Summit In The Southwest

The inaugural Southwest Ag Summit held in Yuma, AZ, March 8 not only drew a larger than expected crowd of more than 400 people, but rave reviews, as well.

“We’re very pleased with the results,” said grower Steve Alameda, who headed up the grassroots effort to offer an exposition of the latest in agriculture technology, innovative ideas, and information on issues of concern to the industry. Alameda also serves as a board member of the Yuma Fresh Vegetable Association.

Against the backdrop of the recent E. coli outbreak linked to fresh spinach, a major focus of the summit was on food safety.

“Food safety has to be the primary issue addressed in the fresh produce industry,” said guest speaker Jim Gorny, senior vice president for food safety and technology with United Fresh Produce Association.

“Fear has no place in the produce aisle of the grocery store, in restaurants, or in homes,” Gorny said.

A different tone was set by keynote speaker James G. Watt, former Interior Secretary, who shared his insight into the administrations of five presidents he served. He noted that people are remembered not for their achievements, but for the morality of things they do, whether good or bad.

Immigration was another hot topic for the summit, with a wide spectrum of opinions expressed.

Alameda said organizers are already planning to make next year’s event even bigger. It will be two days, March 12-13, 2008, at the Yuma Civic Center, with hopes to attract twice as many vendors and an even larger crowd.