The Grower-Shipper Association Foundation is proud to announce the fellows accepted to the 2011 Ag Knowledge Program (Class V). These 26 community members will participate in a ten-month executive leadership program focused on the heritage, diversity, stewardship, and complexity of Monterey County agriculture and the interdependencies that exist between agriculture, local government, and the community.

Courses focus on issues affecting and influenced by the local agricultural industry, including food safety and security, labor and immigration, technology, marketing, conservation, urban/agriculture interfacing, air, water and much more. The fellows will spend one Friday a month over the course of the program attending forums and visiting farms, processing facilities and meeting leaders and innovators in the industry. One of the program’s most popular facets includes a “day on the farm” with a local grower. Follow fellows on twitter at http://twitter.com/AgKnowledge.

AgKnowledge Class V is made up of the following community members: Diana Biddle, Chief Compliance Officer, NH3 Service Company; Maia Carroll, Public Information Officer, County of Monterey; Katy Cava, Tax Manager, Hayashi & Wayland; Lindsay Coate, Marketing Director, Ag Against Hunger; Tracey Dattilo, Commercial Insurance Manager Winn & Company Insurance; Yazdan Emrani, Director, Public Works, County of Monterey; Sharon Gavin, Community Outreach Coordinator, Transportation Agency of Monterey County; Michael Heisinger, Ranch Accounting Manager, Queen Victoria Farms; Graham Hunting, Ag Inspector/Biologist III, County of Monterey; Christine Kemp, Attorney, Noland, Hamerly, Etienne & Hoss; Emily Lyons, Marketing Manager, Royal Rose LLC; Tobi Marcus, Director, Resource Development, Community Foundation for Monterey County; Fred Martinez, Customer Service Manager, Zenith Insurance; Barb McGaughey, CEO, Central Coast YMCA; Austin Migotti, Sales, Coastline Produce; Reyna Navarrete, Board Aide, Supervisor Salinas, District 3; Danny Neumann, Sales Coordinator, Driscoll's; David Olsen, Senior Risk Manager, Leavitt Central Coast Insurance Services; Sara Rubin, Staff Writer, Monterey County Weekly; Nancy Selfridge, City Council Member, City of Monterey; Richard Stedman, Air Pollution Control Officer, MBUAPCD; Ana Toledo, Attorney, Ottone, Leach, Olsen & Ray LLP; Stephen Vagnini,County Assessor Clerk/Recorder, County of Monterey; Claudia Villalobos, Sales Specialist, D'Arrigo Bros. Co. of CA; Tamara Voss, Hydrologist, Monterey County Water Resources Agency; Maureen Wruck, Managing Member, Wruck Planning Consultants.