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EDITOR’S VIEW By Tim Linden FPFC MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the Fresh Produce & Floral Council is to connect members to the information, education and profes- sional network they need to increase knowledge, grow their businesses and collectively advance the industry. A Thoughtful Look at Produce Education Oscar Guzman, who is director of marketing and sales at Pro- gressive Produce in Los Ange- les, is a bit worried about the future of the fresh produce industry. The 41-year-old looks around at his col- leagues in the industry and he sees many aging baby boomers that are taking a lot of knowledge with them into retirement. The aging of the ag community has long been a subject of concern in the United States as there seem- ingly are not enough young people following the path that was com- monplace for their ancestors. Much has been written about the average age of farmers, which is approach- ing 60, with more than one-third over the age of 65. This worries Guzman, but he is also concerned about the situation closer to home. In fact, Guzman recently received a doctorate in education from Pepperdine Uni- versity. His dissertation was laser focused on the Southern California produce industry and his concern that new members of our industry don’t have the opportunity to ac- cess the knowledge embedded in the industry. The knowledge gained through experiences and on-the- job learning that goes beyond what can be found in textbooks. The title of his 210-page disserta- tion is “Growing the Future of Agri- culture: An Examination of Knowledge Sharing and Community Building in the Fresh Produce and Floral Council.” Dr. Guzman, a title he has now earned, graduated from Pepperdine in May with an Ed.D in education after a 20-year journey that saw him receive three degrees (bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate) while working fulltime in the industry. With his doctorate in hand, Dr. Guzman’s new goal is to help the industry develop educational programs that allow many people in the indus- try the opportunity to learn from the veterans among us. He applauds the few apprentice programs that exist in the produce industry, including the FPFC’s annual effort. “The FPFC program is great but it only reaches 12 apprentices each year,” he said. “We need something for all newcomers and the rest of us that are constantly still learning.” He is just in the beginning stages of taking his research and turning into a tangible product. He is reaching out to others, especially in the association sphere, to figure out the best way to apply what he has learned, and expose more people to the power of knowl- edge-based learning. “I plan to collaborate with orga- nizations that share my concern, working together to develop a comprehensive plan that establishes an accessible knowledge base for the implicit knowledge crucial to the industry’s future,” he said. “I don’t think I discovered anything new but I do want to help figure out a more accessible, centralized and uniformed body of knowledge for all produce professionals.” It is a noble and worthy goal and one that deserves thoughtful consideration at all levels of the produce industry. Guzman revealed that a doctor- ate degree does not become official until the dissertation is published. His work is currently going through a peer review and will be published this summer on ProQuest, an online publishing house that focuses on scholarly work. Once published (proquest.com), it can be freely accessed through the site. It sounds like an important read. 4