All hail the Santa Cruz County Farmer of the Year

Watsonville, Calif. (KION-TV)- Guy George has been a farmer in Santa Cruz County for 70 years. On Tuesday night, he received the 2022 Farmer of The Year which was presented by the Santa Cruz Farmer's Bureau. The ceremony took place at the Rodgers House Patio at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville.

The award is presented annually to the farmer who have contributed beyond their normal farming duties to help the community.

George was born and raised in Watsonville. He graduated from Watsonville High School and served in the U.S. Army where he worked as aviation mechanic. After he served in the Army, he returned back to Watsonville where he began farming strawberries and fruit trees with his dad.

He continued his education as a part time student at San Jose State University. He farmed cabbage and vegetables and delivered them to the Monterey Bay Shipping Company.

He packed and shipped vegetables using his label "King George." George spent another 25 years farming vegetables on many individual properties all over the Pajaro Valley.

Guy shifted his focus to farming strawberries and became a Driscoll’s grower in 1998. He formed an LLC
as Rancho Alitos LLC, which grows strawberries and blackberries.