California Ag Network

Tag: AgWest Farm Credit

  • Research Fund Drives Vaccine Breakthroughs for Cattlemen

    The Livestock Memorial Research Fund, an arm of the California Cattlemen’s Association, is on a roll.

    Since its establishment in the 1980s, members of the livestock community have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote scientific and educational projects to benefit the industry, while also providing scholarships for graduate students in ag-related fields.

    Their signature projects have included working to develop three important vaccines to address serious problems cattlemen encounter. The first one was approved for use in late 2020, the second is showing great promise with hopes of being approved within a couple of years and a third effort is now underway, said Research Fund committee member Tom Talbot.

    These grants have been crucial seed money to help researchers attract larger grants from state and federal sources.

    “Researchers can show them, look – California ranchers are excited about this, support the project and it’s important to the industry,” said Talbot, a rancher and veterinarian in Bishop.

    Talbot said the Research Fund has built up an endowment over the years to fund research and scholarships but also relies heavily on the sale of raffle tickets at the Cattlemen’s Association annual convention. The prize is a stock trailer that for more than 15 years has been purchased with donations by California Farm Credit associations.

    Ag West Farm Credit California President Kevin Ralph said Farm Credit has been proud to sponsor the prize each year, and to see the Research Fund’s investments pay off.

    “The vaccines already on the market or in the development stage will prove to be incredibly valuable for California ranchers and save them collectively millions of dollars a year,” Ralph said. “Farm Credit is proud to have played this ongoing role in the Research Fund’s successes.”

    Farm Credit associations supporting the Research Fund are AgWest Farm Credit, American AgCredit and CoBank. These organizations are part of the nationwide Farm Credit System – the largest provider of credit to U.S. agriculture.

    The first vaccine was developed to prevent a dangerous ailment called epizootic bovine abortion, a tick-borne disease that for decades had caused tens of thousands of cows in the West to abort their calves.

    “That was truly a home run for the industry,” said Talbot, a rancher and veterinarian in Bishop. “The efficacy of the vaccine has just been outstanding.”

    While detailed statistics are not available, Talbot said the vaccine has caused the loss rate of calves to drop from between 10% and 40% in tick-infested areas down to the 5%-10% range today.

    The Research Fund contributed nearly $350,000 to the research over several years.

    For the past several years, the Research Fund’s has been supporting efforts to create a vaccine against another major tick-borne illness called bovine anaplasmosis. This disease, caused by bacteria that infects the red blood cells of cattle, leads to anemia, weight loss and even deaths that cost U.S. ranchers hundreds of millions of dollars in economic losses each year.

    The work involved genetically modifying the pathogen in a lab. By deleting a specific gene and then injecting the modified pathogen into cattle, the animals were immunized. Talbot is hopeful that the vaccine could hit the market within a couple of years, which he said would be a significant development for California ranchers.

    The Research Fund is now providing seed money for studies into developing a third vaccine, this one to prevent pinkeye – another common livestock disease. The bacteria-caused disease, largely spread by flies, costs producers nationwide over $150 million a year due to reduced weight gain (as much as 20-35 pounds per calf), along with lower milk production and sale value.

    2026 marks the third year the Research Fund has contributed to this vaccine research.

    “We have high hopes for it as we move forward and the funding has helped allow him to recruit additional funds to support research for the beef cattle industry,” he said.

    Talbot said the Research Fund has contributed about $50,000 to each of these two projects.

    Besides helping fund vaccine projects, the Research Fund also has awarded over $150,000 in graduate-level scholarships for students in fields that would benefit cattle production

    Pierce Mallery, Director of Regional Banking with American AgCredit, said Farm Credit financially supports several ag-related scholarship programs each year because highly educated professionals must be trained to provide people with the skills and services the industry will continue to need.

    “The Research Fund is investing wisely in developing the lawyers, veterinarians and other skilled professionals the industry will need to meet the challenges of tomorrow,” Mallery said. “Farm Credit strongly supports programs to train people to help ensure that agriculture continues to thrive in California”.

    About Farm Credit:

    AgWest Farm Credit, American AgCredit and CoBank are cooperatively owned lending institutions providing agriculture and rural communities with a dependable source of credit. For more than 100 years, the Farm Credit System has specialized in financing farmers, ranchers, farmer-owned cooperatives, rural utilities and agribusinesses. Farm Credit offers a broad range of loan products and financial services, including long-term real estate loans, operating lines of credit, equipment and facility loans, cash management and appraisal and leasing services…everything a “growing” business needs. For more information, visitwww.farmcreditalliance.com

    About the Livestock Memorial Research Fund:

    The Livestock Memorial Research Fund is a 501(c)3 organization that funds scientific and educational projects and scholarships for students in fields related to California’s livestock industry. LMRF monies are used solely for scientific, charitable or educational purposes and are administered by a board consisting of California Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) members. Other uses of LMRF funds include studies by University of California researchers which identify grazing management strategies that improve riparian resource conditions. Other studies funded in part by LMRF contributions have researched the effects of livestock grazing upon endangered species and sought methods to control livestock disease.

