Salinas, CA — The California leafy greens community will honor retiring Congressman Sam Farr (CA 20) at a breakfast event October 28th at the Corral de Tierra Country Club in Salinas. Farr, who is nearing the end of his final term in Congress, is being recognized by the grower boards of the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement and the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California for his longstanding support of national food safety laws and the leafy greens industry in general.
Farr has served in Congress for 23 years representing California’s central coast area which includes Santa Cruz, Gilroy, Hollister, King City, Monterey and the Salinas Valley, which is known as the nation’s “salad bowl.”
The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) will present Farr with its Golden Checkmark Award, which is given to those who support government oversight of food safety in the produce industry. This award has been previously presented to others instrumental in the creation of the LGMA including Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura.
“Even before the LGMA existed, Congressman Farr was a great supporter of this effort to regain consumer confidence in the safety of leafy greens following tragic events of 2006,” said Scott Horsfall, CEO of the LGMA. “Farr has helped us over the years by arranging visits from important regulatory officials and capitalizing on his position as a ranking member of the House of Ag Appropriations to raise public awareness of the LGMA as a model public-private partnership which has made a real impact in protecting public health.”
Horsfall noted that Farr was instrumental in bringing to Salinas such officials as USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg and FDA Director of Foods Mike Taylor allowing them to see first-hand the commitment to producing safe leafy greens among farmers.
“Congressman Farr has always been generous with his time, frequently meeting with LGMA members, advising the industry and providing insights from his long career as a public servant in the House of Representatives,” continued Horsfall. “For these reasons, we are bestowing him with our Golden Checkmark Award in appreciation of the significant contribution he has provided to the leafy green industry.”
Jim Bogart, president of the Grower-Shipper Association also noted Congressman Farr’s contribution to the leafy green industry in the Salinas area. The organization will be presenting a special resolution to Congressman Farr thanking him for his service.
“Sam has been a huge supporter of the leafy greens community in Salinas,” said Bogart. “He quickly offered his support to our farmers following the tragic E. coli outbreak associated with spinach in 2006 and recognized immediately the industry wanted to do everything possible to make sure it would never happen again.”
“That was one of the worst of all times for the leafy greens industry,” continued Bogart. “Sam was there offering his support to farmers and to the public, just as he has done on many other occasions. His wisdom and experience will definitely be missed.”
Source: California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement's (LGMA)
