Western Growers to honor industry veteran in November

Edwin Camp, CEO of produce grower, packer, processor and shipper D.M. Camp & Sons, will be recognized with Western Growers’  2026 Award of Honor at the organization’s 100th Annual Meeting in November. 

The award, Western Growers’ highest recognition of achievement, is given annually to individuals who have contributed extensively to the agricultural community.

Currently celebrating its 90th year, DM Camp & Sons has grown, packed, processed and shipped numerous crop types, including nuts, vegetables, fruits, grains and fiber.

“For decades, Edwin Camp has been ‘the man in the arena,’ fighting for our industry, especially in water policy where he has been an ever-present force,” Western Growers president and CEO Dave Puglia said in a news release. “His leadership is defined by an intricate knowledge of the complex systems, laws and regulations that define agricultural water supply in California and a steady political sophistication that builds trust and credibility among the state’s diverse water users.”

Camp, elected to the Western Growers board of directors in 1994, served for 30 years and was named chair in 2003. D.M. Camp & Sons has been a member of Western Growers for 52 years. 

Almonds are the current mainstay for Camp’s operations, along with four John Deere dealerships in Kern and Los Angeles counties and a John Deere engine distributorship covering five Western states.

“I am honored and so grateful in being selected as this year’s recipient of the Western Growers Association Award of Honor, a true highlight for my family and I,” Camp said. “I am blessed to be a farmer in our Western U.S. fresh produce industry, where I have been able to rub shoulders with innovators, entrepreneurs, hard workers, mixed cultures, salt-of-the-earth, real people, and where your word is still your bond and your handshake holds meaning. I am fortunate to have spent many years working with Western Growers, a changemaker organization that works diligently for us in farming amongst a never-ending sea of issues. WGA proverbially has our back.”

Camp has been active in organizations including the National Potato Board, the California Potato Research and Advisory Board, the North Kern Water Storage District Board, the Kern County Youth for Christ Board, the Cal Poly Crop Science Advisory Board and the Cal Poly School of Agriculture Advisory Board.

After 38 years, Camp recently retired as President of the Arvin-Edison Water Storage District Board, and after 13 years also recently retired from the Friant Water Authority Board. Currently, Edwin is a delegate on the Great Valley Farm Water Partnership, an organization dedicated to collaboration between Delta and San Joaquin Valley farmers.

Camp’s achievements will be celebrated at the Award of Honor Dinner Gala at the 2026 Western Growers Annual Meeting in Maui, set for Nov. 8-11.