Check-in with Western Growers staff to collect your badge and Annual Meeting materials
Board Members, WG Members, and Invited Guests.
Mary Temple Grandin is an American academic and animal behaviorist. She is a champion of the humane treatment of livestock, autism rights and inclusive neurodiversity by employing her gifted insights from her personal experience with autism and visual thinking. She will provide insight into how different ways of thinking can help solve problems that your industry may face.
American Academic and Animal Behaviorist
Mary Temple Grandin is an American academic and animal behaviorist. She is a champion of the humane treatment of livestock, autism rights and inclusive neurodiversity by employing her gifted insights from her personal experience with autism and visual thinking. She will provide insight into how different ways of thinking can help solve problems that your industry may face. As a faculty member with Animal Sciences at Colorado State University, she was named as one of the top 10 college professors in the United States in 2020. She is the author of more than 60 scientific papers on animal behavior, and more than a dozen books on animal behavior and autism, including her latest NY Times bestselling, book, Visual Thinking (2022). Dr. Temple Grandin's remarkable influence in autism advocacy and farm-animal welfare continues to grow. This world-renowned and celebrated animal scientist has used her amazing talent in the classroom and research laboratories at Colorado State University to conduct research that translates to better industry practices and to train a new generation of scientists. Through her outstanding research and personal triumph, Dr. Grandin has enlightened the world about the humane handling of food animals and the unlimited possibility of the human spirit. Temple Grandin, PhD
Temple Grandin, PhD
American Academic and Animal Behaviorist
Michael Shellenberger, leading investigative journalist and Founder and President of Environmental Progress, will be joining the Western Growers Annual Meeting as a guest speaker at the annual PAC Luncheon.
Environmental Progress, Founder & President
Michael Shellenberger, leading investigative journalist and Founder and President of Environmental Progress, will be joining the Western Growers Annual Meeting as a guest speaker at the annual PAC Luncheon. Shellenberger is the best-selling author of San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities (HarperCollins 2021) and Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All (HarperCollins 2020). Apocalypse Never has been translated into over 15 languages. He is founder and president of Environmental Progress, an independent nonprofit research organization that incubates ideas, leaders, and movements. Michael is a Time Magazine "Hero of the Environment," and Green Book Award winner. And he is cofounder of the California Peace Coalition, an alliance of parents of children killed by fentanyl, parents of homeless addicts, and recovering addicts. Along with his journalistic accomplishments, he is a leading energy expert who testifies and advises governments worldwide, including in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. He is an expert on climate change, energy policy and the environment. He is known for his thought-provoking and controversial ideas and his willingness to challenge conventional wisdom. Shellenberger ran for California governor as an independent in 2022. Michael Shellenberger
Michael Shellenberger
Environmental Progress, Founder & President
What impact will artificial intelligence (AI) have on WG member operations and supply chains? How will AI improve and potentially accelerate automation and biological solutions, and are there over-hyped solutions that are unlikely to emerge? What impact will increased investment in AI in non-ag fields have on agriculture solutions?
This year’s Party with the Partners is all about the “Aloha Spirit” as we celebrate Western Growers’ loyal members and industry partners. Under the beautiful backdrop of Kauai, this memorable event will be filled with delicious refreshments, live music, networking opportunities and new games and activities for all.