CEO Paul Palmby was paid $1,304,968 in fiscal year 2026, ↑ up 28.9% from fiscal year 2025 (SEC filing 0001437749-26-022933 ↗): executive and director compensation, incentive-plan design, equity activity, and governance — every figure in this brief is traceable to its exact location in the company’s SEC filing — the document, the section, the page, and the table, linked directly.
$1,304,968 ↑ Paul Palmby total, FY2026 | — CEO pay percentile vs peers | 16:1 CEO-to-median pay ratio | 99.3% Say-on-pay support, latest vote |
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SENEA's next annual pay disclosure, estimated July 7, 2027.est. Filing ↗
| Named executive officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension / NQDC | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Palmby | $804,583 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $402,291 | $81,139 | $16,955 | $1,304,968 |
| President and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
| Dean Erstad | 345,149 | 0 | 25,000 | 0 | 172,575 | 92,431 | 9,187 | 644,342 |
| Senior Vice President | ||||||||
| Timothy Nelson | 349,855 | 0 | 25,000 | 0 | 174,928 | 78,413 | 9,185 | 637,381 |
| Senior Vice President of Operations, Chief Operating Officer | ||||||||
| Michael Wolcott | 338,184 | 0 | 25,000 | 0 | 169,092 | 10,455 | 4,004 | 546,735 |
| Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.
| Named executive officer | FY2026 total | FY2025 total | FY2024 total | Δ FY2025→2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Palmby | $1,304,968 | $1,012,423 | $1,195,063 | ↑ +292,545 |
| Dean Erstad | 644,342 | 514,107 | 586,504 | ↑ +130,235 |
| Timothy Nelson | 637,381 | 514,744 | 598,311 | ↑ +122,637 |
| Michael Wolcott | 546,735 | 427,546 | 499,632 | ↑ +119,189 |
Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.
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Each company listed discloses SENEA in its own benchmarking peer group, as disclosed in each company's most recent proxy statement within the last two proxy seasons. Two companies are therefore absent by design: one that named SENEA in an earlier year and no longer does, and one whose own most recent disclosure is older than the last two seasons.
One page per officer: the same table above, read for one person at a time — his own figure and every fiscal year the register holds.
| Executive | Role | FY2026 total |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Palmby | CEO | $1,304,968 |
One page per director: the seat, the committees and the fee table, read for one person at a time.
| Director | Role | FY2026 total |
|---|---|---|
| Bruce E. Ware | Independent Director | $80,000 |
| Donald J. Stuart | Independent Director | $80,000 |
| John P. Gaylord | Independent Director | $80,000 |
| Kathryn J. Boor | Independent Director | $80,000 |
| Keith A. Woodward | Independent Director | $80,000 |
| Kraig H. Kayser | Chair of the Board | $80,000 |
| Linda K. Nelson | Independent Director | $80,000 |
| Peter R. Call | Director | $80,000 |
No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.
| Executive | Award | Grant date | Threshold | Target | Granted | Maximum | Grant-date fair value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timothy R. Nelson | RSU | 2025-08-07 | — | — | 243 | — | $25,000 |
| Michael Wolcott | RSU | 2025-08-07 | — | — | 243 | — | 25,000 |
| Dean Erstad | RSU | 2025-08-07 | — | — | 243 | — | 25,000 |
| Named executive officer | Time-vested (RSU) | Performance-vested (PSU) | Options / SARs | % performance-vested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timothy R. Nelson | $25,000 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% |
| Michael Wolcott | 25,000 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Dean Erstad | 25,000 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
% performance-vested = PSU grant-date fair value ÷ (RSU + PSU + Options), a computed value with the derivation shown in the register.
| Executive | Award | Shares unvested | Exercise price | Market value unvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson | RSU | 980 | — | $148,098 |
| Dean Erstad | RSU | 980 | — | 148,098 |
| Michael Wolcott | RSU | 869 | — | 131,323 |
The Company's compensation philosophy is to value the contribution of employees and share profits through broad-based incentive arrangements designed to reward performance and motivate collective achievement of strategic objectives. The primary objectives are to attract and retain highly-qualified executives, motivate them to achieve business objectives, reward individual and collective contributions, and align their interests with the long-term interests of shareholders.
