Pictured are Farmer Ed McGrew and his wife, Patty. Both were named Farmer of the Year for 2025 by the Imperial County Farm Bureau during its annual meeting held in October. Ed, who passed away in April, was a long-time advocate for the farming community along with his wife, who also has been a long-time community leader. Photo courtesy of the Farm Bureau.

Throughout his life, the late farmer Ed McGrew devoted himself to advocating for Imperial Valley agriculture and the overall economic vitality of the Valley, all with the support of his wife, Patty McGrew, who not only worked alongside her husband in such advocacy, but has been a leader in her own right.

When it comes to leaders whose efforts have supported agriculture, Tina Shields and Mike Pacheco, co-water managers for the Imperial Irrigation District, have devoted their work to protecting the Valley’s water and ensuring

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