In this insightful episode, Vernon Peterson, owner of Abundant Harvest Organics which supplies to Homegrown Organic Farms, shares with LeAnne Ruzzamenti, Marketing Director of EFI, how to create a world-class operation in agriculture by engaging workers at all levels of decision-making. Located in Kingsburg, CA, Vernon’s farm provide a variety of organic tree fruit including peaches, plums, nectarines, and even persimmons.
The farm was the first fruit or vegetable grower to receive the Gold-level Regenerative Organic Certification, another recognition that joins its EFI certification. These recognitions are holistic proof of Peterson’s commitment to sustainability and making sure the farm meets the best standards for its workers and the environment. Peterson believes that creating a world-class operation in any industry is not possible by dictating from the top down, and it is essential to involve workers who know how to get the job done. According to him, EFI has been valuable in giving them a structure and framework of representatives from all levels of the operation, from the field to the packing, cold storage, sales, and more. When Peterson engaged in a worker management collaborative team through the EFI program, not only did the effectiveness of work improve by 55%, but early ideas came up to improve workers’ safety in the field.
The EFI team allowed workers to feel like they were part of making the company they work for better. An example of this was when they found a way to improve and make ladders safer. While UC Davis had developed a best practice to create a safer ladder with 10-inch steps, the EFI team improved upon it by adding a sleeve on the end of the ladder to avoid slipping and potential falls. The EFI team has introduced more safety measures, and you can listen to them all in the podcast.
Finally, Peterson’s experience shows that engaging workers on the farm and involving them in decision-making processes can lead to a significant improvement in the effectiveness of work and workers’ safety. EFI’s framework provides a structure for this kind of collaboration, and this can be an excellent way to make your company a world-class operation.
