Sea Mist Farms’ Success Story
June 14, 2012 
Many growers, or growers in large operations at the supervisory level, grew up in farming. Perhaps because of that, as well as some misguided perceptions of farming, there is a shortage of young people coming up through the ranks in leadership positions. It’s one of the reasons the average age of the American farmer is 57. Chris Drew would like to correct those misperceptions, and he is, after all, living proof.
Drew is production manager for Sea Mist Farms, one of the divisions of Ocean Mist Farms, an AVG Top 100 Grower located in Castroville, CA. Located in the Salinas Valley, Sea Mist Farms grows a total of more than 5,000 acres of a wide variety of mixed greens and other vegetables, including close to 3,000 acres of artichokes. (See “Artichoke Artists.”)
Because of his managerial position, and the fact that at 36 he’s 21 years younger than the average farmer, one would suspect that Drew inherited his position. But that’s far from the case, as both his parents are (now retired) educators, and he didn’t grow up on a farm. Indeed, he was a city kid, growing up in San Jose.
He did, however, spend a few summers on his grandfather’s corn and soybean farm in central Illinois, and got bitten by the farming bug. “I was fascinated with all aspects of farming,” he says, “and it seemed like a great career because it’s not just work, it’s a lifestyle.”
While still in high school, he decided he wanted to get in production agriculture. He talked to his parents, and they were supportive. (He still talks to his mother, a former science teacher, about biological issues he faces at Sea Mist.) His father knew the owner of Headstart Nursery in Gilroy, CA, and Drew got a summer job there during high school. He then went to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo to study crop science, and after graduation got a full-time position at Headstart in the Coachella Valley, managing the production of vegetable transplants. Three years later, he joined Sea Mist Farms in Castroville, and began working his way up.
Myth Busting
Drew would like to see more young people who don’t necessarily have a background in farming get involved in agriculture, and he’s fully aware of the average youngster’s perceptions. He tackles them one by one.
● It’s Low-Tech. That’s just a complete misperception, says Drew. One look at the technology used every day at Sea Mist would disabuse a youngster of that notion. Most of the tractors are GPS-guided, and are incredibly time- and fuel-efficient. Soon they will have virtual dashboards, showing how many hours on the unit, and the unit is serviced exactly when it needs to be serviced — and only then. “Stopping a tractor is like keeping a plane on the ground,” he says, “so we don’t.”
● It’s For Hayseeds. Drew says he’s frequently heard that farming is somehow “uncool.” He thinks it’s far more uncool to sit at a desk all day long. “We’re growing a vegetable garden on a very large scale,” he says. “What’s not cool about that?”
● It Doesn’t Pay Enough. This too is largely a misconception, as a bigger salary will come with experience and a strong work ethic. However, that said, a big salary shouldn’t be the chief motivation. “I myself couldn’t care less if I never owned a Mercedes Benz; money doesn’t buy happiness,” he says. “Farming is not something you should be in just for the money.”
● It’s Hard Work. Guilty as charged, says Drew, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. “Farming is a great profession, but it must be something you love — almost a hobby to you — because it’s such a humbling job,” he says. “You can get a call from your lettuce crew cutting 1,150 (boxes per acre), and you think ‘Great!’ Then your PCA (pest control adviser) calls and says this field over here is loaded with aphids, and it’s two days to harvest. Talk about a sinking feeling. But that’s part of the fun, adapting to the changes and knowing how to deal with them.”
If agriculture is going to attract more young people, Drew believes in starting at a young age. A nonprofit organization located near Sea Mist, Monterey County Agricultural Education, takes third graders out to farms for presentations, which Drew himself has given. Universities with strong ag programs, like his alma mater, Cal Poly — where Drew serves on the Crop Science Department Advisory Board — should host high school students for career days.
Besides addressing the misconceptions about a career in ag, people in the industry need to talk up the benefits, which are considerable. “It’s a tough business, but it’s very rewarding,” he says. “You are not just feeding your family, you’re feeding America.”
