Filice farm continues to grow in San Benito
In 1999 Kay Filice was faced with a difficult decision. After
the death of her husband, local grower and packer Chuck Filice, she
faced the imposing decision of whether to keep the family farm
running or sell it.
Filice farm continues to grow in San Benito
In 1999 Kay Filice was faced with a difficult decision. After the death of her husband, local grower and packer Chuck Filice, she faced the imposing decision of whether to keep the family farm running or sell it.
Filice had very limited experience with the farm herself. Chuck had been the one that handled everything – she helped out annually with the apricot season.
Still, with almost no knowledge of farming she was reluctant to get rid of this part of her life. She decided that she would keep the farm for now and try her hand at farming before she gave it all away.
That was eight years ago.
Today she sits not only at the top of her company, but also as the head of the Central California Grower-Shipper Association.
And while she admits that after eight years she is still learning every day, she is also doing a lot for her business and her industry.
“I never knew if I could do this, if I even wanted to do this,” Filice said. “But I’ve truly grown to love what I do. Now we’re making five-year plans and leasing land and gradually growing bit by bit.”
Fortunately, Filice had a crew of amazing employees that had been with her husband and made the transition easy.
“Mitch Wright and his son, Mark, are so knowledgeable and experienced. They are some of the best farmers in San Benito County,” Filice said. “Their collective knowledge and dedication have really helped the ranch to succeed, but not without the assistance of everyone else here.”
In an industry where there is little margin for error, Filice has taken steps to ensure that the family farm, which is closing in on its 60th anniversary, will continue into the future.
“One of the things I knew I needed to do when I came on board was network more,” Filice said. “I needed to meet others in the industry and find out how they do what they do. So I got involved with the grower/shipper association. With all that was going on in California agriculture, I knew I wanted to be involved with the bigger picture. I wanted to be part of the industry decision process.”
Filice first got involved with the Grower-Shipper Association in 2003 as a way to network with other growers and shippers in the industry.
The group acts as a liaison between the regional produce industry and local, state and federal governments. The organization comprises 300 produce shippers, growers and processors from Monterey, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and San Benito counties.
Filice is the first woman in the organization’s 77 year history to be appointed as chairperson.
Still her work as a farm owner hasn’t always been easy.
The challenges of farming are plentiful. There are always uncertainties with the weather and the need for more land. The soil consistency must be maintained and there must be enough water in order for the crops to grow and enough cheap labor to bring the crops to market.
All of these have been things that Filice has had to deal with.
“This year we’re short on water and labor, so those have both been challenges,” Filice said. “How much can we grow and how well we can grow it are both ultimately decided by those two factors. And all of this ultimately affects the buyer. It takes a lot of experimenting, testing and trial and error. We always have to look to the future, but we can’t take steps too quickly.”
Today Filice’s farms produce 15 types of row crops including peppers, onions, celery, tomatoes and a variety of leafy greens in addition to cherries.
In the past, farming has traditionally been seen as a business controlled by men, but these demographics are beginning to change.
Filice sees a tremendous opportunity for women in agriculture. There have been advancements in technology and the field is expanding, so there are plenty of opportunities for women in the business, Filice said.
However, she said there has been somewhat of a problem with attracting youth to farming.
“We need more producers,” Filice said. “There is a lot going on with research and new varieties and new technology so there are a lot of jobs out there. There are many more women and men getting into different ag-related jobs and San Benito County is a great place to get into farming.”
None of Filice’s three children are currently involved with the family farm, but she considers the people that work at Filice farms her family and said that the business will always be a family business, whether her children take over at some point or not.
“I plan to stay involved for quite a while. I’m very enthusiastic about agriculture and our future,” Filice said. “People have to eat and food safety is so important. 1 percent of imported food is accepted, so it’s more important than ever for American consumers to realize that it is important to keep crops here and local.”