  • Innovative Ag Education Program Reaches Over 1 Million California Students

    Educating today’s students about the importance of California agriculture is critically important to protecting the future of farming and ranching in the Golden State. For nearly 40 years, the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom has been a leader in that effort and is continuing to innovate to meet the needs of California classrooms.

    “We’ve been around since 1986, and our whole mission is to support teachers and students in incorporating agriculture into their classroom because agriculture affects our daily lives. It’s the food we eat; it’s the clothes we wear – it affects everything that we do,” said Amanda Fletcher, the Foundation’s executive director.

    During 2024, Fletcher said the Foundation’s programs reached over 1 million pre-K to high school students by engaging more than 34,000 teachers across California. Among the Foundation’s most-used resources was the 22ndannual issue of What’s Growin’ On, a 16-page interactive student newspaper funded in part by Farm Credit. More than 100,000 copies were distributed.

    Kevin Ralph, California President for AgWest Farm Credit, said California’s Farm Credit organizations have supported the Foundation’s work for many years.

    “Farm Credit has been proud to support What’s Growin’ On for more than 15 years – and in fact increased our support this year – because it’s proven to be an innovative and effective way of educating third through eighth graders about all the aspects of California agriculture,” Ralph said.

    Jacob DeBoer, Regional Marketing Manager with American AgCredit, agreed that the Foundation continues to do great work.

    “What makes the Foundation’s efforts so successful is that it comes up with ways to really reach students,” DeBoer said. “This year, the theme is ‘Imagine Your Future in Agriculture,’ which is especially important given the need to attract students to consider careers in ag-related fields. Besides information about farming, the newspaper and other programs discuss careers in fields including tech, marketing, soil science and ag mechanics. There’s nothing like drones to capture a young student’s imagination.”

    All seven Farm Credit organizations serving California – AgWest Farm Credit, American AgCredit, CoBank, Colusa-Glenn Farm Credit, Fresno Madera Farm Credit, Golden State Farm Credit and Yosemite Farm Credit – are financially supporting the Foundation’s work. They are all part of the nationwide Farm Credit System – the largest provider of credit to U.S. agriculture.

    Fletcher said the Foundation got its start in 1981 as a program launched by the California Farm Bureau Federation. It was spun off five years later as an affiliated 501c3 nonprofit. Today, seven – soon to be eight – employees develop age-appropriate curricula using a wide range of distribution methods.

    For example, a popular part of the program is the virtual California Farm Day. This year, 31,000 students watched one of two age-appropriate, hour-long programs including video and live Q&A sessions with ag experts. One segment showed a pest advisor walking through a broccoli field examining plants for insects. He explained that some insects were beneficial, and others weren’t and talked about the steps he took to become a pest advisor.

    “We had over 800 questions asked of the live hosts. A lot of the kids who were on that broadcast were from urban and more disadvantaged schools who don’t always have the ability to go on field trips, so this offered a little window into agriculture and how it affects their lives,” she said.

    “We probably work with 60% urban classes and 40% from the agricultural areas. Our target demographic is those urban and disadvantaged schools because we want to get into schools in L.A. and the Bay Area to make sure they’re getting the same education about agriculture that students in counties that have that rich agriculture history have access to.”

    This year, a grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture allowed the Foundation to develop an interactive website called KnowinWhatsGrowin.com. Fletcher said it matches the state’s fourth-grade curriculum and focuses on specialty crops grown in different parts of the state.

    Santa Clara County students can learn about mushrooms, for example – how they’re grown and harvested, nutritional information, products that use mushrooms and even recipes.

    Because the Foundation strives “to keep growing, because if you stay stagnant that doesn’t work when the goal is to get the information out to the populace,” the staff is currently beginning a four-year project to develop a monthly curriculum for high school students that outlines ag-related careers. The lesson plans will tie into math, science and ag mechanics.

    “Then we are going to be working on developing an internship program that will go along with that. It’ll be exciting in the next couple of years once that gets off the ground,” she said.

    “We want to create materials that are easy and quick for teachers to implement so they have good programming for their students and to make sure that the next generation is informed about where their food and fiber comes from.”

    About Farm Credit:

    AgWest Farm Credit, American AgCredit, Colusa-Glenn Farm Credit, CoBank, Fresno Madera Farm Credit, Golden State Farm Credit and Yosemite Farm Credit are cooperatively owned lending institutions providing agriculture and rural communities with a dependable source of credit. For more than 100 years, the Farm Credit System has specialized in financing farmers, ranchers, farmer-owned cooperatives, rural utilities and agribusinesses. Farm Credit offers a broad range of loan products and financial services, including long-term real estate loans, operating lines of credit, equipment and facility loans, cash management and appraisal and leasing services…everything a “growing” business needs. For more information, visit www.farmcreditalliance.com

    About the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom:

    California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to increasing agricultural awareness and understanding among California’s educators and students. AITC develops accurate, teacher-tested educational materials, provides training and programs for educators, and collaborates with organizations to highlight the importance of agriculture in daily life. Through initiatives such as comprehensive lesson plans, the What’s Growin’ On? student newspaper, the Imagine this… writing contest, Virtual Farm Day, the annual teacher conference, and many more programs, AITC fosters agricultural literacy and supports the future of agriculture – impacting over 1 million students annually. For more information, visit www.learnaboutag.org.

