In episode 23, I sit down with Ashli Sturgill, Health and Safety Manager at TheZenith, to dive into the vital safety and health concerns in the agriculture industry. Ashli's role is all about making the workplace safer, and she emphasizes that prioritizing safety isn't just about the well-being of employees but also has significant financial implications for businesses, even though it may initially seem costly. As we explore the challenges faced by businesses in the industry, Ashli highlights that neglecting safety can result in even more substantial expenses, especially when dealing with workplace accidents and compensation claims. We stress the importance of considering the overall well-being of laborers, underlining the moral and financial imperative of proactive healthcare, both physically and mentally. Our conversation also highlights the profound significance of community in the agriculture sector. As a member of WomenAg, Ashli underscores the value of finding stress relief and support within a like-minded group. In essence, this episode highlights that safety and health in agriculture are not just obligations but investments in the well-being of workers and the sustainability of businesses, all within the backdrop of a close-knit industry community.
In episode 23, I sit down with Ashli Sturgill, Health and Safety Manager at TheZenith, to dive into the vital safety and health concerns in the agriculture industry. Ashli's role is all about making the workplace safer, and she emphasizes that prioritizing safety isn't just about the well-being of employees but also has significant financial implications for businesses, even though it may initially seem costly.
As we explore the challenges faced by businesses in the industry, Ashli highlights that neglecting safety can result in even more substantial expenses, especially when dealing with workplace accidents and compensation claims. We stress the importance of considering the overall well-being of laborers, underlining the moral and financial imperative of proactive healthcare, both physically and mentally.
Our conversation also highlights the profound significance of community in the agriculture sector. As a member of WomenAg, Ashli underscores the value of finding stress relief and support within a like-minded group. In essence, this episode highlights that safety and health in agriculture are not just obligations but investments in the well-being of workers and the sustainability of businesses, all within the backdrop of a close-knit industry community.
Zenith Insurance - https://www.thezenith.com/
This episode is sponsored by UnitedAg, one of the largest association health plans to offer healthcare to the agriculture industry of California and Arizona.
Kirti Mutatkar, President and CEO of UnitedAg.
Reach me at kmutatkar@unitedag.org, www.linkedin.com/in/kirtimutatkar
UnitedAg website - www.unitedag.org
Episode Contributors - Ashli Sturgill, Kirti Mutatkar, Paul Lecrone, Rhianna Macias
The episode is also sponsored by Brent Eastman Insurance Services Inc. - https://brenteastman.com/Blue
Shield of California - https://www.blueshieldca.com/Elite
Medical - https://www.elitecorpmed.com/Gallagher
Medical https://sainmedical.com/
Ashli Sturgill : [00:22:46] There's some validation that occurs when you're sitting [00:23:00] in a room of other women working in the same field, you know, in agriculture. And, you know, we're talking about things and bouncing ideas off of each [00:23:10] other. And it's just there is some validation that occurs. And then it's also a place to ask questions. Well, how do you guys handle this? I think, you know, today [00:23:20] we talked a little bit about the workaholic in all of us. Some of us are more guilty than others. But, you know, sharing those ideas of what that means to you and how do you balance it and how do you manage home [00:23:30] and work and pressures and, you know, the phone ringing 24/7 and all of that. So, it is very beneficial. I believe that's why I signed up a second time. I wouldn't have done it the second time.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:23:39] So what [00:23:40] was your favorite part of WomenAg?
Ashli Sturgill : [00:23:42] Oh my goodness. That's you know, part of, it's the connections. I think the first year one of the things I really enjoyed was the legislative day. [00:23:50] We went to Sacramento. That was really eye opening. Yeah, yeah, that was really eye opening and good to meet different people and see that. And it was interesting talking [00:24:00] to some of the representatives about their understanding of Ag. Some of them get it and some of them really don't get it, depending on where they're at in the state, some parts of the state, they don't have as much Ag [00:24:10] and just what they think about it or what their take was on certain bills and things. So that was very interesting. That was one of my favorite ones. And I think [00:24:20] this year for year two, it's just been a little more like challenging, I guess, ways to think about things, you know, and [00:24:30] having to really talk about creativity and that artist within type of thing. And how do I apply that? What does that look like for me and how can I, you know, still have [00:24:40] that creative part of me, but apply it in what I do?
