Since starting a little over a year ago, Elizabeth’s role has grown significantly. Shortly into her time at GAR Bennett, she was tasked with helping growers complete their Irrigation and Nitrogen Management Plans (INMP). From October to March, Elizabeth was on the phone with growers gathering information, reviewing their nitrogen usage, and preparing reports. She would often sit down with growers in the office to review the forms, ensuring all information was correct before sending to the Coalition. All while completing INMPs, Elizabeth was also tasked with monitoring and calibrating 5-0-0-12 fertilizer tanks in our growers’ fields. Currently, she spends most days on the road checking tanks and gathering data to send to the PCAs and agronomy team. As we head into the winter months, she will once again transition into her role as the INMP expert.
Though Elizabeth was not raised in agriculture, she was fascinated by what was happening in the field. Growing up in Orange Cove, Calif., she was always surrounded by agriculture and farm workers. While attending Reedley High School, she began working seasonally at some of the local packing houses. After graduating, Elizabeth attended Reedley College to complete her general education courses. Upon graduating from junior college, Elizabeth began her career working for Del Monte as an inspector and supervisor. Many of her days were spent checking fruit quality and quantity, while supervising the labor force to ensure everything was running efficiently. However, Elizabeth always knew she wanted more out of her career and decided it was time to finish her bachelor’s degree at Fresno State’s Craig School of Business.
When Elizabeth left her position at Del Monte, her supervisor referred her to the USDA where they quickly picked her up to start on research projects. While attending school, Elizabeth was studying powdery mildew and Pierce’s disease, working with embryos to develop different crop varieties, and monitoring green houses for the USDA. She was lucky to have two great mentors during this time: Dr. David Rammings at the USDA and Dr. Bill Rice at Fresno State who taught her to think “outside of the box.” After graduating in 2011 from Fresno State, Elizabeth took on a full-time position with the USDA until 2013 when she started her family. To help her family get by, Elizabeth took on seasonal work as an inspector for Fresno County until she finally joined the GAR Bennett team.
When Elizabeth is not on the road or in the field, she can be found spending time at the beach with her family. Some of their happy places include Pismo, Morro Bay and Santa Cruz. She also enjoys sitting down for a good movie, especially if it’s a horror film. Elizabeth’s fiancé, Alfonso, keeps busy on the road as well. He currently works for the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and will be transferring to the Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention (CPDP) division. She and Alfonso have two wonderful children, Aiden and Isabella.
Elizabeth is excited for the opportunities that will come because of the merger.
“I’m excited to see where the company will expand in the coming months, especially on the water treatment side as we begin to work with more growers throughout the Valley.”
