2023 Annual Convention

Registration: The registration and hospitality area will be open for
members to stop by and mingle with staff and other members.

This tournament will be held at Black Horse, a 7,024-yard, par-72 layout, features sweeping vistas of the Pacific and is highlighted by fescue-framed fairways, bunkers with distinctive, serrated edges and slickly-contoured greens. The par-3 15th, created during the renovation, faces the bay and is sure to emerge as one of the great holes on the Peninsula. Lunch will be provided.

Join us as we kick-off this year’s convention with our traditional welcome reception. It is a chance to meet and greet everyone who is attending the convention this year with breathtaking views of the Monterey Bay from the top of the Marriott.

Registration: The registration and hospitality area will be open for
members to stop by and mingle with staff and other members.

A private breakfast of the Past Presidents’ Council. CGFA Past Presidents meet to visit with long-time friends and talk about issues impacting today’s grain & feed industry.

Rail Update by: David Siegel, Genesee & Wyoming Rail Link Inc.
David will speak to how the recent union strike impacted the rail industry, and what repercussions they see for the rail industry as we move forward. He will address how they see CARB impacting the railroad industry in the future and more.

Cyber and Food Security by: Scott Hellman, FBI Agent
With the Internet-enabled crimes and cyber intrusions becoming increasingly sophisticated, preventing them requires each user of a connected device to be aware and on guard. Agent Hellman will present valuable information on what we can do individually and as a company to protect ourselves from threats.

Economic Outlook and GeoPolitics by: Andrew Busch
The world is going to see more economic change in the next five years than we have seen in the last 100 years. Andy provides the context needed to understand the forces at work creating momentum for change in the economy and your business. AI, climate subsidies and cobots are just a few of the extraordinary tools/spending being leveraged
right now. Are you aligning yourself for what will occur? Andy literally wrote the book on large, catastrophic events and how they impact our markets, economy and world. As a futurist and economist, Andy dives deep into exploring how innovation, policy changes and societal shifts (war) drive opportunities for clients. He provides context by doing a “where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going” for the economy. He takes the trends super charged by COVID & war, then applies them to your industry via a case study to show where money is flowing, and opportunities are growing.

CGFA Annual Meeting & Activity Reports: Get a 2022-2023 update on your partnership with CGFA from President Matt Creighton, J.D. Heiskell & Co., a legislative update by Dennis Albiani and a review of the activities of this past year from Chief Executive Officer Chris Zanobini. Details on the newly established CGFA Foundation will be shared with the membership.

California Department of Food & Agriculture Update by: Jenna Leal
Jenna will share updates and information on CDFA Feed Programs which are dedicated to continued feed safety research and incentivization of byproduct diversion to animal feed. Jenna is the Environmental Program Manager for several programs with the Division of Inspection Services at CDFA.

Enjoy a guided morning hike at the Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. The trails at Point Lobos State Reserve
are scenic nature trails rather than actual hikes. They are designed primarily to help you enjoy the magnificent views and to observe the park’s flora and fauna. Our tour guide will be Gael Gallagher. She has been sharing her passion and knowledge of the Monterey Bay area since 1984. She’s been a docent since 1989 at the Point Lobos State Reserve and guide/mentor/narrator at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Attendees will be provided a “to-go” breakfast upon boarding the bus and will be welcomed back to the hotel prior to the group luncheon.

Group Luncheon and Keynote Speaker: Panel of Experts on the Historic Icons on the Monterey Bay
The group luncheon features CGFA awards and recognition of retiring board members, presentations, the introduction of the new CGFA President and board members as well as the keynote address. Our speakers this year will be a panel of experts on the history of Monterey including The Presidio, the Mission and more.

Industry Social Event is going sky high this year – at the top of the Marriott in Ferrantes Bayview room. At this year’s Industry Social Event join the camaraderie of the CGFA folks as you stroll around and enjoy the spectacular views, food and drinks. Live musical entertainment will be provided by Kevin Pfeffer to enhance the evening’s festivities.

Registration: The registration and hospitality area will be open for
members to stop by and mingle with staff and other members.

(check-in 8:30 am / shotgun start at 9:00 am / limited to first 104 players)
Golf Tournament at the Poppy Hills Golf Course: The annual golf tournament will be held at the Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach. A proud, NCGA-owned course, Poppy Hills is the most accessible, nationally recognized championship course in Pebble Beach, California, and provides guests with what architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr. calls “the closest you can get to playing golf in a National Park.” Bringing together breathtaking design, the NCGA’s high standard of course conditioning and hospitality and golf’s greatest landscape, Poppy Hills welcomes you to put the busy world behind you and surround yourself in nature. Each uniquely crafted hole is chiseled through the towering Monterey Pines of the Del Monte Forest, offering sneak peaks of the beautiful and iconic Monterey Bay and a chance to watch playful young deer among the freshly sprung California Poppy. Known for its championship-ready turf, flawless bentgrass greens, and perfectly blended surroundings, Poppy Hills is recognized by Golf Digest’s Top 100 Courses You Can Play and enjoyed by golfers of all abilities, making it a must for anyone visiting Pebble Beach or the Monterey Peninsula. The tournament will include breakfast, lunch and prizes. Registration begins at 8:30 am followed by a shotgun start at 9:00 am and will be limited to the first 104 players to register.

Just walking distance from the hotel, the Monterey History & Art Association at Stanton Center proudly presents historic and current local art as well as one of the country’s largest private collections of Salvador Dalí, which was generously donated by the Piterman family. The Dali collection features over 580 works including lithographs, etchings, sculptures, and tapestries. Enjoy your time in the museum and lunch will be provided at the end of your tour.

This 5 hour tour picks you up at the Marriott and takes you on an unforgettable journey wine tasting through Carmel Valley, California. Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, Cabernets, Sauvignon Blancs, Rose, Reds and Whites, Sweet or Dry, your guides offer an insider’s perspective to the family of well-known producers and an introduction to the lesser known gems that call Carmel Valley home. The tour includes a sandwich and charcuterie lunch. All wine tasting fees are included in the entry fee.
(seating on the trolley is limited to 24 passengers)

A guided tour of the Carmel Basilica Mission, one of the oldest and most beautiful missions in California. It’s easy to while away an afternoon strolling the grounds of this sacred place, especially if you appreciate architecture, gardens, history, or photography. The second stop will be in Pacific Grove to experience a piece of American maritime history with a tour of one of the oldest lighthouses on the West Coast. Point Pinos Lighthouse, built in 1854, is the oldest lighthouse in continuous use on the West Coast of the U.S. The site is at the edge of beautiful Monterey Bay, surrounded by a picturesque and sometimes dramatic shoreline and is listed on the National Register for Historic Places.

Dine seated at tables by the Aquarium’s million-gallon Open Sea exhibit—a mysterious and mesmerizing world where tuna and sharks speed past, sardines swirl in huge, glittering schools, and sea turtles swim lazily across the 90-foot window. It is not just the unique setting overlooking Monterey Bay, or the amazing animals and exhibits surrounding you. Their culinary team brings a creative, inspired and sustainable cooking philosophy to every dish, focusing on fresh, local and in-season ingredients.
(due to the room size we are limited to the first 250 people to sign up).

Come and join us for a short walk in Tom’s memory. Everyone that signs up will receive a commemorative T-Shirt.

Challenge yourself this year and join us Friday morning for the CGFA Cornhole Tournament! Join us this final morning of the convention for continental breakfast and refreshments along with prizes for the winners.