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:00:04] I am Kirti Mutatkar. I'm the CEO and President at UnitedAg, and I'm here today with [00:00:10] Ashli. Ashli is part of my WomenAg academy, and the reason, Ashli, I invited you today is when you share your [00:00:20] story and when you share your journey that you've gone through in agriculture, I always find that extremely inspiring. And more importantly, the [00:00:30] things that you learn from it. Right? Just listening to you and what you've gone through and how do we get this heard by other people so they can learn from it? And that's the reason you're here. [00:00:40] Excited to have you.
Ashli Sturgill : [00:00:41] Well, thank you for having me. This is exciting. Yeah.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:00:44] So you want to start off, why did you get into agriculture? What was your reason?
Ashli Sturgill : [00:00:48] I needed a job. That's [00:00:50] a good reason. Now, um, I was finishing my degree at Fresno State in occupational safety and health and wanting to come back home, [00:01:00] which at the time was Santa Cruz County. And kind of looking at the different industries that were there. And at the time, it was pretty much Ag or tech and I don't do well in enclosed indoor spaces. [00:01:10] So Ag was it. So I was required to do an internship as part of my degree to graduate, and I had a connection with a local agricultural company, and so [00:01:20] I was able to do my internship there over a winter break. And I knew I'd already loved it, because growing around in that area, you know, that was part of what we did. So that was what [00:01:30] pretty much opened the door to working in Ag.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:01:33] So what do you do right now? So if I were to introduce you, what is your title? What do you do?
Ashli Sturgill : [00:01:37] So I am a safety and health manager with Zenith Insurance [00:01:40] primarily in the Ag space. So right now I manage a group of, I have a team that we go out and we help growers, FLCs, [00:01:50] packing houses, coolers with their safety programs. You know, our whole goal is to make the workplace safer. We also respond when there are major incidents. So we'll go out. We'll [00:02:00] do an incident investigation, find out what happened, to try to help prevent it from happening again. So I really see it as protecting the agricultural workforce. [00:02:10]
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:02:10] So that's really interesting because usually when I do these interviews, right, you have growers, you have general managers of plants and operations and Salinas and Santa Maria [00:02:20] and other regions that we serve. This is a different role. Right? So when people are thinking of agriculture, especially when somebody is not in agriculture, they think [00:02:30] of growers or other things that happen in our industry other than what you do. So can you kind of talk a little bit about that?
Ashli Sturgill : [00:02:37] Yeah, it's very interesting because like any other industry, [00:02:40] you need people that come from all different sides of things, right? So a lot of times when people think of agriculture, they're simply focusing on, oh, a tractor [00:02:50] driver and irrigator, a harvester. Ag companies need all kinds of people. They need finance people. They need the HR people, they need the IT people, [00:03:00] they need marketing, they need customer service. They need safety, right? They need all of those different roles. So it's not just focusing on, you know, specifically what people think [00:03:10] of when they think about, you know, growing broccoli in the field and what it takes to grow and harvest that there's so many more options within the agricultural space to grow your career [00:03:20] in what you love to do. Right?
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:03:21] So when you think of safety and agriculture, so what does somebody who's new to the industry, can you explain what that would mean? What [00:03:30] is that.
Ashli Sturgill : [00:03:30] Yeah. So that's, we could be here an hour talking about that specifically. But when you think about agriculture it is a high hazard industry, we [00:03:40] know that. We hear about it. We see it on the news. It's along with construction, transportation, high rates of incidents, high rates of fatalities, unfortunately. So [00:03:50] when you're thinking about an agricultural operation, you can think of so many things that are hazards for employees. They're working around equipment. They're working at night, they're working in wildfire [00:04:00] smoke, they're working with chemicals, with pesticides. It's all these different things. They work with knives when they're harvesting, so they're on ladders up in trees. [00:04:10] There's so many hazards that go around. Yeah, that they're exposed to in the agricultural space. And so from a safety standpoint, it's looking at those that [00:04:20] are inherent to the, you know, the operation and saying, okay, how can I mitigate that risk? How can I make it safer for my employees? How can I make [00:04:30] it better? How can I prevent this from causing an injury or fatality?