| CEO STI target (% of salary) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO LTI target (% of salary) | — |
| Independent consultant | — |
| Clawback policy | true |
| Anti-hedging | false |
| Anti-pledging | false |
| Meeting year | Meeting date | For | Against | Abstain | Support | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-08-06 | 2,039,835 | 14,463 | 4,036 | 99.3% | Passed |
| 2023 | 2023-08-09 | 2,323,797 | 9,680 | 6,071 | 99.59% | Passed |
| 2021 | 2021-08-11 | 2,889,993 | 378 | 931 | 99.99% | Passed |
| 2020 | 2020-08-18 | 2,589,357 | 4,324 | 5,575 | 99.83% | Passed |
Rows are labeled by annual-meeting year, with the meeting date beside each; the vote held in a given year acts on the prior fiscal year's compensation.
| Meeting year | Meeting date | Approval — company's computation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-08-06 | 99.3%a |
| 2023 | 2023-08-09 | 99.59%b |
| 2021 | 2021-08-11 | 99.99%c |
a. Voting standard not stated in the filing.
b. Voting standard not stated in the filing.
c. Voting standard not stated in the filing.
Approval percentages are the company's own reported computations under its own stated standard, not recomputed by Velarion. Where a company does not state a standard, none is assumed.
| Ratio (CEO : median employee) | 16 : 1 |
|---|---|
| CEO total compensation | $1,304,968 |
| Median employee compensation | $80,235 |
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter R. CallNot independent | $80,000 | — | — | — | — | $80,000 |
| Kathryn J. BoorIndependent · Compensation · Corporate Governance and Nominating (Chair) | 80,000 | — | — | — | — | 80,000 |
| Donald J. StuartIndependent | 80,000 | — | — | — | — | 80,000 |
| Bruce E. WareIndependent · Audit · Corporate Governance and Nominating | 80,000 | — | — | — | — | 80,000 |
| Keith A. WoodwardIndependent · Audit (Chair) · Compensation | 80,000 | — | — | — | — | 80,000 |
| Linda K. NelsonIndependent · Audit | 80,000 | — | — | — | — | 80,000 |
| Kraig H. KayserIndependent · Board Chair | 80,000 | — | — | — | — | 80,000 |
| John P. GaylordIndependent · Compensation (Chair) · Corporate Governance and Nominating | 80,000 | — | — | — | — | 80,000 |
| Paul L. PalmbyEmployee director | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Annual cash retainer | $20,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | — |
| Per board meeting fee | — |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | — |
| Stock ownership guideline | — |
| Component | FY2026 |
|---|---|
| Cash retainers and fees | $640,000 |
| Equity awards (grant-date value) | $0 |
| All other compensation | $0 |
| Total cost of the board | $640,000 |
Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.
Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company's own proxy statement.
| Rank | Company | FY | Chief executive | Salary | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seneca Foods | 2026 | Paul Palmby | $804,583 | $0 | $0 | $402,291 | $1,304,968 |
Each peer's compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer's figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.
Answers are drawn only from the figures disclosed in this brief and cited to their location in the source filing. Where a figure required for an answer is not disclosed, that is stated rather than estimated.
Each figure's location is given both for the eye (section · page · table · row · column) and for a script (table/row/column index and exact character span in the filed document). Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.
