Editor’s Note: On May 29 at this year’s West Coast Produce Expo in Palm Desert, Calif., The Packer and the Equitable Food Initiative will present the third annual Grow the Good Farmworker of the Year award. To recognize the critical role farmworkers have in the fresh produce industry, The Packer is spotlighting each of this year’s five finalists, who were selected from nominations submitted in February.
Nominated for a second year in a row, Maria B. Resendiz Martinez, a crew foreman at Sierra Farms, has been recognized for humility, leadership and her ability to communicate and serve as a bridge between the farm and the consumer.
Rising from strawberry picker to her current role, Resendiz Martinez is one of only a few women in senior positions.
During the global pandemic, she became a voice for the industry in major publications, reminding the world that agricultural work is an essential service to society. She advocates for consumer awareness, highlighting the human hands and family sacrifices behind every beautiful presentation of fruit found in stores.
“She understands that the company’s customers also need to receive a product that is valuable and eatable and that can only happen if everyone cooperates and works together,” says colleague Juan Montañez of Sierra Farms.
Nominators cite Resendiz Martinez’s ability to remain neutral and fair and how she operates under the core philosophy that for the team to function successfully, everyone must win.
“She is a person who teaches by example with her effort and dedication, and if she sees that it is necessary, she does not stop and without fear she talks to whoever she has to talk to in order to solve a problem or to try to avoid a problem from happening,” says Sierra Farms colleague Maria Cervantes.
Nominators say she famously took a small project of just two people and, through her own process and program development, expanded it into a thriving department of 30. By utilizing untapped resources and implementing cost-saving measures, she has proven herself to be an intelligent strategist and a vital force in the field.
“It’s just great to have co-workers like Barbara, not only because she does a wonderful job and she’s open to learning and improving things and accepts constructive feedback, but also because she’s an amazing person,” Montañez says. “She is always willing to help; she is always smiling and positive about things.”
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