Marin Farm Bureau Members at the CA YF&R Meeting in Sonoma

The State Young Farmers & Ranchers Meeting was held February 21-23 at the Double Tree in Rohnert Park where local YF&R members got to meet YF&R members from around the state, meet State YF&R committee members, attend policy and Farm Bureau workshops, and interact with CFBF staff and officers. The State Collegiate Discussion Meet competition was also held at this conference. Steven Pozzi, a Marin County Collegiate Farm Bureau member competed in the Collegiate Discussion Meet on behalf of Fresno State University. Collegiate competitors were from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and CSU Fresno. Pozzi placed in the Final Four of the competition, and Fresno State was the first place university. Topics that the collegiate members discussed included recruiting STEM majors to agriculture, information dissemination and farmers’ access to new technology, inclusivity in Farm Bureau, responsive business plans and value-added products, and increasing membership value for associate members. Keynote speakers at the conference included CFBF President Jamie Johansson, Past NCBA President Kevin Kester, and Ag Grad Recruiter Tim Hammerich. YF&R members also had the opportunity to tour agriculture operations in Sonoma County, the Petaluma tour included Petaluma Poultry, Double 8 Buffalo Dairy, and Neve Bros. Roses. The Sonoma Tour was at Novo Vines, Jacuzzi Winery, and Beltane Ranch; the Sebastopol tour was at Beretta Dairy, Spirit Works Distillery, and Dutton Ranch. The Young Farmers & Ranchers Program in Farm Bureau is open to Farm Bureau Members ages 18-35, members can get involved in Sonoma-Marin YF&R by attending their meetings or fundraisers. (Published in Sonoma-Marin Farm News April 2019)

MCFB Member Steven Pozzi and CA YF&R Chair Daniel Bays. Photo courtesy of CFBF Ag Alert.