| # | Supports | Document | Filed | Accession | Location in document |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Section 01, Paul Palmby | DEF 14A | 2026-07-07 | 0001437749-26-022933 | Section “Summary Compensation Table” · page 14. As printed: 1,304,968. Filing ↗machine: span 190773–190782 |
| 2 | Section 01, Dean Erstad | DEF 14A | 2026-07-07 | 0001437749-26-022933 | Section “Summary Compensation Table” · page 14. As printed: 644,342. Filing ↗machine: span 235554–235561 |
| 3 | Section 01, Timothy Nelson | DEF 14A | 2026-07-07 | 0001437749-26-022933 | Section “Summary Compensation Table” · page 14. As printed: 637,381. Filing ↗machine: span 220582–220589 |
| 4 | Section 01, Michael Wolcott | DEF 14A | 2026-07-07 | 0001437749-26-022933 | Section “Summary Compensation Table” · page 14. As printed: 546,735. Filing ↗machine: span 205605–205612 |
| 5 | Section 03, Timothy R. Nelson RSU | DEF 14A | 2026-07-07 | 0001437749-26-022933 | Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards in Fiscal Year 2026” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗ |
| 6 | Section 03, Michael Wolcott RSU | DEF 14A | 2026-07-07 | 0001437749-26-022933 | Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards in Fiscal Year 2026” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: span 233506–233512 |
| 7 | Section 03, Dean Erstad RSU | DEF 14A | 2026-07-07 | 0001437749-26-022933 | Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards in Fiscal Year 2026” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗ |
| 8 | Section 07, pay ratio | DEF 14A | 2026-07-07 | 0001437749-26-022933 | Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: 16 : 1. Filing ↗ |
| 9 | Section 08, Peter R. Call | DEF 14A | 2026-07-07 | 0001437749-26-022933 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 80,000. Filing ↗machine: span 485237–485243 |
| 10 | Section 08, Kathryn J. Boor | DEF 14A | 2026-07-07 | 0001437749-26-022933 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 80,000. Filing ↗machine: span 484328–484334 |
| 11 | Section 08, Donald J. Stuart | DEF 14A | 2026-07-07 | 0001437749-26-022933 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 80,000. Filing ↗machine: span 487971–487977 |
| 12 | Section 08, Bruce E. Ware | DEF 14A | 2026-07-07 | 0001437749-26-022933 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 80,000. Filing ↗machine: span 488880–488886 |
| 13 | Section 08, Keith A. Woodward | DEF 14A | 2026-07-07 | 0001437749-26-022933 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 80,000. Filing ↗machine: span 489793–489799 |
| 14 | Section 08, Linda K. Nelson | DEF 14A | 2026-07-07 | 0001437749-26-022933 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 80,000. Filing ↗machine: span 487059–487065 |
| 15 | Section 08, Kraig H. Kayser | DEF 14A | 2026-07-07 | 0001437749-26-022933 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 80,000. Filing ↗machine: span 483417–483423 |
| 16 | Section 08, John P. Gaylord | DEF 14A | 2026-07-07 | 0001437749-26-022933 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 80,000. Filing ↗machine: span 486148–486154 |
| 17 | Section 08, Paul L. Palmby | DEF 14A | 2026-07-07 | 0001437749-26-022933 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. Filing ↗ |
| 18 | Section 06, 2026 vote | Form 8-K | 2026-08-11 | 0001437749-26-027008 | Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 99.3% (votes for as printed: 2,039,835). Filing ↗ |
| 19 | Section 06, 2023 vote | Form 8-K | 2023-08-14 | 0001437749-23-023674 | Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 99.59% (votes for as printed: 2,323,797). Filing ↗ |
| 20 | Section 06, 2021 vote | Form 8-K | 2021-08-11 | 0001437749-21-019470 | Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 99.99% (votes for as printed: 2,889,993). Filing ↗ |
| 21 | Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed) | Computed | — | — | Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.machine: formula: Δ = FY(n) − FY(n−1) |
| 22 | Section 03b vehicle mix (computed) | Computed | — | — | RSU / PSU / Options grant-date fair values summed per officer from the grants table; % performance-vested = PSU ÷ (RSU+PSU+Options).machine: formula: sums + PSU ratio |
| 23 | Section 09b board cost (computed) | Computed | — | — | Cash 640,000 + equity 0 + all other 0 = 640,000, summed across the director compensation table rows.machine: formula: Σ = 640,000 |
| 24 | Seneca Foods (subject), Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-07-07 | 0001437749-26-022933 | CEO total compensation as printed in Seneca Foods's own proxy. As printed: 1,304,968. Filing ↗machine: span 190773–190782 |
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