July 30, 2015

Erin Steidlmayer, Managing Principal of Pacific Gold Agriculture, LLC, testified in Las Cruces, New Mexico on Tuesday, July 21, 2015 at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) hearings in support of the proposed pecan marketing order.

From July 20 – July 29, 2015, the USDA held three public hearings on the proposed federal marketing order for pecans grown in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas. The proposed order would provide authority to collect industry data and to conduct research and marketing promotion activities, and also create industry standards based on grade, quality, and size, as well as pack and container regulations, subject to approval by the Department of Agriculture.  The program would be financed through assessments collected from handlers handling the pecans within the proposed production areas.  If implemented, an administrative council of 17 grower and handler representatives, including designated representation for small businesses, would be established.

At the hearings, Erin Steidlmayer provided testimony on how the proposed pecan marketing order would benefit her farm management company.  Pacific Gold Agriculture manages over 1,250 of almonds and pecans, and approximately 3,000 acres with their affiliated group companies.  Their farm management company is dedicated to sustainable farming practices, with a focus on energy and water efficiency, food quality and long term sustainability.  Erin testified that that her background in technology is helping Pacific Gold Agriculture integrate software into their sustainable farming practices, and she hopes to continue to make our agriculture industry more current.  She sees the overall economic benefits of the pecan marketing order as another step in bringing the pecan industry into the 21^st century and beyond.

Pacific Gold Agriculture is an affiliate of Arbor Nutrio LLC, which is a private equity company focused on the management of tree nut orchards and related vertically integrated assets in California.  Ben King, Managing Principal of Arbor Nutrio, also testified in support of the marketing order from the perspective as being the largest producer of pecans in the State of California.