As rising living costs continue to impact households, Fresno Madera Farm Credit and CoBank have come together to donate $30,000 to Central California Food Bank’s Feeding Families Fund Drive. This contribution will help provide over 120,000 meals to rural residents of Central California, many of whom have limited access to full-service grocery stores and are facing the ongoing challenges of increasing food prices.

Farm Credit appreciates the hard work by Chairman Thompson and others to produce a Farm Bill draft that will benefit farmers, ranchers and rural communities. The Chairman’s effort is an important step toward getting a bipartisan Farm Bill adopted this year. 

Since the beginning of production agriculture, the vast majority of farming operations have consisted of small family farms. That’s true today as well, as these farms comprise nearly 90% of all the farms in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

In 2023, Farm Credit was again the largest provider of credit to U.S. agriculture from coast to coast, but its support for the farming and ranching community went much deeper than that. Because Farm Credit is also committed to the long-term viability of agriculture and rural communities, the farmer-owned cooperative is proud to support nonprofits working to preserve and protect California agriculture.  

In a year marked by significant challenges for many growers, including high input costs, softer pricing for many commodities, and a myriad of harvest challenges, Fresno Madera Farm Credit (FMFC) is proud to announce a record distribution of $19.4 million in cash patronage to its member borrowers. This year's distribution represents 1.00% of each member's average daily borrowing for 2023 and reflects the board's understanding of the current economic landscape and its commitment to supporting members when they need it most. 

Fresno Madera Farm Credit and CoBank have jointly announced a $30,000 donation to Central California Food Bank’s Feeding Families Fund Drive. The donation will provide over 180,000 meals to rural residents of Central California, many of whom have limited access to full-service grocery stores and have been severely impacted by the rising cost of food. 

If the FARMS Advanced group that participated in a career day at Fresno Madera Farm Credit is indicative of the quality of high school students in the program, the future of California agriculture is in good hands.

Thirty years ago, a Yolo County walnut farmer named Craig McNamara thought it would be a good idea to invite city kids to a farm and educate them about where their food comes from. To that end, the Winters farmer helped found the FARMS Leadership Program, which today is a key component of the programs offered by the Center for Land-Based Learning (CLBL).

Fresno Madera Farm Credit’s spring member appreciation BBQ held on June 23, at Holland Park West, recognized and celebrated agricultural producers from across Fresno and Madera counties as well as the exceptional ag youth groups serving the local communities. 

Every summer, people around the country enjoy luscious fruits like apricots, table grapes, kiwis, peaches and plums. And since California is the nation’s largest producer of each of these commodities, there’s a good chance those fruits were grown right here in the Golden State.

Anthropologist Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

That is the core of Common Threads, an awards program that recognizes women in agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley and Northern California for their service to agriculture and to their communities.  

Roberto Lopez, a senior at Oakdale High School in Stanislaus County, is a strong believer in the value of FFA. Lopez is the president of both the school’s FFA Chapter and the organization’s central region, encompassing the area between Yolo and Merced counties. 

The California Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) program is designed to identify, grow and develop young Farm Bureau members and provide them with opportunities and experiences to help them become effective leaders in the agriculture community. 

Now in its 35^th year, the Small Farm Conference will be held this year from February 26 to March 6. Organized each year since 2018 by the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), this year’s conference will once again be a hybrid event, said Evan Wiig, CAFF’s director of membership and communications.