joined Thaddeus Barsotti, Chief Farmer and Co-CEO of Farm Fresh to You, Bill Easton, President and Winemaker of Terre Rouge & Easton Wines, and Joel Wilkerson, Food Safety Manager for Produce Express on a panel called “Food for Thought: Challenges and Changes in the Sacramento Agricultural Industry.” The conversation was an opportunity to identify situations affecting the landscape, understand how we can better support the region’s food economy, and the steps we can we take to do so.
One of the most significant changes happening in agricultural, as well as other industries, has been the adoption of increased technology in response to new labor regulations, labor shortages, and the decline of farm owners and operators, given that the average age of farmers is 58 years old. But for Bill Easton, whose wine grapes sit high in the Sierra Foothills, mostly inaccessible to large farm equipment, he depends heavily on a migrant labor force to pick and sort his vines. Thaddeus, who is supportive of the new minimum wage, notes that increased labor costs mean farmers, like himself, must adjust and offset those costs to continue business. “Labor is an issue for all companies, even at the large scale farming operations we see crop selection move away from things that require hand harvesting or certain crops leave the state entirely.” It is no secret that the Central Valley provides a considerable portion of the country’s fresh produce. Understanding that the landscape is changing, organizations like Valley Vision, and the Sacramento Area Council of Government (SACOG), are working to provide research and information on which crops could be better value replacement options and how to create more localized supply chains that will support the region’s food economy.
Trish cited the opportunity for increased purchasing of locally grown produce and new market opportunities for farmers through institutional procurement by schools, hospitals, and other entities such as the Golden 1 Center. Valley Vision is conducting a case study on the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD)’s successful food procurement model. SCUSD is working to increase the amount of locally purchased food products directly from both growers and local food distributors for their student meal programs. So far, they have been highly cost-effective in serving 45,000 meals a day, which has allowed the SCUSD to expand its sourcing of locally grown food, qualify more families for free and reduced-cost meals, and provide fresher, from scratch, meals to the students.
Likewise, at UC Davis Health, Executive Chef Santana Diaz is shifting the procurement process to locally sourced products, providing healthier and fresher foods to patients, staff, and visitors, and doing their part to support the regional economy. In the last year, Chef Diaz increased the amount of locally purchased food by 40%, reducing its greenhouse gas emission along the way! Similarly, Produce Express, which is a supplier of fresh produce to both SCUSD and UC Davis Health, has recognized the potential for serving institutional clients, expanding its operations from serving primarily restaurants to also serving local institutions like hospitals and schools, which often have more challenging procurement processes. According to Joel: “These places have huge commitment to feed a lot of people… We hang our hat on the Farm to Fork model and are committed to helping it grow.”
Connecting the conversation to future opportunities, Trish noted that the Brooking Institution, which conducted an analysis of the Capital region economy in 2018, identified the food and Ag cluster is a cornerstone for growth and leadership in sustainability. In response, Valley Vision, the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, the Sacramento Metro Chamber, and SACOG, along with other partners, are developing a more cohesive strategy to catalyze the cluster. As part of this effort, Valley Vision is assisting the region’s community colleges, workforce boards, and employers strengthen the region’s ag-related education and workforce programs. See research and proceedings from the recent workforce forum held at Woodland Community College that presented new data from the Center of Excellence at Los Rios. As technology becomes an even greater aspect of the business of ag, the workforce will need new skills to be ready for the future of work. Programs like the newly-certified farm and farm manager apprenticeship program developed by the Center for Land-Based Learning are including technology skills in this non-traditional training program. Ag is truly a sector that is rooted in our history while looking toward a dynamic future.
Overall, events like the Business of Food and Ag are imperative if we are to move forward and to bridge the divide between people and helping them understand the food they eat. Making these connections, that otherwise would go unnoticed and misunderstood, is critical if we are going to ensure our region remains the Farm to Fork Capital.
Emma Koefoed is a Valley Vision Project Associate contributing to the 21st Century Workforce and Food and Agriculture impact areas.
Leadership Is a Team Sport: My Time with CSN
“Leadership is a team sport.” This expression resonated as I sped down the hill toward Fresno. I turned the wheel of my trusty 2006 Honda Odyssey to match the curvature of the country road before me. “Sometimes success is a change in the tenor of a conversation.”
