In 2023 CFVGA will serve members in the following ways:
2023 Goals
- 1 Improved buyer demand for Colorado produce (Buyers Buy Colorado)
- 2 Increased access to domestic and foreign workers (Labor for farms and facilities)
- 3 Increased CFVGA influence of law and policy makers (More effective advocacy)
- 4 Increased strength of CFVGA by growing our base of committed members and sponsors

Top priorities for the Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association
- Public policy advocacy and monitoring of issues impacting the Colorado produce industry at the local, state and national levels, including but not limited to labor, food safety and water
- Representation of Colorado produce grower interests before agriculture, public and consumer organizations
- Members ONLY website resources, including production tip sheets, videos, decision trees and webinars
- Inclusion of your farm or organization in CFVGA’s online Produce Directory
- Alerts when CFVGA receives information about buyers sourcing specific produce items
- Quarterly (electronic) newsletter
- Weekly Scoop distributed electronically
- Free or discounted training, workshops and annual conference
- CFVGA-produced educational webinars on a variety of topics affecting your farm or organization
- Colorado produce promotion to consumers through the news media and social media
- Direct promotion of Colorado produce with grocery stores, institutional buyers, brokers and chefs
- Access to the latest news, resources and research for the Colorado produce industry
CFVGA Grower and Allied members also receive the following member benefits with Western Growers for no additional membership fees
- Unique online resources with human resources, insurance, labor services and other programs that may be subject to a fee for service.
- Access to all WG online resources on topics including: Health Insurance, Legal, Training and Development, Human Resources, Insurance Services, Workers Compensation, etc
- Email notice and access to all WG webinars including the monthly Science and Technology “Lunch and learn” Webinars.
- Direct access to the WG Trade Practices and Commodity Services personnel for education and training on best practices for sales and assistance with slow pay and disputed sales contracts
- The electronic WG Spotlight newsletter which is published twice weekly.
- These grower and allied members will receive login credentials to the Western Growers website and can access these online resources.
- For an overview without member login visit: www.wga.com/services
Detailed Western Grower benefits to CFVGA Grower and Allied members include
- 1 Educational Webinars: Includes monthly Science and Technology “Lunch and Learn” webinars and regular webinars on legal and labor-related issues: list of upcoming events can be found at wga.com/events
- 2 Human Resources/Legal Hotline: Offers members one-on-one guidance about employment law and HR-related questions (Call 877-942-4529)
- 3 Media and Communications: Access to Spotlight E-newsletter and WG&S Magazine
- 4 Insurance Services: A full service broker for health benefits, property and casualty, workers’ compensation, and personal lines
- 5 Transportation Program: Offers a robust, cost-effective, and energy-efficient transportation solution customized to meet individual business needs: Visit the Transportation Program website at www.wga.com/logistics
- 6 Trade Practices and Commodity Services: For assistance with slow pay and disputed accounts (Contact Tom Oliveri at 949-885-2269 or sign up for the Straight from Tommy O blog at www.wga.com/toliveri/tommy-o-blog
- 7 Financial Services: Provides investment services for both businesses and individuals: Visit the Financial Services website at ww.wga.com/services/financial-services
Who is on the Board?
Our board is composed of conventional and organic fruit and vegetable growers of various scales and marketing channels plus industry and partner members from four key produce growing regions of Colorado
- Arkansas Valley (Glenn Hirakata, Alisha Knapp, and Mike Bartolo)
- Northern Colorado (Robert Sakata, David Asbury, Dave Maynard, Catharine Soukup, and Adrian Card)
- San Luis Valley (Grant Mattive and Roger Mix)
- Southwest Colorado (Beth LaShell)
- Tri-River Area (Western Colorado: Bruce Talbott, David Harold and Harrison Topp)
Our Executive Director is Marilyn Bay Drake
