Alliance for Food and Farming Makes Board Appointments
The Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF) has appointed George Radanovich, president of the California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA), to the AFF’s management board and named Rick Tomlinson, president of the California Strawberry Commission (CSC), the body's new secretary/treasurer. Tomlinson will also now sit on the AFF’s executive committee.
Radanovich’s “experience and perspectives about farming, food safety and agricultural issues will be very valuable as we continue to advance the objectives and strategies of the AFF and promote our key messages which emphasize the safety of all produce,” said AFF Chair Chris Zanobini, adding that Tomlinson “will do an outstanding job overseeing AFF finances. … Rick has been a strong supporter of the AFF, and his input and service on the board has been integral in advancing the goals of the organization.”
Radanovich served in the U.S. Congress from 1995 to 2011, representing California's 19th District. While in the House of Representatives, he co-chaired both the Water Caucus and the Wine Caucus, and was regarded as an agricultural expert in water supply and immigration reform issues. A farmer who began growing premium wine grapes in California’s Mariposa County in 1982, Radanovich became president of the CFFA in August.
A member of the AFF management board since 2013, Tomlinson became president of the CSC that same year; previously, he had held the role of the organization’s VP of public policy. He helped spearhead CSC's groundbreaking efforts to protect the ozone layer through pesticide reduction practices that earned the commission the U.S. EPA’s Stratospheric Ozone Award Protection Award. Most recently, he worked on an agreement with Cal Poly SLO to establish the Strawberry Sustainability and Research Center.
“There are some new and exciting AFF initiatives coming in 2017,” said Tomlinson, noting that the organization would “work to advance the Safe Fruits and Veggies Campaign so that food safety facts, not fears, guide consumers’ shopping choices.”
Added Radanovich: “The work of the AFF is important to counter misinformation about the healthy and safe products our farmers work hard every day to provide to consumers.”
The board seat and secretary/treasurer position became vacant following the departure of Barry Bedwell from the CFFA to become president of the California Ag Leadership Foundation. Part of the AFF leadership team that established the successful Safe Fruits and Veggies campaign in 2010, Bedwell’s tenure as secretary/treasurer saw significant membership and contribution increases.
Based in Watsonville, Calif., the nonprofit AFF represents organic and conventional farmers and farms of all sizes. Alliance contributors are limited to fruit and vegetable farmers, companies that sell, market or ship fruits and vegetables, and organizations that represent produce farmers.