Monterey County Farm Bureau

Board of Directors

Executive Board

2015 / 2016 Board of Directors

 

 

 

Directors L to R: Bill Lipe, Chris Bunn, Mark Kennedy, Kurt Almond, April Mackie, Colby Pereira, Jeff Pereira, Jennifer Clarke, Kurt Gollnick, Joel Wiley, Aaron Johnson, Bob Martin, Benny Jefferson, Miguel Errea, and Steve Wiley.

 

 

 

District 1: Coastal Area, Carmel

  • Kurt Gollnick, Scheid Vineyards

 

District 2: Northern Area, Castroville

 

District 3: Salinas Area

  • Christopher Bunn, Jr. – Crown Packing Company
  • Dirk Giannini - Christensen and Giannini
  • Scott Storm - Valley Farm Management
  • Kent Hibino - Henry Hibino Farms LLC
  • Doug Turner - Madison Farms
  • Steve Wiley, American Takii Inc.
  • Kevin Healy, Driscoll Strawberry Associates

 

District 4: Chualar, Gonzales, Soledad

  • Colby Pereira - Costa Farms
  • Bill Hammond - Vineyards of Monterey/Jackson Family Wines
  • Kevin Piearcy - Industrial Pump Shop
  • Nick Huntington - Huntington Farms
  • Jennifer Skidgel-Clarke - Steinbeck Country Produce

 

District 5: Greenfield & King City

  • Jeff Pereira - King City Nursery
  • Brad Rice - Salinas Land Company
  • Jason Smith - Valley Farm Management/Paraiso Vineyards
  • Pier Azcona - Azcona Harvesting

 

District 6: San Lucas, San Ardo, Lockwood, South

  • Miguel Errea - Erra Cattle Co.
  • Bob Martin - Rio Farms
  • Francis Giudici - L.A. Hearne Co.
  • Kurt Almond - Delicato Family Vineyards

 

Directors At Large

  • Bill Lipe - NH3 Service Company
  • Claude Hoover - Veritas Associates, LLC
  • Joel Wiley - Wilbur-Ellis Company
  • Aaron Johnson - L+G, LLP Attorneys at Law
  • Mark Kennedy - Green Rubber/Kenndey Ag LP

 

Advisory Director

  • Amanda DeDampierre - Chair, Central Coast Young Farmers & Ranchers

 

Jeff Pereira

Director and President

Jeff Pereira manages King City Nursery, serving the vegetable industry with starter plants.  A native of King City, Jeff has served as their Mayor and a City Council member.  A graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, he previously served as the Legislative Affairs Vice-President of Monterey County Farm Bureau and was the 2011-2013 Chairman of the California Farm Bureau Federation's Rural Health and Safety Committee.  He can be found attending many sporting events, often traveling to games around the country.

Dirk Giannini

Director and Past-President

Dirk Giannini manages Christensen & Giannini, LLC, a large leafy green grower in the Salinas Valley.  He is a graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a fourth generation farmer following in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps.  Dirk is passionate about farming and takes pleasure in working the soil and obtaining a perfect crop.

He appreciates the Farm Bureau’s “grassroots” vision and is committed to supporting the organization and its mission.  For numerous years, he has served as MCFB’s Water Committee Co-Chair and attends many meetings regarding water issues to help keep him abreast of the water concerns in Monterey County.  This awareness assists in fulfilling his goal to maintain the rights needed in the agricultural industry to sustain family farming operations.

Being a versatile man with multiple talents keeps him involved in community, political, agricultural, charitable and family activities.  He is a devoted husband and father who loves being with his wife and his two beautiful daughters.  When time permits, he enjoys hunting with family and friends.

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April England-Mackie

Director and Vice-President of Fundraising

April England-Mackie is originally from the Kern River Valley and eventually found her way to the Salinas area.  After graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science with a minor in Agriculture Business and a Masters in Agriculture Business Economics and Policy, she went to work as a Water Resources Planner for California’s second largest state water contractor, the Kern County Water Agency.  Later she moved to Hollister and began working for Monterey County Farm Bureau as a Water Quality Coordinator assisting growers to help improve their own farm water quality.  Mackie also began working with the ag industry leaders on developing standard operating procedures for the leafy greens industry; then the “Spinach e.Coli outbreak” occurred and she assisted with development and discussions revolving around the Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement.

Mackie currently manages her own consulting business, and is formerly the Director of Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance for RAMCO Enterprises, a large strawberry and leafy greens grower, and part-time manages her food safety and Ag regulatory consulting business.  Prior to this she was the Director of Food Safety and Sustainability for Ocean Mist Farms and previously held the same with Martin Jefferson & Sons.

In February 2013, April and her husband, Todd, were appointed to a two-year term on the American Farm Bureau Federation's Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee.  The focus of this committee is to invigorate young Ag leaders to be involved with Farm Bureau and protect the Ag industry through public policy and Ag education.

April is extremely active locally and Statewide.  Currently Mackie is the Vice-President of Fundraising for the Monterey County Farm Bureau as well as their Scholarship Chair.  She is a past President, Treasurer, and Farm Bureau Liaison for the Central Coast Young Farmers and Ranchers as well as the 2nd Vice-Chair and State District Director for California Young Farmers and Ranchers.  April serves as incoming Chair of the Salinas Valley Chapter of Californian Women for Agriculture, and is the Past-President of Ag Against Hunger, a local non-profit that provides local produce to food banks.  She is a former Director and Secretary of Monterey County Ag Education and participates on committees of the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California.

