OGS Keynotes: Rod Braga Receives "Grower of the Year" Award, Grower Roundtable on State of Organic Farming

With a family farming history approaching a full century, Salinas Valley-based Braga Fresh began returning to its organic roots in earnest in the 1960s to become one of the largest organic vegetable producers in the United States. And last month, current CEO and President Rod Braga, who represents the family’s third generation of ownership, was feted by the Organic Grower Summit as the 2023 Grower of the Year.

Braga Fresh markets its organic production under the Josie's Organics label, which honors Rod’s grandmother, who was an integral part of the operation for many decades. In receiving the award, Braga noted that the third generation of the company started its organic journey in the 1990s with baby lettuces, and today 70 percent of its 20,000 acres are farmed organically. 

Braga Fresh Family Farms is now undertaking an effort to be a leader in the regenerative ag movement as it is experimenting with a couple of crops in an effort to learn about the concept, which calls for limited tilling and other farming practices to sequester carbon in the earth. Braga said the practices aim to constantly improve the soil, making it better both for the good of the plant and the planet.

Rod Braga, CEO and President, Braga Fresh Farms and 2023 Grower of the Year

Braga told the OGS crowd that becoming a grower-shipper that specializes in organic production has had its challenges, with as many failures as successes in the early years. He urged the crowd to learn from some of his mistakes, including trying to scale too quickly. He advised new organic growers to start slowly, taking one step at a time, as there is a lot of learning involved that can’t be rushed.

Braga said his farming career was inspired by many of the Salinas Valley veterans, such as Tom Nunes (T3) and Basil Mills, who were good businessmen and leaders in the community. 

In discussing the company’s travels down the regenerative ag path, Braga said they are only at the beginning of the journey, with a long, long way to go. But he is clearly a devotee of the concept, noting that good soil is the fundamental building block of a successful farming operation. And he argued that improving the soil and sequestering carbon—the promise of regenerative ag—is a moral imperative for the industry as agriculture is the second-leading industry for producing CO2 in the atmosphere.

From left: Moderator Walt Duflock, Vice President of Innovation, Western Growers; Nishan Moutafian, District Manager, Driscoll’s; Joe Pezzini, Senior Director of Ag Operations, Taylor Farms; Briana Giampaoli, Marketing and Product Innovation, Live Oak Farms

Prior to the presentation of the Grower of the Year award to Braga, there was a keynote roundtable discussion featuring representatives from three other established Salinas Valley grower-shipper operations: Nishan Moutafian of Driscoll’s, Joe Pezzini of Taylor Farms, and Briana Giampaoli of Live Oak Farms. The trio opined on several issues, including their individual organic journeys, the future of the category, and the role technology will play.

Each agreed that the organic category will continue to increase and gain market share but noted that it has its challenges. Moutafian said Driscoll’s continues to expand its acreage and is encouraged by the ability of growers to continue to improve their organic farming techniques. But he said there are margin pressures that have to be solved as it is more expensive to grow organically and growers need a premium for doing so. “We have to find ways to mitigate our cost per unit,” he said.

Pezzini said organics have had an amazing ride over the past 20 years, partly fueled by year-round production. He expects the value-added organic category to outpace growth in the commodity business, but again he said that requires year-round sources of supply. Taylor Farms, he said, is expanding organic production in the desert to meet demand. “The retail buyers are driving the demand for increased supply of high-quality product. All have created space for organics, but the premium is much smaller than it used to be,” he said. “We have to deal with that.”

Joe Pezzini, Senior Director of Ag Operations, Taylor Farms

Giampaoli agreed that the challenges are many. She said organic sales have flatlined recently, which has led to lower premiums, while at the same time inflation has increased the growing costs. “We have to look at retail for increased contract pricing,” she said. “The challenge is finding the right partners that can deliver a good price point for both the grower and the consumer.”

Pezzini said that Taylor Farms believes the key is in product innovation. He said producers need to create flavorful products that the consumer wants.

Moutafian echoed those comments, stating that Driscoll’s main goal is always to “delight the consumer," whether it is producing organic or conventional berries. But he added that the future is bright for organics because consumers are focused on their health and organics are perceived as a healthier choice. He argued that organic options should be merchandised in the front of the produce department to give consumers what they are looking for.

Nishan Moutafian, District Manager, Driscoll’s

Giampaoli said Live Oak Farms, long a commodity-based producer, is looking at value-added options as it believes that is the future. She said growers and the company have to understand that the introduction of new products does not happen overnight, and it may require getting smaller returns during the experimentation and introduction process.

Regarding the role of technology in ag production, Pezzini said he expects continued advancement in plant genetics, with pest resistance still being high on the grower want list.  He also said soil health is an emerging science that can materially help organic production.

“The retail buyers are driving the demand for increased supply of high-quality product. All have created space for organics, but the premium is much smaller than it used to be. We have to deal with that.” - Joe Pezzini

Driscoll’s is famous for its proprietary variety development program, and Moutafian said that effort is continuing unabated. He said disease-resistant varieties are especially important to organic growers who have fewer crop-protection tools at their disposal. “But our top priority is still the eating experience,” he said.

Discussing the role of new farming technologies that have exploded onto the scene in recent years, the trio agreed that efforts by the Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology are critical in vetting these opportunities so growers are not battling windmills. Giampaoli believes the key to adopting new technologies is to be patient as change takes time and immediate positive results are very rare.

Briana Giampaoli, Marketing and Product Innovation, Live Oak Farms

In terms of the future of organic produce, the grower roundtable agreed that it is bright. While it might have leveled off recently, Giampaoli said the newer generations of consumers are more health conscious than their predecessors, and they will continue to fuel the growth in demand.

Pezzini agreed, noting that organic producers are on the right track and are leading the way in learning how to farm the land with fewer inputs. He said the time is coming when fewer inputs will be a mandate.