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:04:34] Right, right. So this is from the agricultural employee standpoint. But when you look at it [00:04:40] from the outside and somebody listening in, the reason that you're saying pesticides and chemicals and stuff, you know Ag right. What we do health [00:04:50] insurance, our cancer claims have gone up big time. So I happened to mention this to someone who was not from United Ag or not in agriculture. [00:05:00] And they said, of course, yeah, I can see that. And I'm like. What do you mean? You can see that? They said you work in agriculture. There's pesticides, right? And all that. So cancer has [00:05:10] to be high. Do you agree with that statement? What do you think?
Ashli Sturgill : [00:05:14] That's a tough one, I kind of come from, and I'm sure people will disagree, but I come from the [00:05:20] I think there's more pesticides in the air we breathe in general than in the food we eat. I know growers are extremely sensitive in the [00:05:30] sense of how much they're applying to their crops. They really are working very hard to use less toxic chemicals. They're working really hard to not spray [00:05:40] as often because one, it's expensive. So you have that and then you have a lot of regulations. You have the trainings that have to go. There's a lot [00:05:50] that goes along with that. We have a lot of regulations around it. Ironically, I started my career in pesticide residue research, so [00:06:00] that's where I learned a lot about Ag. I loved it, it gave me a great opportunity to learn about different crops, the growing cycles, all of this. So when an agrochemical [00:06:10] receives EPA registration, just know there is a lot that goes behind it. Now, of course, one caveat is sometimes people use it off label or they don't use it according [00:06:20] to the label.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:06:22] But Most of our growers, right, do the.
Ashli Sturgill : [00:06:24] Right thing. Yeah. Because if the label is saying, you know, apply so much per acre, they want to [00:06:30] do that, or maybe even sometimes a little bit less just because it's expensive, right?
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:06:36] Right. It's expensive. So there is that connection with the organic versus the inorganic, that discussion. [00:06:40]
Ashli Sturgill : [00:06:40] That is an excellent question. I love this topic because there's a lot of misconceptions about organic and inorganic. Right. So people just think that organic produce is this [00:06:50] like totally safe. You know everything's great not to knock organic growing. It's great. It definitely has a place. But organic does not mean [00:07:00] grown without pesticides, grown without fungicides, grown without fertilizer. It does not mean that some people have that misconception. I'm going to go to the farmers market, [00:07:10] right? Commercial, organic. You have to use some kind of pesticide, some kind of fungicide. We see that a lot. And also there's that misconception [00:07:20] that just because it's organic, it's non-toxic, there are some organic compounds that are extremely toxic. You know, you kind of look at sometimes some of the household poisonings with children [00:07:30] that are from these organic compounds that parents buy. I think it's safe. I'm going to go to Home Depot. Whatever. Buy this. It's safe. I'm just going to throw it in my garage or under the sink. [00:07:40] Well, little Johnny gets into it, right? And they think, oh, it's organic, it's safe. Well, there's some that are very toxic. And not only are they toxic to humans, but you also think about [00:07:50] beneficial insects. And that's a big thing with organic growing too, right? We want to use utilize beneficial insects, whether it's a ladybug or bees. That's a [00:08:00] big whole separate topic. But we got to be careful with that doesn't mean non-toxic and I think that's one of the big risks, being aware of what we think.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:08:07] It's kind of understanding [00:08:10] at a deeper level. Right. What exactly are we eating and not believing what we see? That's what it is.
