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 Farm 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.

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 with the exception of October, December, June, July, and August 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 a "voting" membership.

In addition to the elected members of the Board of Directors, past presidents are also considered board members and maintain the privilege of the floor until they express a desire in writing to be deleted from the list of directors.

The Kern County Farm Bureau Executive Committee consists of the President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. The KCFB Executive Director, the CFBF District Director, and the most recent past president are also considered members of the Executive Committee. The committee is charged with oversight of the Board's activities and events, and meets monthly to review policy decisions, provide direction on issues and important projects, and review the financial statements of the corporation.

President -- Don Davis

1st Vice President -- Steve Maniaci

2nd Vice President -- Greg Wegis

Treasurer -- Catherine Fanucchi

Secretary / Executive Director -- Matthew Park

CFBF District Director -- Dennis Atkinson

Past President -- Michael Young

     District I
Tom Antongiovanni
Don Davis
John Etchamendy
Tim Kensinger
Edward Needham
Mark Palla
Greg Wegis
Greg White
Geordy Wise

     District II
Tom Bracken
Catherine Fanucchi
Mark Hall
Betsy Hunter
Adam Icardo
Trey Irwin
Steve Maniaci
Catarino Martinez
Steve Murray

    District III
Ruben Bartell
A.J. Destefani
Frank Iturriria
John Jelmini
Robert Kunde
Ben Laverty, III
Peter Romanini
Andrea Weishaar

Kern County Farm Bureau takes seriously the issues and concerns of its members. Several special interest committees have been established for in-depth evaluation, promotion, and resolution of such concerns. For more information regarding the following committees or to bring concerns to their attention, contact the KCFB office.

                  Ag Education          Air Pollution          Endangered Species          Natural Resources          Land Use

                         Legislative Action          Health & Safety          Private Property Rights          Rural Crime

Kern County Farm Bureau • 801 S. Mount Vernon Avenue • Bakersfield, CA 93307
Phone: (661) 397-9635 • Fax: (661) 397-3403 • Email: kcfb@kerncfb.com
Kern County Farm Bureau®. All rights reserved. Read our Legal Notice and Acknowledgements.
Copyright 2009