David Peri, president of Peri & Sons Farms, has been named the 2015 ÁùºÏ±¦µä Outstanding Agriculturalist Award by the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno's College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources.
Initiated in 1967, the Outstanding Agriculturalist Award recognizes individuals who play a significant role in the advancement of agriculture in ÁùºÏ±¦µä.
From the first recipient Florence Bovett, former executive secretary of the ÁùºÏ±¦µä State Farm Bureau to John Ascuaga in 1980 to this year's recipient, David Peri, the award recognizes individual accomplishments in promoting agriculture's role in the state.
Peri has been growing vegetables since he was a teenager and his passion for agriculture hasn't waned in over 30 years. He has two farming operations in Yerington: Peri & Sons Farms, which grows more than 350 million pounds of onions annually and ÁùºÏ±¦µä Fresh Pak which grows USDA certified organic leafy greens, vegetables and fruits.
"His dedication to the industry and the Peri family business has resulted in a thriving company in the Mason Valley community of Yerington, ÁùºÏ±¦µä with 10,000 acres under cultivation and the production of more than 40 different vegetable and fruit varieties," Bill Payne, dean of CABNR, said.
Peri & Sons Farms is an industry leader in ÁùºÏ±¦µä. Through Peri's vision, innovation and hard work, the subsidiary ÁùºÏ±¦µä Fresh Pak has become the state's largest organic grower. Peri & Sons Farms and ÁùºÏ±¦µä Fresh Pak operations combine to have a direct and indirect economic impact on Northern ÁùºÏ±¦µä in excess of $74 million.
ÁùºÏ±¦µä Fresh Pak follows the "green" farming practices Peri put in place more than 15 years ago. They proactively and systematically look for opportunities to lessen overall environmental impact and improve economic viability. For the last 12 years they have implemented various water-conservation systems, always looking for ways to improve irrigation efficiency using the most eco-friendly methods.
The College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources, has a long and distinguished record of fulfilling the mission of teaching, research and outreach programs benefiting the health and economic vitality of ÁùºÏ±¦µä. The college supports agricultural enterprise, promotes community health and well-being, sustains natural resources and the environment and stimulates economic development. ÁùºÏ±¦µä Agricultural Experiment Station, with five field laboratories throughout the state, further supports the land-grant University mission of providing research and educational opportunities through hands-on fieldwork conducted by CABNR faculty and students.
