Tom Prentice founded Crop Care Associates, Inc. in 1970, to provide overall management of technical services to what is now over 100,000 agricultural acres growing 30 different crops throughout the world. In addition to his involvement in California's thriving agricultural diversity, he also manages technical services on client projects in Oregon, Arizona, Hawaii, Mexico, Chile and India. Tom's focus at Crop Care Assoicates, Inc. has been on table, wine and raisin grapes; peaches; plums; nectarines and apricots. Tom is a licensed Pest Control Advisor and has also worked extensively in cotton, tomatoes, melons, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, prunes, citrus, grapes, pomegranates and apples.

Prior to starting the company, Tom gained experience working for the Niagara Chemical Division of FMC Corporation, and for Valley Nitrogen Producers, Inc. He honed his skills as an agronomist and in the field of pest management throughout the western United States, while he managed his family-owned vineyards in Madera and Fresno counties. He continued overseeing the family vineyards until the last one was sold in 1982.

Tom is a veteran guest speaker and panel member at agricultural symposiums ranging from wine grape vineyard development and management, to commercial agricultural ventures for lending institutions, to university-level presentations on pest management, irrigation, fertilization, and land suitability. Tom's many professional affiliations, along with his regular participation in agricultural technical courses in the United States, New Zealand and Australia, contribute to his authority and expertise.

Tom is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Top

      Bob Gallagher

        President

Bob Gallagher, a third generation resident of St. Helena, California has helped lead Crop Care Associates to its distinguished reputation and position as a leader in the field of technical service to the agricultural industry. Bob has been with the company for over twenty-five years, and as President, is responsible for all company operations. Bobs primary field expertise is in grapes, and he has additional experience in apples, cotton, tomatoes as well as tree fruit.
 

Bob was raised in California's Napa Valley where his family farmed since the early 1900s. Prior to joining Crop Care in 1982, he was able to forge his career working with some of Napa's foremost viticulturalists at Charles Krug, Beringer and Robert Mondavi as well as Sierra Wine Corp. in California's San Joaquin Valley. As he has progressed through all field representative and managerial positions at Crop Care Associates, Bob, a licensed Pest Control Advisor, has held direct responsibility for every facet of the company's technical service offerings: pest, irrigation and fertility management, agronomy, project consulting, grower education and land suitability studies.
 

Bob is a graduate of Santa Rosa Junior College and California Sate University, Fresno with A.S. and B.S. degrees in Plant Science/Viticulture.

Top

       Sara Savary

       Vice President

Sara Savary fills many several different roles at Crop Care Associates, Inc., consulting in the fields of pest, irrigation and fertility management while running the company's Human Resources function as Vice President. Sara has been with Crop Care Assoicates, Inc. for eighteen years, and has advanced through the ranks of field and regional management positions consulting throughout California.

Sara is a licensed Pest Control Advisor and her crop expertise in cotton, tomatoes, melons, beans, alfalfa, tree fruit, table and wine grapes, almonds and walnuts has sent her on assignments in Fresno, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Yolo, Sacramento, Amador, and El Dorado counties. As a Human Resources professional, she is also well-versed in legal requirements, government regulations, compliance, training, performance assessment and current health and safety issues. Sara is also a member of the Crop Care Assoicates, Inc. Executive Committee, helping to develop and review the company's strategic plan.

Serving on the Board of Directors for two professional organizations: California Agriculture Production Consultants Association and California Women for Agriculture, Sara brings her knowledge of web site development and management to both groups. Sara is also a member of American AgriWomen, where she completed the Leadership Academy, and is one of the founding members of an online farmwomen's support group, Ag-Sisters.

Sara completed her undergraduate work Cal Poly Pomona with a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology, and holds a Master's of Science degree in Agriculture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a specialization in International Development.

Top
 

      Mark Merzoian

    Field Representative

With thirty years of experience within the field of pest control, Mark Merzoian brings a wealth of knowledge within this specialty to his role in viticultural advising at Crop Care Associates, Inc. Mark has been with the company since 1987, honing his interest in integrated pest management, working in the field from his office in Porterville, California.

Mark received his Bachelor of Science in Plant Science/Viticulture from California State University, Fresno. Mark is a licensed Pest Control Advisor. Previous work experience included chemical sales and service at Tri County Ag Chemicals in Terra Bella, and pest control advising in wine grape and table grapes at Elmco in Porterville, California.

Top
 

         John McLaughlin

        Field Representative

John holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Entomology from the University of California, Davis as well as continuing education in the fields of Viticulture, Environmental Health and Engineering. His wide range of experience working in the field of environmental health and as a technician for Driscol Strawberry Assocation brings unique perspetives to his work for Crop Care Assocaites, Inc.

Top

       Kristin Lowe, PhD

  Field Representative

Viticulturalist

Kristin Lowe is a recent addition to Crop Care Associates, and is applying her viticulture knowledge and strong research background to the consulting field. Kristin completed her Ph.D. in Genetics from UC Davis in 2006, after working for six years on rootstock breeding projects with Dr. Andrew Walker. Her research led to a fascination with viticulture and she pursued these interests through studying viticulture and pest management, and working for four years as a teaching assistant of UC Davis’s viticulture courses. She has presented at the American Society of Enology and Viticulture and American Wine Society conferences, and is using her knowledge and research experience to solve practical viticulture issues.

Kristin is a licensed Pest Control Advisor, and her current duties at Crop Care include pest monitoring and viticultural consulting. She specializes in ampelography, has an extensive knowledge of rootstock characteristics, grape genetics, and grapevine phenology.

Originally from Syracuse, New York, Kristin received a B.S. in Plant Sciences with a specialization in Plant Breeding from Cornell University in 2000 before coming to California for graduate work.

Top

              Brad Sorensen

           Field Representative

Brad received his Bachelor of Science in Plant Pathology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has a broad range of experience in agriculture, having worked with soybeans, field corn, sweet corn, forage legumes, tomatoes, beans, coffee, cocoa, ornamentals, sweet potatoes and grapes. Previous work has included viral diagnostics for the Department of Plant Pathology at UW-Madison and sustainable food security technician in rural Nicaragua .

Top

         Gabriel Macias

        Field Representative

Gabe is a graduate of California State University Fresno, with a Plant science degree in Viticulture and Tree Fruit. While attending college he worked in the school vineyard, as a research assistant in table grapes under Sayed Badr, and later as a Viticulture Tech for the Monterey County Viticulture and Weeds advisors doing work in herbicide, rootstock, trellis, and clonal trials. Gabe has also been in vineyard management working in Eldorado and San Luis Obispo Counties with vineyard development and management of vineyards from sea level to 3200ft. He is a licensed Pest Control Advisor and QAL.

Top

[Home] [Services] [Clients] [Staff] [Contact]