Ten graduate from Leadership Farm Bureau program

» December 7, 2009 «

After an intensive year of leadership training, 10 Farm Bureau members from California have graduated from the Leadership Farm Bureau program. Participants were honored in Newport Beach at an event onboard John Wayne's yacht the Wild Goose, as part of the 91st California Farm Bureau Annual Meeting.

"Farm Bureau has kept its reputation as the state's leading farm organization by making sure we give our next generation of leaders the skills they need," California Farm Bureau President Doug Mosebar said. "Participants in Leadership Farm Bureau learn more about our organization and the wide range of issues that farmers and ranchers confront every day."

Members of the Leadership Farm Bureau class gained 250 hours of specialized training to improve their leadership skills and sharpen their awareness of current affairs. During the year-long program, they also gained deeper knowledge of how Farm Bureau operates and how it can enhance its work to protect and promote California family farms and ranches.

The 2009 Leadership Farm Bureau class included Joseph Bacchetti, San Joaquin County; Robert Blattler, Tulare County; Jeff Fowle, Siskiyou County; Rex Houghton, Siskiyou County; Gayle Learned, San Bernardino County; Irv Leen, Butte County; Sarah Reynolds, Butte County; Daniel Suenram, Lake County; Ron Taddei, Napa County; and David Van Klavern, Stanislaus County.

Leadership and team-building exercises for the class included a trip to Washington, D.C., where they met with key government officials and staff to discuss issues important to family farmers and ranchers. The group also learned about bay-delta water issues during a tour of California's Central Valley and visited Georgia and Florida to find out about differences and similarities between agriculture in California and agriculture in the South.

The 2009 class marks the tenth group of leaders to complete the Leadership Farm Bureau program since it began in 2000. For more information, see www.cfbf.com/lfb.

The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of 81,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of more than 5 million Farm Bureau members.

Contact: Dave Kranz
Phone: 916/561-5550
news@cfbf.com

Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item.