Meet Our Team

Cannon Michael

President & CEO Bowles Farming Company

Cannon Michael is the President/CEO of Bowles Farming Company. He is the 6th generation of his family to work in the family farming business. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Cannon joined the company in 1998. Cannon became the President and CEO in 2014 after his uncle Philip Bowles retired. Cannon is an advocate for California agriculture and intelligent water policy. Environmental stewardship, ethical treatment of workers and sustainable production are core values for Cannon and the Bowles Farming Company team. The farm grows 20+ crops and employs both conventional and organic farming practices. Cannon is active and engaged in California water and agriculture issues - he serves as the Chairman of the San Luis & Delta Mendota Water Authority, as a director on the Water Education Foundation Board, as a director on the San Luis Canal Company Board, as a director on the Henry Miller Reclamation District Board, as the president of the San Luis Resource Conservation District Board, as a director for the Center for Land Based Learning, advisor to Terravion and WaterBit (two technology startup companies), as a director for the Family Farm Alliance, as Treasurer for the Exchange Contractors PAC, as a director of the Cotton Incorporated Board, and as director and past chairman of the California Cotton Growers Association. He was also appointed by Governor Brown to the Merced County Designated Local Authority, a governing board responsible for winding down the affairs of dissolved local redevelopment agencies in Merced and Los Banos.

DOUGLAS-JON ITEN

General Manager, Great Valley Seed

Doug joined Great Valley Seed in December 2020 after living in the desert for most of his life. He was raised in Holtville, a small farming community in the Imperial Valley.  Both of his parents worked in agriculture exposing him to the industry at an early age. After graduating from U.C. San Diego with an Economics degree, Doug returned to the Ag world for a crash course in produce. For the previous 16 years he worked with Headstart Nursery’s greenhouse operations, managing their desert seed and transplant programs.  Doug has always had an affinity for native plants which eventually led him to Great Valley Seed. His wife Bonny is involved with fresh produce sales and both their kids love visiting the farm.  He is excited to raise his family in an agricultural setting with a focus on protecting the future of California landscapes.

Derek Azevedo

Executive Vice President, Bowles Farming

Derek Azevedo is the Executive Vice President of Bowles Farming Company. Prior to joining Bowles in early 2017, Derek spent 12 years working with farmers throughout the Central Valley as a business development representative for the world’s largest tomato processor. Derek graduated from Kansas State University and currently resides in Gustine.

Emma Debasitis

Restoration Biologist

Emma Debasitis joined Great Valley Seed as a Restoration Biologist in October 2022, while completing her M.S. in Environmental Science at Cal State, Monterey Bay. She received a B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology and a minor in Biochemistry from University of Montana. Emma has always loved exploring the outdoors and studying environmental systems. She is excited to be working at Great Valley Seed, producing native species to support the conservation and restoration of the San Joaquin Valley.

GVS ADVISORY BOARD

Ashely Boren
CEO, Sustainable Conservation

Houston Wilson
Director, Organic Agriculture Institute at University of California's Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources (UCANR);
Assistant Cooperative Extension Specialist, Orchard/Vineyard Entomology, UC Riverside

Steve Costa
President, Headstart Nursery, Inc. and T&C Supplies, Inc.

Stuart Woolf
President and CEO of Woolf Farming & Processing