Ashli Sturgill : [00:08:15] Yeah. And it's not this just this holy grail of no hazard. [00:08:20] No.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:08:20] You know, that's interesting how we have these narratives in our head, right, about anything. You read something and you form the story in your head. And that seems [00:08:30] the more I do these podcast interviews, I feel like I'm trying to educate people to tell them that, yes, you might have heard this this [00:08:40] way, but learn the other side of it. Maybe, believe it or not, but learn what goes on the other side. Do you see that more in agriculture, in your life of the couple of years [00:08:50] that you've spent in Ag? Do you see that happen more with Ag the perception.
Ashli Sturgill : [00:08:55] That's a tough one because there's such a range of knowledge [00:09:00] and understanding, I think, and you know, everyone wants to go to Dr. Google, right. And see what Dr. Google has to say about it. But on any topic you can find, [00:09:10] if you want to prove your point, you're going to find articles and research and information to prove your side of the story. But there's confirmation bias. Yeah, there's equally information research studies [00:09:20] on the opposite point as well. Right. And some people I think is just they buy into that, you know, kind of like that myth. It's like, well I understand what it is. Like I said, organic growing is great. There's a great [00:09:30] reason for it and purpose for it, but it doesn't mean nontoxic, non-toxic. So it's that learn it, be open, correct to doing the research, be open [00:09:40] to learning a lot about it. And I think, you know, kind of on a broader perspective, sometimes, you know, AG, like any other industry, has bad actors. But [00:09:50] what's highlighted in the news, in the articles, it's that grower who did this, it's that FLC that did that, and it kind of bashes the industry as a whole when there are a lot of really [00:10:00] good growers out there that do really good things and take really good care of they're employees, so it's like it's easy to see the sensationalized news story about, oh, this grower [00:10:10] was caught doing whatever. Right?
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:10:12] Right. That makes news, right? If you're doing the right thing, maybe that's not as sexy as that.
Ashli Sturgill : [00:10:18] And it's really great, though, when you see articles [00:10:20] about people doing the right thing, right. It's like, oh, this is good. This is good. Yes. Go ag. Yeah.
Ashli Sturgill : [00:13:56] Yeah. And it's evolving and it's good. I mean, there are [00:14:00] things that are frustrating. I think Ag is one of those very highly regulated spaces. Right? Especially in this state. Right. There's a lot of regulations, a lot of hoops. And it can be very frustrating. And I think [00:14:10] sometimes that's where we run into like a little bit of a roadblock, especially with safety because there's such a push for production. Right. We have to get this product right. There's a time [00:14:20] thing. It's not like you're making widgets in a factory, right? Right. We're dealing with the weather. We're dealing with heat, we're dealing with water. We're dealing with labor shortages sometimes. So it's a perishable [00:14:30] item. So there's a timetable of getting this, you know, from the ground to the store. Yeah. Yeah. It's something that they have to contend with. And so some [00:14:40] of these regulations can feel very heavy and onerous. And how do I deal with this. So there's parts of it and that can be easy to kind of on the safety side to kind [00:14:50] of want to push away because of time, because of whatever it is. But a lot of those regulations are there for a reason. You know, there's a reason why we have heat [00:15:00] illness standards. There's a reason why we have night work standards, you know? And at the end of the day, if you can really take that step back, like in ag and [00:15:10] think about, okay, we've got production, we've got quality, and we think about food safety quality, because if your product is not pretty, no one's going to want to eat it. Right, right, right. [00:15:20] And we have safety, and we have to balance those three out. Because if you're spending all your time and all your energy on production, [00:15:30] you're going to lose out on safety. You have injuries, it's going to cost you more. You're going to have people out of the workforce. And sometimes those are those new stories that come up. So, there's [00:15:40] a cost to all of that, right?
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:15:41] So do you get employer buy in when you talk about that. Because do they have to see the numbers [00:15:50] side of things.
