The Eastern Produce Council’s Leadership Program visited Wightman Farms in Morristown, NJ on Tuesday, September 10th. The group gathered for the fourth leg of their program and experienced a tour of the farm and team building exercises.
The Leadership Program is comprised of five components; three on-site visits and educational sessions, a FSMA training seminar, and a conference hosted at the annual New York Produce Show in December. The first two on-site events for the group were held at the Gloucester Port Terminal and Greenyard Logistics in March and Rutgers Snyder Farm in June.
Similar to the Rutgers Snyder Farm event, the day began with a tour of the farm hosted by lead farmer, Adam Costello. The tour explored the grounds, included a history of the establishment and, gave the participants an opportunity to pick their own apples and flowers. This was followed by a homemade lunch, prepared at the farm, and an afternoon session led by Professor Stan Elson, Co-Adjunct Instructor for the Office of Continuing Professional Education for Rutgers University. Stan covered two topics; “Developmental and Corrective Coaching” and “Building Your Team”.
Members of the Leadership Group will receive a certificate of completion at the Keynote Breakfast prior to the Expo at the New York Produce Show on Thursday, December 12th. For more information about the EPC’s Leadership Program or to become a member of the Eastern Produce Council, please visit www.easternproducecouncil.com.
Wightman Farms
Wightsman Farms has been growing and selling fruits and vegetables at the farm for over ninety years. Today, members of the family’s third generation with close friends continue the tradition of selling what’s grown on the farm. For five years, Wightman has offered a CSA program, which includes crops like cantaloupe, garlic, and Fingerling potatoes. The weekly boxes provide customers with local fresh produce and recipes to incorporate them into dinner. For more information on this program or the farm, visit wightmanfarms.com.
About Eastern Produce Council
The mission for the Eastern Produce Council is to provide the membership with multiple networking opportunities in the produce industry, to advance the sales and awareness of fresh fruits and vegetables, and to provide membership with the most relevant, up-to-date information available. For more information, please visit the website at www.easternproducecouncil.com or contact Susan McAleavey Sarlund at 908-723-0645.