I’d just spent two days in the foothills below Kings Canyon participating in the Orientation of the California Stewardship Network’s new Leadership Program. The California Stewardship Network (CSN) is an alliance of fifteen unique regional organizations committed to the economic, environmental and social wellbeing of our regions and our state (the “triple bottom line”). Notably, CSN collaborates with California Forward to host the annual California Economic Summit (set to be held in Fresno on November 7-8). Valley Vision represents the 6-county Sacramento region and serves as the backbone organization and fiscal agent for CSN.
As I reflected on the groundbreaking and brilliantly subversive lessons of the past 48 hours, I can’t help but be eager for the continuation of this program – a series of upcoming exchanges over the coming year where my “cohort” of 19 young leaders will grow and collaborate on creative solutions to the challenges our State faces. Valley Vision CEO Bill Mueller left me with a key nugget of wisdom prior to my departure, which I also shared with the other participants: “it is really hard to build a statewide network through a conventional career. This is your chance to do exactly that while better connecting our diverse regions to one another.”
The Orientation kicked off with a storytelling session, where each participant was tasked with telling their “origin story,” including why we are dedicated to advancing triple bottom line approaches to persistent problems. I was able to connect my upbringing in rural Mendocino County to my current work at Valley Vision on issues like wildfire resilience, rural broadband, air quality, and so much more. It was quite an icebreaker! Then, we took part in a very comprehensive Clifton StrengthsFinder 2.0 session with Gallup Certified Strengths Coach Adrian Ruiz, where we identified our talents and those of others in our cohort. We also dug into how sometimes our strengths can translate as weaknesses in certain circumstances (for example, an “Includer” needs to be mindful that at times they might be seen as too deferential to others). Strengths are like muscles, and it takes the intentional ‘exercise’ of talents combined with skills and knowledge to create a true “strength.” I had no idea that my unique ‘DNA’ of five talents – Strategic-Maximizer-Adaptability-Developer-Includer – is shared by only one in every 33 Million people. Crazy!
In the second half of the program, Micah Weinberg of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute and Kriselda Bautista of the Local Government Commission put our strengths and knowledge to work. We tackled a tough case study out of West Oakland where a new housing development was being considered for development (replete with NIMBY opposition group, cerebral city planners, et al), and we had to balance equity, economy, and environment in determining how to move the project forward. Our considerations ranged from the right number of affordable units, to design of a human-centered community engagement process, to the proper means of evaluating our entire effort.
Finally, we learned how to de-escalate difficult situations by appealing to emotion. Doug Noll, a former trial lawyer who has dedicated himself to peacemaking and conflict resolution, led our group through a science-based journey into human brain chemistry and cutting-edge psychology. Doug Co-Founded a nonprofit called Prison of Peace, which since 2010 has helped inmates develop peacemaking skills to reduce violence and promote problem-solving within their prison community. We learned how our society regularly invalidates emotional expression, which is manifested in how so many of us say “It’s OK” and attempt to problem-solve when another person is experiencing difficulties. This is actually a selfish act, and a form of self-soothing that is hurtful to the person we are trying to comfort. If you really want to help people who are angry or sad, you need to learn and practice affect labeling – essentially “lending them your prefrontal cortex” and helping them process their emotions through a specific set of actions. This simple yet effective process is detailed in Noll’s book, De-Escalate: How to Calm an Angry Person in 90 Seconds or Less, and I’m happy to share more if you send me an email! This tool stood out to me in a world that desperately needs more healers.
I want to thank Joanna Wessman, the Network Coordinator for CSN, Kathy Moxon, CSN’s Past Chair and Director of Redwood Coast Rural Action, and Deb Nankivell, CEO of the Fresno Business Council, for introducing us to this awesome network and guiding us through such an impactful and thought-provoking 48 hours. Thanks also to Bank of America for sponsoring. Of course, I’d also like to thank Bill Mueller for nominating me for this program, and my fantastic cohort – I so look forward to seeing you all again in May! I’ll continue to share my experiences as I learn how to apply triple bottom line outcomes and work to elevate California’s diverse region’s to build a stronger and more equitable California. Stay tuned!
Adrian Rehn is a Valley Vision Project Manager overseeing the Cleaner Air Partnership and Valley Vision’s online communications.