Ashli Sturgill : [00:15:50] That's a big part of it. I mean there's some that are like, yep, absolutely. This is the right thing to do. Right. Because my whole premise is that, you know, safety costs your money, right? Either you [00:16:00] pay it up front or you can control some of the cost, or you're going to pay after injuries happen, after something significant happened, and you may not be able to control those costs. Right. There's [00:16:10] a whole lot of costs that go on after an injury occurs. So, when you do sit down and you talk about the numbers, and for most people outside of their payroll, [00:16:20] their worker's comp costs are like right there next to payroll as far as expenditures, really, it's up there. Yeah. So, I mean, not for everybody because some people are doing really [00:16:30] good. There's a lot of really good, you know, good growers that have really you know, they're really good on their safety programs and keeping people uninjured. And even when they're really good, people still [00:16:40] have incidents happen. So don't want to say, oh, because you're good. Yeah. You know, it's kind of like I said in the beginning, it's inherent in the industry we're in. It’s a hazardous [00:16:50] industry. So, keep that in mind. Yeah, sometimes we must use those numbers. You know, I had this one grower I was trying to work with really to implement, you know, [00:17:00] safety with their supervisors and their foreman because that's who's out there 24/7 with your crews, you know, the HR person, the safety person, the owner, the managers. They can't be there all the [00:17:10] time. So, we really rely on that middle management group to really implement and enforce safety. And I won't go into all the details, but they were paying about 200% [00:17:20] more than their competitors because of their practices for their [00:17:25] Injuries and their losses and all that kind of stuff. So, I sat down with them. I said, okay, [00:17:30] you know, they were strawberry harvesters. So, I said, how many crates of strawberries you what's your profit margin on a box of strawberries? Strawberries. Well, how many of those do you have [00:17:40] to harvest to make up this amount of money? And their eyes got really wide, and they realized, like for pretty much the first 3 to 4 months of the season, they were almost working for free [00:17:50] in the sense that they were making up that much more money in comparison to their competitors. So it's you know, we're in a competitive market, right?
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:17:59] Right. And the margins [00:18:00] are really.
Ashli Sturgill : [00:18:00] The margins are really tight and you see increasing costs. We just talked a little bit today about now we have five sick days. Now we have minimum wage going up a lot of things like that that also [00:18:10] bite into that bottom line. So, let's do what we can to control some of these other costs. Right.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:18:15] So do you find yourself more as a teacher than anything because you have to teach [00:18:20] them what they need to do. So, they don't have this cost later on. Right. That's basically what you're doing.
Ashli Sturgill : [00:18:27] Yeah. And that’s what I love about it. Right. Because it's I [00:18:30] feel like I'm helping them, whether it's through education, teaching them like, hey, this is what you're paying, and you don't have to. Right. And not just so much on that, but it's like, I want [00:18:40] them to learn how to keep their workforce safe. Yeah, right. I want their people to go home at the end of the day. Right. And that, I mean, unfortunately, over my career, I've had to investigate [00:18:50] several fatalities. And I hate that. I mean, just the toll. It takes a toll. And it's not just on me personally, but I look at the people at the company, I look at the owners, [00:19:00] man, it takes a toll. And, you know, those are conversations none of us like having, right? And at the end of the day, someone lost their life at work, and we shouldn't [00:19:10] have that expectation. I don't want an expectation is the wrong word, but. That thought of I could go to work and die today. Like, you know, there are certain careers [00:19:20] where that is maybe a reasonable thought, but an Ag, that shouldn't be it, right? Right. You know, we should be able to send our workforce home at the end of the day, right? Safe and healthy. [00:19:30]
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:19:30] Right, right. So, looking at it from a UnitedAg standpoint. Right. And as you're talking through this, I'm thinking from a health care standpoint too, it's the more time [00:19:40] you spend on the front-end side of things of taking care of things. Basic stuff. Right. Your annual exams and this and that and whatever a cost [00:19:50] that come up later, that much triple fold. So, there's one human side aspect to it, like you said, right. You're taking care of someone and there is the money aspect [00:20:00] of it. So, on both ends it's the right thing to do.
