Jeff Huckaby, president and CEO of the Bakersfield-Calif.-based Grimmway Farms, received the Grower of the Year award at the Organic Grower Summit in Monterey, Calif.
Huckaby is the fifth recipient of the award, which is presented by the Organic Grower Network, according to a news release. OGS is an annual event focused on organic fruit and vegetable production opportunities and challenges.
“We are honored to present the annual Grower of the Year award to Jeff. His decades-long work exemplifies what hardworking, passionate organic farming is all about,” Matt Seeley, co-founder and CEO of the Organic Produce Network, said in the release. “Over the past three decades, Jeff has worked tirelessly to encourage water conservation, natural methods for pest control, and always found ways to share information about those practices with other organic growers.”
Huckaby is a fourth-generation farmer with over 30 years of farming management experience, joining Grimmway in 1998. Under his leadership, Grimmway has grown its organic farming division from several hundred acres to more than 50,000 acres of certified organic land.
“His dedication to the environment and community is what makes the organic sector special and makes him so deserving of the title of Grower of the Year,” Seeley said in the release.
Prior to serving as president and CEO, Huckaby served as executive vice president where he oversaw sales, production, engineering and farming for all Grimmway Farms products, according to the release. Grimmway Farms produces organic fruits and vegetables in California’s Central Valley. Grimmway is the largest producer of carrots, globally.
“I am honored and humbled to receive this award and it’s with great pride that I share this recognition with our incredibly hard-working family of employees at Grimmway Farms, who work tirelessly to ensure that the highest quality organic produce reaches the consumer,” Huckaby said in the release. “I am excited as we look toward the future and continue to elevate the work and importance of organic farming.”
