Vernon Vierra
Dec 06, 2021
USA Rice extends condolences to the family and friends of Vernon Vierra, of Willows, California, who passed away on November 28, at the age of 68.
Born in Maxwell, California, Vern graduated from the University of Chico where he played on the basketball team for two years. After graduation and marriage to his wife, Jennifer, he embarked on a life-long career in the rice industry.
Vern was the founding general manager of Sun Valley Rice, a position he held from 1999 until 2012. He recently worked for Rice Researchers and, prior to his stint with Sun Valley Rice, was the director of field services at Cal-Pac, and general manager for DePue Warehouse. In 2006, he and his brothers began an almond farming enterprise aptly called “Vierra Brothers.”
“Vern taught me a great deal about our industry and about doing business,” said Sun Valley Rice CEO Ken LaGrande. “He was a good friend and will be missed deeply by many of us.”
Vern's charisma and sense of humor made a lasting impression on everyone he met. He was the life of the party, someone who loved to laugh and joke, whose credo was, “If you’re going to be a bear, be a grizzly.”
Rick Rhody, president & CEO of Farmers Rice Cooperative in Sacramento, California, remembers Vern with “a quick wit, piercing voice, and a laugh that could fill a room. He had a lightning-fast ability to work numbers and a tenacity to never let an assumption go unchallenged. It was always a good day when you got an idea or some sort of proposition past Vern Vierra. He was an early mentor when I entered the California rice industry more than 20 years ago, someone who constantly challenged me and, as a result, made me a better, stronger leader. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Vierra family along with a deep appreciation for Vern’s contributions to the California rice industry.”
A funeral service will be held on Thursday, December 16, at the Maxwell Cemetery at 10 a.m. followed by a celebration of life afterwards at the Maxwell Legion Hall. Donations can be made in Vern’s memory to the Maxwell Cemetery, P.O. Box 201, Maxwell, CA 95955.