Ashli Sturgill : [00:20:02] Yeah. And wellness plays a big factor in, you know, when you think about the overall health of your workforce. So, you think about, [00:20:10] let's say you have someone who is severely diabetic. If they're not taking care and controlling their diabetes, let's say they do get an injury at work. But now [00:20:20] they need surgery, but now they can't have that surgery. It's delayed because their diabetes is out of control. So, they need to get that under control before they can have the surgery. So, in the meantime, this person [00:20:30] is out of work and they're getting paid what we call TTD or total temporary disability until they can get that under control. So that wellness factor is huge. It's not [00:20:40] I mean its people think, well, it's just personal about me and my health, but it plays a larger factor. Right, absolutely.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:20:47] Do you find that and kind of digressing [00:20:50] from maybe this plays into the safety part of it, but there's mental health and behavioral health issues. Are you getting caught up or you see that as much.
Ashli Sturgill : [00:20:58] There's I mean if [00:21:00] people may know like just recently California new Senate bill came through requiring workplace violence, a plan in place by July 1st of [00:21:10] next year, 2024. We know OSHA has been working on that. Cal OSHA's been working on that for quite some time. Right. There's a draft in place, but yeah, we've seen it. And unfortunately, one incident [00:21:20] I had to deal with where somebody came to the field with the intent to commit self-harm, but the employees who were there at the time, you know, how it affected them, [00:21:30] what they saw, what they experienced, the fear. And you think too, you know? We sound bad, but at times [00:21:40] we give our employees weapons. We're giving them harvest knives, you know what I mean? And you think about that. And we have had incidents where two people got [00:21:50] into a fight, and next thing you know, that lettuce knife is now used to, you know, harm the other person. So, you know, we think about that mental health and that's really important [00:22:00] in what we do and being aware of that and I think there's kind of an old school maybe way of thinking of, you know, not my problem. Right? You know, you come [00:22:10] into the work and you're here to work and that's all you're going to do. But we come into the workplace as we are, with all the stresses and pressures from everything that's in our life, whether it's work or family or whatever it is. [00:22:20] And so sometimes we have to acknowledge that that exists. And then how do we deal with that? We can't I don't think we are no longer in a space where we can just ignore, you [00:22:30] know, the mental health aspect in the workplace.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:22:32] The whole person comes in. Right? Exactly. Yeah. So going from there, from looking at what we do from WomenAg. [00:22:40] Right. And do you find programs like that help with stress?
Ashli Sturgill : [00:22:46] You know, I went through the first year and this is the second year, well, the second year program, I've done it and [00:22:50] it's been really good. Yes, there's times of stress, of course, when you're like, oh my gosh, I haven't done my reading, I can't do my homework. And but there's some validation that occurs when you're sitting [00:23:00] in a room of other women working in the same field, you know, in agriculture. And, you know, we're talking about things and bouncing ideas off of each [00:23:10] other. And it's just there is some validation that occurs. And then it's also a place to ask questions. Well, how do you guys handle this? You I think, you know, today [00:23:20] we talked a little bit about the workaholic in all of us. Some of us are more guilty than others. But, you know, sharing those ideas of what that means to you and how do you balance it and how do you manage home [00:23:30] and work and pressures and, you know, the phone ringing 24/7 and all of that. So, it is very beneficial. I believe that's why I signed up a second time. I wouldn't have done it the second time.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:23:39] So what [00:23:40] was your favorite part of WomenAg?
