The 2023 Annual Meeting and Trade Show of the Western Agricultural Processors Association will again take place in Monterey, Calif., June 14-16.
In partnership with West Coast Nut, the 2023 WAPA Annual Conference is shaping to be a fun and informative meeting with more exhibitors than before. The keynote speaker for the event will be Patrick Moore, who has been a leader of the international environmental movement for more than 50 years.
Today, Moore reveals the myths and misinformation that distort current environmental debates. He calls for issues to be discussed on the basis of accurate scientific data, a search for consensus and the creation of sustainable solutions. Moore was a founding member, former President and International Director of Greenpeace.
In 2021, he authored an Amazon top selling book, Fake Invisible Catastrophes and Threats of Doom, his effort ‘to expose the misinformation and outright lies used to scare us and our children about the future of the Earth.’ The informative book, Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout: the Making of a Sensible Environmentalist is Dr. Patrick Moore’s engaging firsthand account of his many years spent as the ultimate Greenpeace insider. Confessions details Moore’s vision for a more sustainable world. From energy independence to climate change, genetic engineering to aquaculture, Moore sheds new light on some of the most controversial subjects in the news today and is sure to kick off the meeting with a bang.
Next, attendees will learn the latest in agricultural labor law requirements from experts Alden Parker and Rebecca Hause-Schultz, partners in the Sacramento Law Firm of Fisher-Phillips. Then, one of the most interesting presentations of the day will come from two Assembly members who are part of the Problem Solvers Caucus. Republican Assemblyman Heath Flora (9th District) and Democrat Assemblyman Carlos Villapudua (13th District) are co-chairs of the Problem Solvers Caucus formed to educate elected officials, legislative staff, and members of the public on policy issues and to encourage political leadership that puts the public good above partisan political ideology.
The business meeting will conclude with a regulatory and legislative update from WAPA’s President/CEO Roger A. Isom, Assistant Vice President Priscilla Rodriguez and Director of Technical Services Christopher McGlothlin. The team will update and educate attendees on the latest from Sacramento covering everything from the electric truck and forklift rules from the California Air Resources Board, the proposed Indoor Heat Illness regulation from Cal/OSHA, to the crazy implementation of SB 1383 for food waste and the fight against higher electric rates and preserving Net Energy Metering for solar projects. Other topics include the Association research on walnut dust combustibility and its Yard Truck Safety Training Grant. The staff will also cover its efforts to secure funding for agricultural tractor and harvester replacement and water infrastructure projects to help combat the effects of the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). It will also cover the legislation it is working on this year on behalf of the tree nut industry.
The overall event begins Wednesday Night at 5:30 pm with the Associate Member Appreciation Reception kicking off at the Monterey Conference Center. Thursday morning the Annual WAPA Golf Tournament will be held 9:00 am at the Bayonet Golf Course in Seaside. That afternoon, the exhibitor Trade Show will kick off in the Monterey Conference Center. Later, a reception will be held at 5:00 pm amongst all the exhibitors and then the evening WAPA Annual Meeting Dinner will begin at 6:30 pm. The night will include the passing of the gavel to the new Chair for WAPA and recognition of outgoing Chair Kim Keyawa-Musselman. The night will conclude with the Association remarks and a message from President and CEO Roger A. Isom.
