Article courtesy of Brock Nemecek.
Hispanic Heritage Month reminds me that some of life’s most important lessons begin with something as ordinary as a family moving in across the street.
I was in the fourth grade when Miguel Ortiz and his family became our new neighbors. Like most kids, I cared mostly about whether they had someone my age to play with. Fortunately for me, they did, and Miguel became my best friend.
Over the years, the Ortiz family became much more than neighbors. They welcomed me into their home with a generosity that, at the time, I simply accepted as part of childhood. Their house was my introduction to homemade tortillas, chorizo, and, perhaps just as importantly to two 10-year-old boys, WWF wrestling.
But what left the greatest impression wasn’t the food or even the wrestling. It was the family itself. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends gathered effortlessly around the table. Meals weren’t simply about eating; they were about being together. When challenges arose, everyone showed up. No one carried a burden alone.
As a young boy, I didn’t think of it as “Mexican culture.” It was simply the Ortiz family. They welcomed me as though I belonged there, and in doing so, they quietly expanded my understanding of what community could look like. Looking back now, I realize they also expanded my understanding of America.
Hispanic Heritage Month and an Industry That Brought Back Those Memories
Every Hispanic Heritage Month, I think about that house. Years later, my career led me into the fresh produce industry. As I built relationships across agribusiness, those childhood memories began to feel familiar again.
I found myself surrounded by remarkable people whose stories reflected not only hard work, but remarkable progress across generations. I think of one leader I worked with in Washington’s apple industry. His parents had picked fruit in the orchards. He grew up to become an operations executive, helping guide the adoption of state-of-the-art technology at one of the region’s largest packing facilities. His work improved efficiency, quality, and food safety while preparing that operation for the future.
I think of another professional whose family also began by working in those same orchards. He dedicated his career to in-field agronomy, partnering with growers to improve orchard performance and helping advance new apple varieties that continue to strengthen the industry today.
Related Article: Hispanic Heritage: A Driving Force Behind National Prosperity in the U.S.
Beyond the Labor Force
Too often, conversations about Hispanic contributions to agriculture begin and end with labor. That work deserves enormous respect and recognition, but it represents only one chapter of a much larger story. Across our industry are innovators, scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs, executives, marketers, retailers, food safety experts, and business owners whose ideas continue to shape the future of fresh produce. You can’t tell the evolution of American agriculture without them.
That’s one of the many reasons I love this industry.
Fresh produce is unlike almost any other business. Yes, we talk about crops, markets, logistics, technology, and food safety. But beneath it all are relationships built over decades, family businesses passed from one generation to the next, and trust that can’t be measured on a balance sheet. Those qualities are part of what makes this industry so special.
Thank You for the Harvest
I don’t write this as an expert on Hispanic heritage. I write it as someone whose life it has enriched.
As a child, I was welcomed into a home that broadened my perspective without anyone intending to teach me a lesson. As a professional, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside people whose resilience, ingenuity, and leadership continue to move agriculture forward. Those experiences continue to shape how I think about leadership, community, and success.
That’s what Hispanic Heritage Month has come to represent for me: not simply a celebration of history, but an opportunity to pause and recognize influences so woven into our lives that we sometimes forget to acknowledge them.
For me, it begins with the memory of a boy crossing the street to spend another afternoon at his best friend’s house. Decades later, I realize those lessons were never confined to the Ortiz family. I’ve seen them reflected in mentors, colleagues, and friends across this incredible industry.
So this Hispanic Heritage Month, my message is simple: Thank you.
Thank you for opening your homes. Thank you for sharing your traditions. Thank you for strengthening communities. Thank you for building businesses that continue to move agriculture forward.
And thank you for reminding all of us that the greatest harvest isn’t measured only by what grows in our fields, but by the people whose lives enrich everyone around them.