Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/117824
Labor Privileged ���I always wanted to be in their company,��� Garcia said. Tom Mathison reminded him of his father, and he liked his philosophies. ���I felt so privileged, because every Tuesday morning we had breakfast with him, and he would share his insights and tell stories. I was really happy there. I felt like part of a big family, and I never knew more about the business than there. It���s amazing how well structured it was for communicating what was going on.��� He was popular with the other fieldmen because when they went to an orchard to prune, for example, he could explain to the workers why it had to be done a certain way and how to do it better, which was empowering to them. That was the rationale behind his idea of developing an education program to teach Hispanic orchard workers. He worked with Wenatchee Valley College agriculture director Dr. Kent Mullinix to present the first Hispanic Orchard Employee Education classes in 1993, which focused on horticulture. ���At first, it was, ���Let���s teach people why we do the things we do in the orchard,��� and the carrot was maybe advancement within the company,��� Garcia said. The following year, Marlys Barrett was hired as coordinator, and English and math were added to the curriculum. The program began in the fall, after harvest, and ended in March before the frost control season. Mathison encouraged Garcia to take whatever time he needed to work on the educational program, but, as it grew, Garcia felt he had to make a choice between the two jobs. ���I was kind of sad leaving Stemilt,��� he said. ���All the other fieldmen said, ���You���re crazy. How much are they going to pay you? ���It was a substantial pay cut, for sure,��� he recalled. ���But that���s okay because it felt like the right thing to do and I really enjoyed it.��� central Washington. The program includes a pruning field trip and attendance at the Spanish session of the Washington State Horticultural Association���s annual meeting in December, which Garcia has also been involved with for many years. Most students are paid by their employers for the time they spend in class. Garcia said those who are not paid usually don���t make it through the entire 19 weeks of the program because the lost pay can amount to $400 a month and be a hardship to the family. The college now offers a tuition waiver because of the benefits of the program to the community. Karen Lewis, Washington State University Extension specialist, said furthering the education of the industry���s Hispanic employees has been Garcia���s calling. ���And it���s really good that he chose to take this calling, because he does have the leadership skills to get the job done, and he does have the leadership skills to go beyond the rhetoric of what it means to be Latino in Washington State, and he does have the leadership because he���s been able to garner support from industry and academia as well.��� ��� Advanced level An advanced level of the course was developed for those who graduated from the original program. Francisco Sarmiento, an early graduate, went on to earn his bachelor���s degree in horticulture at WSU and became an instructor for the program. Later, an IPM technician course was added, then a course on farm and ranch management that focused on supervisory skills and how an orchard business operates. In recent years, a program similar to the basic horticulture program has been offered for vineyard workers. Over the past 20 years, the program has graduated a total of almost 800 orchard workers, some of whom have completed multiple classes. Classes used to be held in the evenings three times a week. To accommodate more students and reduce travel time, they are now held for one full day per week, usually with more than 30 students per class, in a number of locations in www.goodfruit.com UNIQUE CHEMISTRY FOR STANDOUT PERFORMANCE. When it comes to protecting your orchard, Delegate�� WG insecticide stands alone. Deleg offers proven egate performance against codling moth ��� along with other tough pests like Oriental fruit mot , leafrollers, th, , spotted wing drosophila, plum curculio and apple maggot. What sets it apart? A mode of action so unique, it���s the only one in its class. That makes Delegate key to any spray rotation program for pome and stone fruit, cranberries, blueberries or grapes. www.DelegateInsecticide.com 800-258-3033 �� Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (���Dow���) or an af���liated company of Dow Always read and follow label directions. ��2013 Dow AgroSciences LLC L38-359-010 (01/13) BR 010-34175 DAAGDELE2059 GOOD FRUIT GROWER April 1, 2013 15