July 19, 2019 – Some say that the best memories are created over a delicious meal. For Spencer Cooper, that sentiment certainly rings true.
“I still remember my first week on the job,” said Cooper. “When a grower learned I would be staying in the area overnight, he said, ‘There aren’t really any good restaurants nearby, so how about you join my family for dinner.’”
During his time at the Almond Board, Cooper wore many hats and led a variety of influential projects, perhaps the most visible of which involved his sharing of irrigation best management practices.
That grower’s kindness left a lasting impression of the California almond community on Cooper, who as of July 19, 2019, is saying goodbye to the industry as he returns to the cattle industry to pursue a career in the cattle feeding business in northern Colorado.
In his over three years at the Almond Board, Cooper served the industry first as the senior manager in Irrigation and Water Efficiency and then ended his career at ABC as the senior manager in Field Outreach and Education, a new program created within the Global Communications department.
“When Spencer joined the Almond Board, the state was coming out of a record drought. He did an amazing job helping the industry understand the challenges surrounding water use and jumped right in developing best practices to help our growers get the most out of their irrigations. Little did we know at the time what a key resource he would become for so many working to improve how we farm almonds,” said Tom Devol, a member of ABC’s Global Communications Committee.
During his time at the Almond Board, Cooper wore many hats and led a variety of influential projects, perhaps the most visible of which involved his sharing of irrigation best management practices. When he arrived at ABC, Cooper was tasked with meeting with growers and explaining to them the benefits of a variety of improved irrigation practices outlined in ABC’s Almond Irrigation Improvement Continuum. Seeking to make the learnings in the Continuum even more tangible for growers, Cooper helped produce and even starred in the Almond Board’s series “The Irrigation Station,” which brings the Continuum to life in videos on topics ranging from how to use a pressure chamber to tips on calculating applied water.
“Spencer has been invaluable to our industry with his knowledge of irrigation practices and the efficient use of water in our almond orchards. He was able to effectively communicate technical irrigation issues with his outreach at the grower level,” said Nick Gatzman, partner at Travaille and Phippen and chair of both the Ag Regulatory Subcommittee and the Irrigation, Nutrients and Soil Health Workgroup.
Cooper also had the opportunity to speak with those beyond the industry about efficient water use. Recently, Cooper traveled to Chicago to attend the Farm Sustainability Assessment Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (FSA SAI) conference and participate on a panel to discuss the California almond industry’s adoption of sustainable practices, particularly in the areas of water use and irrigation systems. He also had an opportunity to participate in a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) TV series titled “Follow the Food” earlier this year. BBC had reached out to the Almond Board’s Sustainability Communications team with a request to learn more about grower’s responsible water use, creating an opportunity for Cooper to step on camera and speak about almond growers’ practices to conserve water and the new technologies being tested to further increase efficiency. You can watch more episodes of the “Follow the Food” series and learn more about the series at the Almond Board blog.
“As I look back on my time at ABC, I would say my proudest accomplishment would be working with BBC to help film the ‘Follow the Food’ episode. After the industry endured the drought and received negative publicity around water use, it was quite enjoyable and rewarding to talk with a large media outlet about the progress we are making and the innovation that the industry is driving,” Cooper said.
As Cooper looks ahead to his time in Colorado, he is appreciative of the support and relationships built with industry members.
“It has been an honor to encourage growers to grab a front-row seat as the industry looks toward the farm of the future. As we move towards the future of agriculture, in general, this industry has an opportunity to sit ‘up front’ and run with the research-backed innovations that will help this industry succeed,” said Cooper.
While Cooper and his family are excited for this opportunity, he said he’ll miss working with growers daily and that the California almond community will forever be special to him.
“This California almond industry is much more than its responsible farming practices – it’s filled with passionate people who are daily striving to produce a high-quality product for the world. I have been truly blessed to work for an amazing industry,” said Cooper.
To be sure, the industry will miss him too.
“I speak for many when I say he will be missed, and I hope he gets many great years out of his famous cowboy hat roaming the ranges of Colorado,” said Devol.
“His dedication to get his boots dirty out in the field and be a true liaison to almond growers will be missed. I wish Spencer, his family, and his mustache well in his new endeavor in Colorado,” said Gatzman.
ABC’s Field Outreach and Education program will continue to be supported by Ashley Correia, and the Almond Board will keep the industry informed of new hires in that program. You may reach Correia to request a field visit, etc. at fieldoutreach@almondboard.com.
