b'Kate Elmore McCutcheon saw affects of COVID-19 on her operationranging from growing uncertainty to COVID-19 border restrictions. to work with him for a year before heand right now we just dont have a good passed, and that brought us both a lot ofindication of what to do. Our biggest joy, shares Elmore McCutcheon of herchallenge right now is trying to plan for transition from public accounting to thethe fall because we just arent sure how many hats she now wears for her fam- much of our open market produce we are ilys Vale Ranches and Sahara Packinggoing to be able to move. Company endeavors.To compound the market challenges, Located in the Imperial Valley, ElmoreOur core values dont focus onthe operations labor has also been McCutcheon is the fourth generation toaffected by the restrictions COVID-19 work on the familys Brawley, Cali., farm,the short-term. They focus onmitigation has imposed. producing alfalfa, sudan grass, bermudahow we can build a legacy forA lot of our workers are Mexican grass, celery, lettuce, carrots, sweet corn,citizens who come over (to the United and melons. She notes that the genera- generations to come.States) every day, she says, And tions of leadership before her have been Kate Elmore McCutcheon because of COVID-19 restrictions there instrumental in the operations ability toare a lot of challenges at the borderwithstand challenges and pivot for newboth coming and going. opportunities.Another labor hurdle for Elmore Our core values dont focus on theMcCutcheons familys business is the short-term, she says of the challengesincrease in minimum wage enacted in new wage requirements and COVID-192016 with annual incremental increases have imposed on the business. Theyuntil the $15 per hour minimum wage is focus on how we can build a legacy forWe did have some lettuce left atreached. generations to come.the end of March that we had to disc in,With increasing labor costs, our more Elmore McCutcheon says that bothbut not nearly as much as some of thelabor-intensive crops such as lettuce and Sahara Packing Company and Valefarmers futher north, she says. We weresweet corn are becoming increasingly Ranches, the farming operation behindlucky on that front.more difficult to see positive returns, she the packing label, have had to make con- The biggest COVID related challengesays, adding that higher labor wages have cessions for COVID-19, especially in theirthe operation continues to face is uncer- forced a significant portion of produce open market produce sales for lettucetainty, Elmore McCutcheon says. production out of California and into and sweet corn.We make rotational decisions in July,Mexico and Arizona.SW18/ SEEDWORLD.COMSEPTEMBER 2020'