Ashli Sturgill : [00:23:42] Oh my goodness. That's you know, part of it's the connections. I think the first year one of the things I really enjoyed was the legislative day. [00:23:50] We went to Sacramento. That was really eye opening. Yeah, yeah, that was really eye opening and good to meet different people and see that. And it was interesting talking [00:24:00] to some of the representatives about their understanding of Ag. Some of them get it and some of them really don't get it, depending on where they're at in the state, some parts of the state, they don't have as much Ag [00:24:10] and just what they think about it or what their take was on certain bills and things. So that was very interesting. That was one of my favorite ones. And I think [00:24:20] this year for year two, it's just been a little more like challenging, I guess, ways to think about things, you know, and now [00:24:30] having to really talk about creativity and that artist within type of thing. And how do I apply that? What does that look like for me and how can I, you know, still have [00:24:40] that creative part of me, but apply it in what I do? And I think, you know, when I'm training somebody, when I'm training a group of people, like, I like to tell those [00:24:50] stories about what happened because I don't want, I want them to learn from somebody, you know, another experience so they don't have to go through it. So, I tried to be very I won't say creative in my storytelling, but like, [00:25:00] hey, this is and this is an example. So, I was doing this training one time and we're talking about, you know, wearing your seat belt on tractors, which is always a controversial topic. Don't know why, [00:25:10] but it is we have to wear our seatbelts in our vehicles somehow.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:25:14] They don't like to wear it on tractors?
Ashli Sturgill : [00:25:15] They don't, you know, there's a lot of it. There's 101 excuses of why they don't [00:25:20] want to wear seat belts on their tractors. So I was talking to a gentleman and, you know, he's sitting in the back of the room and had his hands crossed and kind of give me one of those glowers and [00:25:30] “I've been doing this for, you know, 40 years and I've never had a problem with never wearing my seat belt.” I'm like, okay, I hear you, I see you. Okay. [00:25:40] So I asked him, do you have a wife? Yep. Do you have kids? Yep. Grandkids? Yep. I said, okay. So you had an incident on your tractor today at work. It rolled [00:25:50] over. You died. I'm just, like, looking him in his eye, like, I want to. I want him to see. I said, you know, so somebody's got to go tell your wife you're not coming home. [00:26:00] Someone's got to go tell your daughter you're not going to walk her down the aisle. Someone's got to tell your granddaughter you'll never go to a dance recital again. Or your grandson, you'll never see him play football [00:26:10] again. How is that going to impact your family? And he just looked at me and I can tell I could see the emotions in his eyes. And I was like, okay, I don't want this. [00:26:20] I don't want to embarrass him or make him cry in my class. But I wanted him to connect with that. Right. It's more than just I don't want to wear my seat belt. And I can tell you every [00:26:30] single serious incident with a tractor or forklift has ended in fatalities because they weren't wearing theirs.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:26:37] It's just basic stuff.
Ashli Sturgill : [00:26:39] It's so basic. [00:26:40] It's so basic and I mean there's, you know, you can pull news stories for all up and down the Salinas Valley of incidents like that that happened. And it's just something that doesn't need [00:26:50] to happen. So that's kind of I think how I like connect, try to connect with them. And that you talked about the teaching part and the education part, and then also getting to that heart of it.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:26:59] Right, exactly. [00:27:00] Because again, I think they are not looking at it from that perspective. So you're bringing that out in there. So you when we talked earlier about what is art and what is being [00:27:10] creative, this is being super creative, right? This is art. So in a way, when I define art is what we do day in, day out, what I do at UnitedAg and what you do, with what [00:27:20] you do, for me, that's art. I think we're creating art. We're being creative. That's how I see it.
Ashli Sturgill : [00:27:25] Absolutely. Because, I mean, you have to think about, you have to be creative in how you communicate. You have [00:27:30] to be creative. I mean, we write reports in a sense, that's creative writing, right? I'm writing to you and saying, hey, this is what we did [00:27:40] during our field observation. This is what we saw. Hey, you're doing these things great. Here's some areas for improvement. So, there's art in how you communicate that to somebody. Right. Because I always think about [00:27:50] that when I'm writing my reports too. I'm like, I don't want it to come down like it's a hammer. Like, you aren't doing this right. I want to offer it as, here's how maybe we can do it better. [00:28:00] Here's a suggestion.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:29:04] So what is your favorite part of being in this industry?
