Farm Bureau History
California Farm Bureau Federation was organized in 1914. The purpose of CFBF is to surface, analyze, and solve the problems of farmers and ranchers. By joining together, farmers and ranchers are able to accomplish much more than acting as individuals. Farm Bureau's roots can be traced back to the Cooperative Extension System and today, Farm Bureau and the Cooperative Extension have a close working relationship.
Membership in Farm Bureau begins at the basic level, the county. This is where one joins the organization. Every county Farm Bureau is a member of California Farm Bureau Federation. CFBF has 53 county members. The state organization is a member of
American Farm Bureau Federation. AFBF has 51 members, the 50 state federations plus the Farm Bureau representing Puerto Rico. The entire Farm Bureau organization represents 5 million farm families nationwide and nearly 90,000 of them reside in California.
While Farm Bureau does not affiliate itself with any political party, it does have a philosophical belief favoring the private competitive enterprise system, private property rights, and pricing determined by a free marketplace. Farm Bureau favors streamlined government regulation and fair taxation and it encourages its members to support candidates for public office who share these beliefs.
The county Farm Bureau delegates take the concerns and recommendations of its members to the state level by presenting, discussing, and voting on the issues at the California Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting. Issues of national or international interests are then forwarded to the American Farm Bureau Federation House of Delegates.
Kern County Farm Bureau Governing Board and Committees
The Kern County Farm Bureau is divided into three geographic districts and each district is represented by a maximum of eleven directors on the Board of Directors. The Board meets on the 3rd Thursday of the month at the KCFB office in Bakersfield, unless otherwise noticed. Members are always welcome to attend, but it is suggested you contact the office in advance for more information about each month's agenda. The Annual Meeting for all members is held in October, at which time Officers and Board Members are ratified by those in attendance who maintain an “agricultural" membership.
2013 Kern County Farm Bureau Board of Directors
Steve Maniaci, President - Sunridge Nurseries
Greg Wegis, 1st Vice President - Wegis & Young Farming
Jeff Rasmussen, 2nd Vice President - Crop Production Services
Catherine Fanucchi, Treasurer - Fanucchi Enterprises
Don Davis, Past President - Alina Farms
Dennis Atkinson, District Director - Tejon Ranch
Meghan Terrell, YF&R Chair - Paramount Citrus
Trey Irwin - Tejon Ranch
Alan Doud - Young Wooldridge
Ruben Bartell - Ruben Bartell Farms
Tom Bracken - Sunridge Nurseries
Jared Britschgi - Tejon Ranch
Jason Giannelli - Tasteful Selections
Brian Crettol - Jasmine Vineyards
Troy Elliott - Bolthouse Farms
Jerome Kresha - Kresha Agricultural Nursery
Jason Gianquinto - Semitropic Water Storage District
Mark Hall - Mark Hall Farming
Jay Hershey - Rivermere Ranches
Jenny Holtermann - Sun World/Holtermann Farms
Betsy Hunter-Binns
John Gardiner - Pacific Ag Management
Albert Idolyantes - Farm Credit West
Frankie Iturriria - Grimmway Farms/I & M Sheep Company
Justin Jackson - Casa Crystal Nursery
Robert Kunde - Wheeler Ridge - Maricopa Water Storage District
Ben Laverty III - California Safety Training Corporation
Tito Martinez - Donald Valpredo Farming
Mike Mendes - Paramount Farming Company
Steve Murray - Murray Family Farms
Mark Palla - Fred Palla Farms
Greg White - Top Brass Marketing/Vignolo Farms
Matthew Haddon - Sierra Gold Trees
Todd Snider - Personal Ag Management
Kern County Farm Bureau Staff
Benjamin McFarland, Executive Director
Sadie Thomas, Executive Assistant
Dalton Kelley, Part-time Office Assistant
Kern County Ag Facts
- 170,000 jobs are both directly and indirectly supported by agriculture in Kern County every year.
- In the last USDA Ag Census in 2007, Kern County was ranked #1 in the U.S. in terms of value of crops sold (including greenhouses and nurseries).
- Kern County grows the most carrots in the United States.
- Pistachio trees can bear nuts for centuries. The oldest pistachio tree is in the world is estimated to be 700 years old in Iran and is still producing nuts.
- Almonds and Pistachios, the only two nuts mentioned in the Bible, are the largest nut crops in Kern County.
- Chocolate manufacturers use 40% of the worlds almonds.
- Consumption of fresh grapes in the U.S. is about 8 pounds per person per year.
- 325 pairs of jeans can be made from one bale of cotton.
- Alfalfa roots can grow more than 15 feet deep into the soil.
- The ‘Naval’ Orange got its name because of the belly-button formation opposite the stem end.