Agriculture: Kevin and Diane Herman, The Specialty Crop Co.: Couple Give Crops Special Attention
Posted on: Sunday, 9 April 2006, 15:00 CDT
By Dennis Pollock, The Fresno Bee, Calif.
Apr. 9--Other Stories
* Hall of Fame: Jack Stone, founder of Stone Land Co. * Professional Services: Diane Anderson, Agricultural & Priority Pollutants Laboratory Inc. * Charitable/Nonprofit: Peter Carey, Self-Help Enterprises * Real Estate/Construction: Dirk Poeschel, Dirk Poeschell Land Development Services * Small Business: Nelson's ACE Hardward * Manufacturing: ADCO Manufacturing * Retail/Wholesale: The Charles McMurray Company * Health Care: Family HealthCare Network * Finance/Banking/Insurance: County Bank
The Specialty Crop Co. in Madera lives up to its name.
It's all about pistachios, almonds, citrus, olives, persimmons -- and next on the horizon, pomegranates.
"We feel our name is a good moniker," says Kevin Herman, who established the business along with his wife, Diane, chief financial officer.
The Hermans have grown the business, which started in 1989 in a spare bedroom of their home, from three full-time employees farming 500 acres, to 200 employees and 8,000 acres of permanent crops.
A third-generation farmer raised in the Kerman-Biola area, Herman left the small family farm to take up farm management.
Today, much of that management is on behalf of absentee owners.
"We farm for our clients as if it were our own," Herman says.
Debi Bray, executive vice president of the Madera Chamber of Commerce, praised Herman's community involvement and service with the chamber.
"He's just genuine," she says.
Herman has been active in leadership roles in various farming industries. He is chairman of the California Pistachio Commission and past president of the California Fresh Fig Growers Association.
"Participating keeps you informed. It teaches you new things," Herman says.
Herman's crop mix enables him to offer nearly year-round work.
The company's farming operation is vertically integrated, using in-house employees at all times. Specialty has its own equipment and trucking operation, which was developed out of frustration with unreliable vendors and high commercial prices.
Steve Sagouspe, a real estate agent specializing in agricultural land, says Herman is "self-made" and "has taken calculated risks" in building his enterprise.
Chris Mariscotti, owner of the Vineyard Restaurant in Madera and a past president of the chamber, described Herman as "a very smart guy, very thoughtful and a hard worker. He makes sure the company is well run and that employees have the tools they need."
The company seeks to be as environmentally sensitive as possible, Herman says.
It has installed many owl barns to control rodents, it chips and shreds prunings and mulches them into the ground, it keeps tillage to a minimum to avoid kicking up dust and it has converted to more fuel-efficient engines.
"Almost 10% of our ranches are now certified organic," Herman says.
The reporter can be reached at dpollock@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6364.
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Source: The Fresno Bee
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