Stories about young growers
Erica is a fourth-generation farmer with a degree in criminal justice and sits on the Blue Star Growers board of directors. Erica is the daughter of Vince and Lesa Bland.
Sarah and Parker are first-generation farmers who recently purchased their own farm. Sarah graduated from University of Oregon and earned her master’s degree in business from George Fox University.
David is a second-generation farmer who grows fruit along Lake Ontario and who graduated with a degree in agriculture system management from Purdue University. He is the son of Margo and Jim Bittner.
Juan is a second-generation tree fruit farmer who recently joined Simplot Growers. He’s the son of Celina and Juan Ojeda.
Fletcher is a fourth-generation farmer who graduated from the University of Utah. He’s the son of Tami and Brian Hukari.
Crystal is a second-generation farmer who grew up in the Yakima Valley and originally pursued teaching before joining her brother, Tony Mendoza, with Haak Administrative Services. She is married to Jesus Aguilar and is the daughter of Trinidad and Elieser Mendoza.
Kyle is a fifth-generation famer in the West-central Michigan region. He was part of USApple’s Young Apple Leaders program, obtained a business degree from Grand Rapids Community College and is the son of Sue and Chuck Rasch.
Maureen graduated from Walla Walla Community College’s viticulture and enology program and joined Shaw Vineyards as a viticulturist in 2018. She is the daughter of Carol and John O’Callaghan.
Alicia grew up in Lower Saxony, Germany, and attended Geisenheim University before transferring to Cornell University to pursue her undergraduate degree in plant sciences.
Joel went to University of British Columbia, focusing on economics, and returned to the family farm, eventually buying his own land. He’s the son of Louisa and Neal Carter.