Go to page two to learn more about Sea Mist’s artichoke legacy, Spanish language abilities, and IPM program
Artichoke Artists
You can’t bring up Ocean Mist Farms, and the division of the company for which Chris Drew serves as production manager, Sea Mist Farms, without talking artichokes. The company dominates the crop; it’s absolutely without peer as the largest artichoke grower in the world. Castroville, CA, is home to Ocean Mist, and is known as “Artichoke Center of the World” just because that’s where the company is headquartered.
Ocean Mist is responsible for nearly 80% of the U.S. crop, Drew says. It would be difficult to compete with Ocean Mist today if other growers had the inclination. Many of the annual varieties that are used to fill in any gaps in production from the traditional perennial varieties are proprietary to Ocean Mist, which has two plant breeders on staff.
Interestingly, the crop has a long tradition in the U.S. Drew says the perennial varieties were brought to California from the Mediterranean at the time of the Gold Rush in the mid-19th century, and were farmed in South San Francisco, where the city’s airport is now located. The perennial artichoke plants, which reach about 36 inches tall when mature, are pruned back like a fruit tree each May. “It’s a really interesting crop,” says Drew, who has been farming them for the past eight years and now oversees close to 3,000 acres of production.
“Artichokes just draw you in; you wouldn’t believe the number of cars that pull up this time of year (April) so people can take pictures of the fields,” he says. “It’s great to work with artichokes.”
Go to page three to learn more about Sea Mist’s IPM program and Spanish language abilities.
Stewards Of The Land
As most growers know all too well, farmers are often incorrectly portrayed as pillagers of the earth, using the land for their short-term economic interests at the expense of the planet’s long-term future. Chris Drew is all too familiar with the caricature, and to demonstrate its folly he shows Sea Mist visitors the farm’s pheromone traps for artichoke plume moths.
They are simple devices that emit an odor that mimics the scent of a female moth, luring the males in, who are then trapped in a water/oil solution. The traps are checked every other day by a pest control adviser (PCA). Incidentally, Drew notes that there are five Kleen Globe PCAs who work full-time for Sea Mist. “That’s how important integrated pest management is to us,” says Drew, who is a licensed PCA himself, largely so he can better understand what’s going on in his fields.
The PCAs come up with a weekly average of the trapped males, and with that they can determine how many degree days to go through the life span of the moths so they can project when they will take flight. “We can then spray at exactly the right time,” he says. “That way we use exactly as much (pesticide) as we need — no more.”
As growers also know all too well, margins are thin in vegetable farming, and Drew has to make sure he stays within his budget. The traps serve a dual purpose, limiting the amount of pesticides sprayed, and saving Sea Mist money. “Having to do something extra, such as a spray, can put us in the red real fast,” he says.
It’s also important for young people concerned about protecting the environment to understand that farmers are the true environmentalists, the caretakers of the land. That’s why becoming a PCA is yet another great career option in agriculture, says Drew.
“Many in the public think ‘These guys spray all the time,’” he says. “But that’s not economical for one thing, and for another, we consider ourselves the stewards of the land.”
Go to page four to learn about Sea Mist’s Spanish language abilities
Habla Espanol?
As the production manager at Sea Mist Farms, Chris Drew is responsible for more than 5,000 acres. They are spread out over 18 ranches, meaning that on most days, Drew can be found in his pickup, constantly on the move. He’s also talking virtually nonstop, whether on his cell phone or on his Nextel radio. But whatever device he’s using, you’ll rarely hear him speaking English, as his foremen are much more comfortable conversing in Spanish.
Drew took a few Spanish classes in college, but he said he really learned it when he started working summers at Headstart Nursery in Gilroy, CA, as a teenager. He doesn’t think he’d be nearly as effective if he didn’t know the native language of the lion’s share of his employees.
“If you’re going to work in ag in California or Arizona, you should learn Spanish,” he advises young people considering a career. “I would say it’s a must; it’s very hard for someone to work in our industry every day without it.”
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