  • Common Threads Honors 13 Women in Ag for their Service

    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. As the Common Threads North awards program put it:

    “Agriculture is the common thread of all honorees. Their contributions are symbolic of the rich, colorful threads used to fashion a multifaceted tapestry, not unlike the agricultural diversity of our region. The common threads of our tapestry display an array of cultures, ages, and regions. Some threads are vivid and bright, like the colorful bounty of our land’s harvest. Some are as soft as well-used denim and a little faded with age. Some have the tensile strength of iron; others the complexity and richness of fine lace.”

    Colleen Cecil, executive director of the Butte County Farm Bureau and a member of the Common Threads North committee, which recognizes women from Stanislaus County north to the Oregon border, said it was important to honor the contributions of women to agriculture.

    “Women are often overlooked because they’re busy working bees in the background and they don’t get the spotlight,” Cecil said.

    “Other programs recognize outstanding people, but this is the only one I know of about women in ag. It’s special to get this award because you’ve been nominated by others who hold you in high regard. I’ve had the opportunity to read the applications and letters of recommendation, and I just want to give everyone an award. We’re grateful to be able to bring attention to these women.”

    Rebecca Quist, the chair of the Common Threads Fresno committee, which recognizes women in Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare counties, noted that the committee’s honorees represent a wide variety in ages.

    “Ag has no age limit. The women we recognize are legacy women – whether they’ve done things quietly behind the scenes or they’re part of a newer generation where they’re out-front advocating in a public forum,” she said.

    In the Fresno area, seven honorees were honored on March 1 at a luncheon in Clovis: Lucy Areias, Fresno; Aubrey Bettencourt, Hanford; Juanita Calzadillas-Pedrozo, Merced; Holly Rosa, Hanford; Nanette Simonian, Fowler; Sheri Kanagawa, Hanford; and Tricia Stever Blattler, Honorary Recipient, Tulare.

    And in the north, six women were recognized at a dinner in Winters on April 5:  Geri Byrne, Tulelake; Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli, Woodland; Bobbin Mulvaney, Sacramento; Audrey Z. Tennis, Chico; Linda Walker, Los Molinos; and Sharron Zoller, Kelseyville.

    North CA Honorees (Left to right): Bobbin Mulvaney (Sacramento), Audrey Z. Tennis (Chico), Sharron Zoller (Kelseyville), Linda Walker (Los Molinos), Geri Byrne (Tulelake), Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli (Woodland).

    AgWest Farm Credit, American AgCredit, CoBank and Fresno Madera Farm Credit have collectively contributed more than $35,000 to support Common Threads as top-level sponsors since 2015. The organizations are part of the nationwide Farm Credit System – the largest provider of credit to U.S. agriculture.

    Mark Littlefield, President and CEO of AgWest Farm Credit, said Farm Credit supports Common Threads because of the importance of women in agriculture.

    “Each of the women honored this year has made outstanding contributions to California agriculture, whether managing operations of their family farming business, through work in organizations supporting agriculture or both,” Littlefield said. “And since so many younger women are taking on even more important roles in farming and ranching, they will help ensure a strong future for agriculture in the state.”

    Keith Hesterberg, President and CEO of Fresno Madera Farm Credit, added that the philanthropic efforts of women in agriculture are a cornerstone of the health of farming communities around the state.

    “Since the founding of our nation, rural America has evolved through a unique commitment to volunteerism that has strengthened and improved our communities,” Hesterberg said. “The Common Threads winners truly exemplify this trait as all have given generously of their time over the years to work on projects that have made a real difference.”

    The Common Threads program also benefits the recipients’ communities, Holman noted, as some of the proceeds from the awards events benefit a charity designated by each of the honorees.

    About Farm Credit: AgWest Farm Credit, American AgCredit, CoBank and Fresno Madera Farm Credit are cooperatively owned lending institutions providing agriculture and rural communities with a dependable source of credit. We specialize in financing farmers, ranchers, farmer-owned cooperatives, rural utilities and agribusinesses. Farm Credit offers a broad range of loan products and financial services, including long-term real estate loans, operating lines of credit, equipment and facility loans, cash management and appraisal and leasing services…everything a “growing” business needs. For more information, visit www.farmcreditalliance.com

    About Common Threads: The Common Threads program was launched in 1997 by the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology and the Ag One Foundation at California State University, Fresno. The Agricultural Leadership Foundation launched Common Threads North in 2003 in conjunction with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis, California Women in Agriculture and nine county Farm Bureaus. For information about Common Threads North, visit https://www.commonthreadsnorth.com and for more information about the Central Valley program, visit https://www.agleaders.org/alumni/common-threads-central-valley/