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A L M O N D O R C H A R D 2 0 2 5 G O A L S WATER USE ALMOND COMMUNITY 20 Get to Know Your Board – Part Three In the July/August and September/ October issues of How We Grow, we published Part One and Part Two of our series, "Get to Know Your Board." In this series, we're profiling members and alternates of the 2019-2020 Almond Board of California (ABC) Board of Directors, which is composed of ten members — five growers and five handlers — with each member having one alternate. This group of individuals embraces the California almond story and is living it every day, just like you. Read Part Three of this series below and be sure to check out future issues of How We Grow for features on other members. When did you first become involved in the industry? Dave Phippen (DP): My family is made up of third generation almond growers. My partners and I grew up on the ranch and, when the time was right, continued in our family's footsteps of growing almonds. What was unexpected was the direction and opportunity to become one of the industry's huller/sheller operations and also become established as an almond handler. What does it mean to sit on ABC's Board of Directors? DP: It has been so rewarding to spend so much time involved in ABC and learn of the many positive outcomes and advantages created for almond growers by the relatively small investment in crop assessments to the Almond Board. What about the industry do you most appreciate and take pride in? DP: I believe the almond industry has placed itself in the spotlight of positive achievement in so many ways and distinguished itself as being "Best in Class" among other commodity boards. Wherever we go on behalf of the industry, we receive positive comments like, "I don't know how you folks keep doing it so well!" We also receive these types of comments during visits to our nation's capital, where, when representing ABC, the feedback is almost always positive. What industry accomplishment are you most proud of? DP: I believe one of our best investments is our nutrition research, which continues to demonstrate California almonds are a prime healthy food source. We can attest to many positive outcomes that come from consuming almonds, including the potential for weight loss and corrections of blood makeup. This research keeps on producing rewards from health officials and food nutrition professionals, too. The decision to require pasteurization has also produced many rewards. The most recent bonus is FDA's decision to use enforcement discretion for commodities covered under Produce Safety Regulations, including almonds, meaning we no longer have to make disclosures as long as the Enforcement Guidance is in effect. This lifts a huge burden from almond growers and was made possible because of our industry's promise to reduce harmful pathogens to a 4 or 5 log kill in North American markets. We chose this path, not because it was easy or inexpensive, but because it was the right thing to do. We will now witness other food groups follow our path to place consumer health and safety at the lead of our concerns. What advice would you give someone starting off in the almond industry? DP: I encourage anyone in the almond industry to become as involved as possible in our ABC committee meetings. This is where the "rubber meets the road" in ABC industry workings. You do not need to be a member of the committee to attend, all meetings are open to the public, and as industry leaders learn of your interest you may soon be invited to join the team. What's your favorite way to eat almonds? DP: I enjoy all forms of almonds but especially enjoy almonds my wife and I blanch and slightly roast and salt. I also enjoy munching on raw almonds during the almond harvest season! Dave Phippen Partner, Travaille and Phippen, Inc. Member, ABC Board of Directors DID YOU KNOW? There are over ten Almond Board of California committees, subcommittees and workgroups staffed by more than 150 almond industry member volunteers. Are you interested in getting involved? Attend an upcoming committee meeting today! Visit Almonds.com/Events for more information. Continue on page 21