Del Bosque and Hall receive Chamber of Commerce agriculture honors

(October 28, 2015) The Fresno Chamber of Commerce recognized Fresno State alumni Joe Del Bosque and Earl Hall with top honors at its annual agricultural award luncheon on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at the Fresno DoubleTree hotel.

Del Bosque was tabbed the Agriculturist of the Year, and Hall’s company, Hall Management Corporation, was named Baker Peterson Franklin’s Ag Business Award recipient.

The awards recognize leadership, integrity, service and entrepreneurship in the region’s agriculture business community.

Del Bosque, a 1975 Fresno State plant science and agronomy graduate, has been a leading agriculture advocate, and hosted President Obama and Governor Jerry Brown at his Firebaugh-area ranch to show the impact of the drought on Central Valley farmers in February 2014.

The son of a migrant farmworker family, Del Bosque worked in the fields in his youth before starting Del Bosque Farms in 1985. He grows both organic and conventional melons, almonds, asparagus, processing tomatoes and cherries on his 2,000 acres.

He has served on the California Water Commission since 2010 and is a member of the Latino Water Coalition, Western Growers Association, California Melon Research Board and California Farm Bureau.

A past chairperson of AgSafe, he is also a member of the board of directors of the Central Valley Community Foundation.

Hall, a 1964 Agricultural Business graduate, started Kerman-based Hall Management in 1964 the meet the increasing need for grower bookkeeping, marketing, integration and leadership. With help from wife Beverly, he acquired his farm labor contractor's license and has grown the business into a state leader in the field.

This year, Hall Management is licensed to provide farm labor in 29 counties, and will service more than 326,000 acres and 30,000 workers statewide according to the Fresno County Farm Bureau. It is rated among the top five agricultural employers by state and federal agencies, farm employer groups and organizations in safety, compliance, payroll and employee services.

His company is recognized and respected as a leader in agricultural labor issues and a strong advocate for agricultural labor reform, and active in in numerous organizations and in the community.

More information on the Fresno Chamber of Commerce is available at www.fresnochamber.com .