Robyn Krock Bids Fur-Well to Valley Vision
A little over twelve years ago, I was in graduate school at UC Davis and saw a listing in the internship coordinator’s office for a part-time Research Associate someplace in Sacramento called Valley Vision. I sent my resume and got called for an interview.
I showed up at 1900 S Street and the adventure began. Kristine Mazzei quickly had me immersed in developing the region’s first Open Space inventory, which led directly into our engagement with SACOG’s brand-new RUCS project.* Sharon Huntsman and I spent hours driving up and down Highway 99 facilitating meetings of the Hmong Health Collaborative, and singing “Brandy” at the top of our lungs at least once every trip. Chris Aguirre, Jon Jiesel, and Garrett Brandenburger showed me how to properly test potential job candidates – by gauging their reaction to seeing someone sitting on the office exercise ball and bouncing past the glass walls of the conference room where the interview was taking place. And Susan Frazier showed me that leadership doesn’t have to be boring or harsh. I discovered quickly the close tie between hard work and having fun.
That was the first year.
Tuesday, March 5th was my last day at Valley Vision. I can’t quantify how much I’ve learned and grown, nor can I put into words how much I will miss the people with whom I work. From Trish Kelly, who has been – and will continue to be – a friend and mentor, to… well, there are way too many people to name. No matter who the staff is in any given year, no matter who has arrived or departed, the people have always been amazing. They are fun, warm, creative, hardworking, and have always put up with a ton of crap from me.
The one constant for all of my years at Valley Vision is Bill Mueller. Bill is the only person who has been at Valley Vision longer than me. I have learned so much from working with him – intentionally and unintentionally. He’s made me mad and made me laugh, sometimes at the same time. We’ve seen each other go through many ups and downs, both professionally and personally. Bill is like a brother – we push each other’s buttons, butt heads, and love each other anyway. Calling Bill a few weekends ago to give him the news was one of the hardest phone calls I’ve made.
And I’m a little worried about who will keep him in line once I’m gone.
Valley Vision also has some of the best community partners, especially in the food space. Christine Tien at The California Endowment, who has shown me how I want to treat grantees, Diana Flores at Sacramento City Unified School District’s Nutrition Services Department, who has embraced the monumental task of running the world’s largest restaurant on a small budget and with 48,000 of the most critical clientele, Amber Stott, Shawn Harrison – too many people in the food space for me to mention.
My coworkers have made it clear they will miss me as much as I will miss them. I know it will be different without me, but I also know that the departure of someone who’s been there as long as me opens the door for change that will probably end up being even better. I expect in a few months they’ll all be grateful I left.
As hard as it is to leave, I am excited about my new opportunity/challenge. I will be going to work at the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy as the Community Projects Supervisor. This is a new position, prompted by passage of Prop. 68 last year. I will be developing and running their community economic development programs. I am excited about the opportunity to take everything I’ve learned in my years at Valley Vision to the public sector, to being a grantor rather than a grantee, and to helping the state from a different perspective.
Shortly after I start there, I will be off on another adventure that in a way is a culmination of my years at Valley Vision. I will be going to New Zealand to talk about regional solutions for supporting local food systems and rural broadband. This is part of a State Department exchange program, and I am honored to be invited to participate. Since my new job won’t be dealing with the same issues, I figure my expertise will be out of date within a year or so, so this is the time for me to go share it. I will also be learning a lot, and will share my learnings with my coworkers at Valley Vision, who will be continuing to push forward in helping the Sacramento region address those challenges and more.
I’ve been told that my departure is the end of an era for Valley Vision. It is the end of an era for me too. Valley Vision has helped me grow both personally and professionally immeasurably. Valley Vision is where I learned about and learned to love the Sacramento region. Valley Vision is where I went from a graduate student renting an apartment to a homeowner with a backyard for my dogs. Valley Vision is where Adonis came and went (my dog and Valley Vision’s office dog).
It has been an honor to be a part of something as great as Valley Vision. Although I’ve been told that, like the mafia, you can never really leave.
Robyn Krock has been a Valley Vision employee for over 12 years, leading numerous impactful food, agriculture, and broadband initiatives. She starts as Community Projects Supervisor for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy on March 6th. She can be reached at robynmk62@gmail.com.