As the second generation founder of Mellon Farms, Doug is the cornerstone and inspiration of the company’s vision. Doug learned the farming business by working with his father until forming his own farming business in 1967. Doug and Pamela Mellon incorporated Doug Mellon Farms, Inc. (DMFI) in Arizona in 1976. He is proud to pass on the management of the business to his three sons: Colin, Todd and Cory.
Colin oversees the growing of the over 6,000 acres of produce and rotational crops each year. With the help of his brothers he effectively manages the overall operation balancing the needs of the clients, employees, land and equipment. Colin Mellon graduated from the University of Arizona in 1990 with a BS degree in Agricultural Economics. He and his wife, Shelley, have 3 children. Colin has become the managing grower for the family farming ventures by utilizing skills derived from his education and extensive hands-on experience.
Colin is actively involved in local and state organizations promoting the area’s agriculture industry. He is a Honorary Member of the Junior Livestock Committee and a member and past Director of the Yuma Fresh Vegetable Association. He also sits on the bank board of Farm Credit West. Colin believes in taking a leadership role in the community to promote agriculture in Yuma County and the Desert Southwest.
Todd Mellon serves the company in a dual role, supervising the office staff while maintaining the fiscal viability of the crop logistics detail. Under Todd’s leadership his staff produces detailed records and prompt individual billing, as well as crop/field cost analysis. Todd also supervises a computer network that links five physical locations and over 20 remote personnel. Mellon Farms shares data via an intra-company web site hosted in the cloud for up to date communication 24/7.
Todd Mellon attended the University of Arizona and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1993 with a BS degree in General Agriculture. Todd and Amanda were married in 1994 and now have 3 children. He currently sits on the boards of the Yuma County Water Users’ Association and the YUCO Gin.
Cory Mellon, a graduate of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, received his BS degree in Crop Science in 1999. Cory oversees the day to day growing operations. Another of the many facets of Cory’s job is an ongoing in-field efficiency study to help guide equipment and employee decisions. Cory also overseas the purchase and maintenance of all the equipment and farm implements necessary to run a precision farming operation and supervises all planting operations for vegetable and non-vegetable crops.
Cory and his wife Summer were married in 1999 and have two daughters. His is active in the 4H, sits on the Yuma County Water Users’ Board, the Lettuce Research Council, and is President of the Yuma Fresh Vegetable Association. He is also President of the Junior Livestock Committee for the Yuma County Fair.
Greg Perry graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in 1988 with a dual major in Accounting and Business Administration receiving his CPA in both California and Arizona. He spent the next 10 years as a partner in a local accounting firm before joining the Mellon Farms team in 2006. Greg brings professional accountability to our organization as he oversees the multi-faceted accounting system and provides reliable financials for the various organizations of the Mellon Companies.
Greg was born and raised in Yuma and has been involved in agriculture through his family his entire life. Greg is married and he and his family live with their horses and various other pets on the Yuma Mesa.
Chris graduated from the University of Arizona in 1998 and has worked for the Mellon since 1989. Chris currently manages the growing and irrigation of all crops in the Dome Valley, Wellton, and Tacna areas. He is also a member of the Junior Livestock Committee.
Chris, his wife and two children live on the farm in Dome Valley, the Liskas’ self-proclaimed slice of “Paradise”.
Claudia joined Mellon Farms in Jan, 2022, bringing with her over 3 years of agricultural experience. She maintains all the documentation and training necessary to support an exemplary safety environment for the employees and crops.
Eddie Urias has been the Mellon’s tractor foreman, overseeing tillage and planting, since his father, Alejandro, retired in 1995. Alejandro was a tractor driver and supervisor for Doug Mellon for almost 30 years. Eddie Urias was employed in 1986 and has learned to provide the timeliness and continuity required for consistent crop quality.
Ricardo Banuelos manages the laying and rotation of sprinkler pipe to effectively sprinkle over 15,000 acres of crops. He has been employed with the Mellons since 1970 and has been sprinkler manager for over 20 years. Ricardo’s father Salvador retired in 1993 after 30 years of exceptional service to the Mellon family. His brother, sons, son-in-law and grandson are all part of the Mellon Farms team as well.
Ricardo Banuelos Jr. joined his family at Mellon Farms in 1991 helping make sure all aspects of the sprinkler operation are running smoothly. He is attentive to the safety of the operation, whether it involves maintaining the equipment or training crew members.
Luis Vanegas oversees the irrigation of all crops with three irrigation foremen and their crews working under him. He became part of the next generation to carry on the Mellon Farms tradition when he joined his brothers and uncle in 2009 as an integral part of our team.
Tony Ricci was employed in 1996 and currently supervises the repair and maintenance of all equipment and vehicles. This currently consists of over 300 pieces of equipment and the related implements and tools associated with heavy-duty farming. Tony is very knowledgeable, an experienced mechanic, and an exceptional chef. Tony and his crew can often be found cooking on the Mellon Farms grills for various farm and community events.
Carlos Amaral manages Desert Applicators, Inc., a subsidiary of Mellon Farms that does ground applications. A certified Arizona Agricultural Commercial Applicator, Carlos started with Desert Applicators in 2001 as an applicator and now oversees all their applications, crew, and equipment.