Ashli Sturgill : [00:29:08] Oh, I mean, one, I love [00:29:10] being outside. That's one of my favorite parts. But you know, I get to meet a lot of people. I feel like I get to help people. And that's really what I love about it is being a resource. [00:29:20] There's so many people that don't have the time and the energy to try to do some of the research and give me the information. And how do I fix this? I might not have all the answers, [00:29:30] but I want to say, hey, here's some options, what do you think? And so I enjoy that part of helping, that teaching, that educating. That's what I really love. And I love that we have such [00:29:40] a diversity in California with what we produce. I mean, you go from one end of the state to the other, and.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:29:45] It's a totally different world.
Ashli Sturgill : [00:29:46] It's totally different. So I love that side of it. And I mentioned [00:29:50] like early in my career, just learning about the different crops and the different crop cycles. And I think petals falling in an almond orchard is like one of my favorite times. Like it's just it's so peaceful. Like, if [00:30:00] you ever get to go there's just something about it that's just like, I don't know, there's just a peace in that. So, try it.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:30:05] I want to try that next time I go on my tour. But one of the things that as [00:30:10] knowing you on a deeper level from WomenAg and knowing who you are, kind of wanting to give back and wanting to serve. And I know maybe you've [00:30:20] talked about having your ideal job is kind of doing it for people who are in need. But as you're talking through this, Ashli, I find that you have [00:30:30] found a way to do this at what you do today, right? You are giving back. So, for you, it's not just a job, it's a job. You are giving back and making somebody safe or [00:30:40] making sure somebody understands the importance of being safe. And that's a huge service because, that's, you are saving lives, I would think. [00:30:50] Right. I mean, that's just listening to you because I know sometimes when we do things, we do it. We take one step and the next step and [00:31:00] the next step, but we don't go back and reflect back and say, have I had an impact? And as we reflect back in some of our WomenAg sessions and say, what are we here for? [00:31:10] What do we do? Yeah, I feel like you are where you need to be. That's how I see it.
Ashli Sturgill : [00:31:17] Well thank you, I appreciate it.
And that's, you know, it is hard sometimes to measure [00:31:20] that impact. Right. Because how do you measure an incident or an injury that didn't happen. Right.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:31:26] Right.
Ashli Sturgill : [00:31:27] You know, so, but no I appreciate that.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:31:29] Yeah. Because you are doing, [00:31:30] you are doing that. And I know I'm pretty sure as a day to day stresses of our work life and you go through that and you're like putting out fires and stuff [00:31:40] like that, you don't think about that. But that's a big part of what you do because that's super important, especially with what's going on. Yeah, yeah. So is there anything [00:31:50] if somebody's listening to this, let's say from like a WomenAg, some leader outside, they want to come into agriculture [00:32:00] or maybe just not women, somebody from there. But anybody wants to come into agriculture. What would you say to them?
Ashli Sturgill : [00:32:07] I'd say go for it. It's been [00:32:10] it's an amazing space to be in. Like anything, it has its struggles and its challenges, sometimes more challenges than others, just because a lot of the [00:32:20] regulations we have. But it gives you that chance to be creative and come up with solutions. And man, there's just so many just, I would say get to know [00:32:30] it too. There's a lot of really great people in this industry not bashing any other industry, but a lot of really good, solid salt of the earth people. [00:32:40] I mean, we're growing food. I mean, how basic can you get? Like it's that what comes out of agriculture is, you know, we feed the world, right?
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:36:06] So, Ashli, is there anything else you want to add to [00:36:10] that you think we missed?
Ashli Sturgill : [00:36:12] I think we covered a lot. We covered on a lot of different topics today but thank you for having me. This was fun to sit down and chat with you.
Kirti Mutatkar: [00:36:18] Thank you. This was really, really [00:36:20] fun to talk to you and I know you are a very deep person and like I said earlier, this is a service that you do. I know we all work because we have to bring [00:36:30] food on our table, but some of us are fortunate to do work that actually has impact on people. And you do that, Ashli, what you do is very important [00:36:40] and I know it sometimes might get lost in what you do day to day. But thank you for what you do. And I'm sure all the employers and all the people who work with [00:36:50] you are grateful to have you as a partner and educating them. So thank you.
Ashli Sturgill : [00:36:55] Thank you, I appreciate that.