40. Veronica Luna - Director of Administrative Operations at Rancho Guadalupe, advocacy, empathy, and how to show up for others

In this episode of This Is Ag, I'm joined by Veronica Luna—Director of Administrative Operations at Rancho Guadalupe and a passionate advocate for the people who power our fields. With years of experience in agriculture, Veronica has become a quiet but powerful force behind the scenes, using her voice to champion mental health, accessible benefits, and compassionate leadership.

Raised by a strong mother, Veronica learned early what it meant to speak up—even when it wasn’t easy. Today, she carries that legacy forward at Rancho Guadalupe, where she not only manages Human Resources and benefits but also plays a key role in shaping a workplace culture grounded in care.

In this episode, Veronica opens up about helping launch Spring Health before the pandemic—a bold move that brought mental health support to ag workers when they needed it most. She shares how her personal grief journey became the spark to advocate for others, and how leadership at Rancho Guadalupe—especially General Manager AJ Cisney—listens and acts when employees speak.

This is an episode about the heart of ag—the unseen labor, the emotional weight, and the deep humanity behind every harvest. Veronica’s story is a reminder that care, empathy, and advocacy aren’t just nice to have; they’re essential tools for building a stronger, more resilient ag community.

Veronica Luna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronica-luna-88900b199/

Rancho Guadalupe: https://ranchoguadalupe.com/

Kirti Mutatkar, President and CEO of UnitedAg. 

Reach me at [email protected], www.linkedin.com/in/kirtimutatkar
UnitedAg website - www.unitedag.org

UnitedAg Health and Wellness Centers - https://www.unitedag.org/health-benefits/united-agricultural-benefit-trust/health-centers/

Episode Contributors - Veronica Luna, Kirti Mutatkar, Dave Visaya, Rhianna Macias

The episode is also sponsored by Brent Eastman Insurance Services Inc. - https://brenteastman.com

Blue Shield of California - https://www.blueshieldca.com

Elite Medical - https://www.elitecorpmed.com

Gallagher - https://www.ajg.com/

SAIN Medical https://sainmedical.com/

MDI Network - https://www.mdinetworx.com/about-us