Some of her biggest recognitions in the ag industry have included being named by Senator Anthony Cannella as the 12th Senate District's Ag Women of the Year for 2015, awarded the Star Award from the California Young Farmers & Ranchers in 2011, California Jaycees Outstanding Young Farmer of the Year in 2009 and the Central Coast Young Farmers and Ranchers Member of the Year 2008.  She maintains her alumni status with Leadership Farm Bureau, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the Alpha Zeta Ag Honor Fraternity and Future Farmers of America as an American Farmer Degree holder.

April resides in Hollister with her husband, Todd, and enjoys skiing, wake boarding, fishing, hunting, cooking and crafts.

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Jennifer Skidgel-Clarke

Director and Secretary

Jennifer Skidgel-Clarke is the Vice President of Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance for Steinbeck Country Produce.   Jennifer is a licensed Pest Control Advisor and Certified Crop Advisor who has worked in Pesticide Use Enforcement for the Ag Commissioner and as a Pest Control Advisor for Salinas Valley growers.  She graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2000 with a B.S. in Fruit Science.

Jennifer is a past president of the Salinas Valley Chapter of California Women for Agriculture (CWA) and is also involved  in several committees of Grower-Shipper Association, Monterey Bay Chapter of California Association of Pest Control Advisors (CAPCA), and Salinas Valley CWA.  She was elected in 2012 to serve as a board member for the North Monterey County School District.

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Benny W. Jefferson

Director and former President

Benny Jefferson is a fifth generation family farmer who farms about 3,000 acres of vegetables including lettuce, artichokes, spinach and cauliflower.  Benny served on the California Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors as District 8 Director from 2004 - 2010.  He is active on the Monterey County Farm Bureau water and land use committees.  Benny also is extremely active as the Past-President of the California Rodeo-Salinas as well as President of the Salinas River Channel Coalition and as a Past President of Resource Conservation Board of Monterey County.  Benny will be receiving the Californa Farm Bureau Distinguished Service Award in December 2013, at the Annual Meeting in Monterey.  In 2009 Benny was named as the "Ag Person of the Year" by the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce Salute to Ag Committee but he is best known for his infamous "Benny Blasters".  Benny resides with his wife Donna in King City.

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Christopher Bunn, Jr.

Director

Christopher Bunn was born and raised in California. His family has been farming in the Salinas Valley since the 1930s. After working in the fields as a teenager, he earned a BS Liberal Studies from SUNY Albany, followed by a MA in TV/Film Production at Wheaton College. He worked overseas for several years in the mission field, as well as in television in the United Kingdom.  Married, with two sons, he currently works for his family's company in Salinas.

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Bob Martin

Director and former President

Bob Martin is a native of King City, raised in a farming family.  After graduating from King City High School, he went on to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, majoring in Crop Science.  Bob is General Manager of Rio Farms in King City.

Always involved and committed to Agriculuture, Bob is a member of the Salinas River Channel Coalition, Salinas Valley Fair Heritage Foundation, CEO of King City Young Farmers Foundation, and sits on the Boards of Central Coast Water Quality Preservation, Inc. and Grower-Shipper Association of Central California.  Bob has served as President of Monterey County Farm Bureau and is currently a Trustee for the Hartnell College Foundation.  Bob retired from the King City Volunteer Fire Department after 15 years of active service.  Awards include the King City Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year, Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce Ag Leadership Award, and Valley of the World Ag Award.

Bob is married to Rita for over 40 years, has three children and four grandchildren.

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Colby Pereira

Director and Vice-President of Legislative Affairs

Colby Pereira received her Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Business with a minor in Crop Science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2005.  Colby is involved as a 3rd generation member of her family’s farming operation, holding the position of Food Safety Manager for Costa Farms.  She currently resides where she was born and raised, in Soledad, CA.  Colby currently serves as Food Safety Director at the state level of California Women for Agriculture (CWA) and sits as the Fruits, Vegetables & Specialty Crops Chair for CWA’s national affiliate, American AgriWomen.  She has served as President to the Salinas Valley Chapter of California Women for Agriculture, representing Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties.  Colby currently serves as Vice President of Membership for Monterey County Farm Bureau and is involved with Central Coast Young Farmers & Ranchers.  She also participates on the Food Safety & Water Use Committees with both Monterey County Farm Bureau and Grower Shipper Association of Central CA, sits on the Board for Central Coast Ag Task Force, is involved with the Salinas Jaycees and Monterey County Young Professionals, is a Board member at Ag Against Hunger, works on the Salinas Valley Half Marathon Board, serves with the South County YMCA Board of Managers, is a Soledad Mission Restoration Board member and was currently elected to the Mission Union School District Board of Trustees.   In her spare time she enjoys staying active with sports, traveling and spending time with friends and family.

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Francis Giudici

Director and Vice-President of Finance

Francis Giudici is the President of L.A. Hearne Company, a family owned and operated Agricultural service business located in King City.  After attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, he joined four uncles and seven cousins in the ownership and operation of this diversified company that was founded by his grandfather in 1938.  Francis joined the company in 1976 as the Production and Sales Manager of their Farm Products division and has been President since 1995.

Actively involved in the California Bean Shippers Association Board of Directors, Francis has served as their President and recieved their Pat Kincade Award.  He also serves on the 1st Capital Bank Advisory Committee and the King City Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Francis lives in King City with his wife Becky, has three sons and one grandchild.  When not working, he coaches youth sporots and enjoys the outdoors, woodworking, skiing, and spending time with family.

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