SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014
Almond Facts 11
“What I liked best about being on the membership staff was working
with the growers and helping them to produce their crop. From fertilizer
selections to insecticides, to irrigation and variety selection, it was
always a very rewarding experience,” said Rob Kiss, veteran Field
Supervisor. Rob retires after working with
Blue Diamond
almond
growers in the Turlock area since St. Patrick’s Day in 1980.
Kiss is a graduate of Fresno State, where he earned a degree in biology with a
chemistry emphasis. “I wanted to go to work in forestry, but the year I graduated,
there were only two jobs available for the whole state. I ended up being hired by the Bud
Antle Lettuce Company and I was their pest coordinator. So began my career in pest control advising.”
His long-term stint with
Blue Diamond
began after years working as an agricultural pest control advisor (PCA) in northern
Merced County. “It was an opportunity for me to have a work-life balance, utilize my PCA skills and work for a great company
with a super reputation,” he explained. “I jumped at the opportunity!”
Soon after joining the member-relations team, Kiss was approached by Member Relations Director Dave Baker to write a
cultural column for Almond Facts magazine. That column, Time to Consider, remains one of the most widely read sections of
the bi-monthly magazine.
“Most of the column is generated from ‘normal’ Good Agricultural Practices and a lot of it came from experience,” said Kiss.
“I tried to include some university fndings and research, and always rounded it out with a bit of common sense. I have never
thought that farming almonds was rocket science. If you pair common sense and good chemistry, most of the time it works out
pretty well.”
Baker oversaw Kiss’s feld activity since 1982. “Rob is going to be sorely missed, not only by
Blue Diamond
as a feld supervisor,
but also by his growers who were pampered for many years. He is one of most knowledgeable and best feld supervisors that
Blue
Diamond
had the privilege of having on staff for 34 years.”
When asked what his most memorable moment was after working for
Blue Diamond
for over 34 years, Kiss recalled a time that “defned who
we were and what we are as a company.” He was visiting with Ray
Harcksen, a
Blue Diamond
past director, long-time farmer, manager of
Northern Merced Hulling and Kiss’s old friend. He asked his friend to
share a piece of advice, any advice, about his job with
Blue Diamond
.
“He looked at me sternly and replied: frst, never forget who you work
for; second, never forget the job a company is supposed to do. Isn’t
that perfect?” Kiss said. “It was applicable the day
Blue Diamond
began
and should still be the heart of what we do today. This would be my
advice to anyone coming to work for
Blue Diamond
.”
Ultimately, Kiss said he would miss the growers and feld staff the
most. “Our growers are friends and family to me and they always will
be. And the feld staff, they are so well respected inside and outside
of the almond industry. They were a brotherhood and we have been
through a lot together. No brothers were ever left behind. I was part
of an incredible team.”
Field Supervisor
andTime to
Consider Columnist
Rob Kiss Retires
Kiss, standing, and his wife Debra register
growers for continuing education credits during
Blue Diamond's 2013 Annual Meeting.