February 2024 - 4

EDITOR'S LETTER
On-farm collaboration
key to success
One of the great things about the grower
community is the collaboration with others
to bring a better product to market. This
takes many forms, ranging from working with
Extension specialists and other universitybased
researchers, on-farm visits with
customers to meet challenges in fulfilling
vegetable specifications and even contributing
money and other resources to support pest
and disease research.
You'll find some examples of these
collaborations in action in our coverage
of Michigan Vegetable Council honorees,
starting on page 6. Main Farms and Rebecca
Grumet, a longtime Michigan State University
(MSU) Department of Horticulture professor,
were recognized during the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market
Expo in December in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Main Farms grows many crops, including green
beans and peas for baby food manufacturer
Gerber. The farm is just 40 miles from the Gerber
facility in Fremont, Michigan, and Chris Falak,
category manager and field representative,
works with the Main family to help them meet
the baby food company's demanding specs.
It's a two-way street: in a video from Michigan
Farm Bureau that was shown during the awards
banquet, Falak said he's worked with the farm
for more than 30 years, and Paul Main and his sons Dan and Joe have
taught him a lot.
Early on in her MSU career, the Michigan pickle industry sought
Grumet's assistance, starting a decadeslong
collaboration on varieties with disease
resistance and other desirable properties.
And for those who we'll be hearing more about
Main Farms profile
in the coming years, we have the 2023 Fruit &
Vegetable 40 Under 40 Award honorees who
were recognized at a reception at GLEXPO
(page 12). Congratulations for all your hard work!
We're accepting nominations for the 2024
Rebecca Grumet
profile
Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under 40 Awards. Please
take a moment to consider someone in your
organization or someone who you interact with
through your job who has impressed you. Nomination forms are at
fruitgrowersnews.com/2024-40-under-40/.
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FEBRUARY 2024 | VOLUME 58 | ISSUE 2
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February 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2024
