How We Grow

2020 May/June How We Grow

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ALMOND COMMUNITY growers about what's going on beyond the orchard, providing them with information from ABC regarding research, food quality and more." Staack-Dorsett believes it is a responsibility and an honor to be involved with her community and the California almond industry. She now sits on ABC's Almond Quality, Food Safety and Services Committee and the Almond Alliance of California's Board of Directors, in addition to serving Kiwanis International as secretary and, prior to that, president of the organization. Similarly, Daniel Bays, a 2013 program graduate and almond grower from Westley, serves as the Vice Chair of ABC's Strategic Ag Innovation Committee (SAIC), which oversees six workgroups focused on specific topic areas within almond production. Bays is also a volunteer fire fighter in Westley, serves on the Ag Advisory Committee at Patterson High School and is involved with the United Community Foundation, an after-school program in Grayson and Westley. For Bays, whether you apply and participate in a program like the Almond Leadership Program or volunteer in your own community, it's important to give back to the communities that helped form you from an early age. He strongly believes you get as much out of service experiences as you put in. "Your memories and connections come from the time and effort you put into service – serving others provides a great opportunity that you don't get every day, so when those moments come you need to take full advantage of them," said Bays. "It takes a lot of people to keep this industry going," Bays said, reflecting on his Leadership experience as well as his participation on SAIC. "Through the Leadership program, I learned about what the Almond Board does on our behalf and how we as growers and handlers can contribute to the Board's efforts in order to continue the success of this industry." Step one to being a leader: show up "Showing up and staying involved has a lot more value than you realize or understand at the time," said Regional Sales Manager for Yara North America, Chris Gallo. Gallo participated in the 2014 Leadership program and has been a program mentor since 2017. He also serves on ABC's Irrigation, Nutrients and Soil Health Workgroup, is an active member of the Young Farmers and Ranchers' Fresno & Madera chapter and volunteers with the Knights of Columbus through his church. In other words, similar to Staack-Dorsett and Bays, Gallo's free time is often not his own. "You need to adjust your attitude – you need to have an attitude of service, not one that's self-serving," Gallo said. "This attitude of growing in leadership through service was heavily impressed upon me as a Leadership participant, and it's one of the reasons I decided to become a program mentor in 2017. I believe in the program's focus and approach in crafting the next generation of industry leaders." Holly A. King, chair of ABC's Board of Directors, is also a program mentor and has been for the past five years. To King, in addition to the service aspect of the program, the most valuable element of this year-long experience is its ability to expand one's network. "If you have a diverse network, and you know how to nurture and grow it, you will have connections that will not only serve you, but others as well," said King. Staack-Dorsett (far right) and her father Michael Staack, president of Grizzly Nut, stand with two high school scholarship recipients during a community event in Turlock. Learn more about the Almond Leadership Program! Visit Almonds.com/LeadershipProgram for more information. Chris Gallo (left) graduated from the Leadership program in 2014 and is in his fourth year of serving as a program mentor. Almond Board of California 18

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