California Ag Network

Tag: Fresno Madera Farm Credit

  • 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.

  • Fresno Madera Farm Credit and CoBank Announce $30,000 Donation to Central California Food Bank

    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.

    “With the challenge of rising food costs, we greatly appreciate the support from businesses like Fresno Madera Farm Credit as we work to feed more than 300,000 people per month,” said Kym Dildine, co-CEO for Central California Food Bank. “Thanks to this generous contribution, we can continue addressing the growing demand for food access in Central California.”

    The $30,000 donation was made possible by a matched donation from CoBank, Fresno Madera Farm Credit’s funding bank, which matched its $15,000 local contribution.

    “Fresno Madera Farm Credit’s partnership with the Central California Food Bank reflects our shared commitment to making a positive impact in Central Valley communities,” said Claire Trudo, senior relationship manager in CoBank’s Farm Credit Banking Group. “We are proud to support Fresno Madera’s unwavering commitment to Central California Food Banks’ mission.

    Fresno Madera Farm Credit timed its donation to coincide with the Feeding Families Fund Drive, which offered a 50% match from GAR Bennett for all contributions. The staff at Fresno Madera Farm Credit also volunteered Friday to help the food bank collect donations outside The Market grocery store on Herndon and West, resulting in a one-day total of over $614,000 with the GAR Bennett match.

    “There are many ways we can all support the communities in our area – we’ve always understood that addressing food insecurity is one of the best ways to fulfill this responsibility – so, we take great pride in our nine-year partnership with the Central California Food Bank,” said Fresno Madera Farm Credit CEO Keith Hesterberg. “Inflation and high interest rates have created challenges for everyone in our community and we appreciate the leadership role the food bank has played in creating visibility around food insecurity and how we can all have an impact.”

    About Fresno Madera Farm Credit:

    Founded in 1917, Fresno Madera Farm Credit is a farmer-owned cooperative and a proud member of the national Farm Credit System.  Located in one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world, FMFC provides credit and financial services to farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses that grow, process, and market over 350 commodities that are shipped all over the United States, and the world. For more information about FMFC please visit fmfarmcredit.com, and for more information about the Farm Credit System, visit www.farmcredit.com.

    About CoBank:

    CoBank is a cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states. The bank also provides wholesale loans and other financial services to affiliated Farm Credit associations serving more than 76,000 farmers, ranchers, and other rural borrowers in 23 states around the country. CoBank is a member of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of banks and retail lending associations chartered to support the borrowing needs of U.S. agriculture, rural infrastructure, and rural communities. Headquartered outside Denver, Colorado, CoBank serves customers from regional banking centers across the U.S., and also maintains an international representative office in Singapore.

  • 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/

  • Fresno Madera Farm Credit and CoBank Announce $30,000 Donation to Central CA Food Bank

    Fresno Madera Farm Credit and CoBank announced today that they have made a $30,000 donation to Central California Food Bank’s Feeding Families Fund Drive. The donation will provide more than 120,000 meals to residents of Central California who have been severely impacted by the pandemic and rising inflation.

    “During the pandemic, we lost a lot of corporate donors due to business closures and economic hardships, so we are immensely grateful that businesses like Fresno Madera Farm Credit have continued to provide their support,” said Denise O’Canto, Corporate Relations Manager with Central California Food Bank. “This generous donation will help us continue to meet that expanded need, especially as we move towards the holiday season when demand is at its highest.”

    The $30,000 donation was made possible, thanks in part to CoBank, the funding bank for Fresno Madera Farm Credit, who matched Fresno Madera Farm Credit’s $15,000 local donation.

    “CoBank is proud to support Fresno Madera Farm Credit in their commitment to supporting the rural communities where they live and work,” said Claire Trudo, Vice President with CoBank. “We know that food insecurity is often higher in these rural communities, and we are proud to support organizations like the Central California Food Bank who are working to end hunger.”

    Fresno Madera Farm Credit’s donation was timed to coincide with the Feeding Families Fund Drive when all donations received a 50% match from Gar Bennett. Staff from Fresno Madera Farm Credit also volunteered Friday to help the Food Bank collect donations from the community outside of The Market grocery store. During this single day, the Central California Food Bank raised over $600,000 with the Gar Bennett match.

    “We’re proud of the support we’ve provided to our area communities over the past eight years through our partnership with the Central California Food Bank,” said Fresno Madera Farm Credit CEO Keith Hesterberg. “Supporting the mission of food insecurity has never been more critical – food inflation has a devasting impact on so many members of our communities and the need for this support is critical.  We have a mission to serve the agricultural industry in this region and our members – the farmers, ranchers, and business owners we serve – understand how important this kind of support is.”

    About Fresno Madera Farm Credit

    Founded in 1917, Fresno Madera Farm Credit is a farmer-owned cooperative and a proud member of the national Farm Credit System.  Located in one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world, FMFC provides credit and financial services to farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses that grow, process, and market over 350 commodities that are shipped all over the United States, and the world. For more information about FMFC please visit fmfarmcredit.com, and for more information about the Farm Credit System, visit www.farmcredit.com.

    About CoBank

    CoBank is a cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states. The bank also provides wholesale loans and other financial services to affiliated Farm Credit associations serving more than 76,000 farmers, ranchers, and other rural borrowers in 23 states around the country. CoBank is a member of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of banks and retail lending associations chartered to support the borrowing needs of U.S. agriculture, rural infrastructure, and rural communities. Headquartered outside Denver, Colorado, CoBank serves customers from regional banking centers across the U.S., and also maintains an international representative office in Singapore.

  • Fresno Madera Farm Credit and CoBank Announce $30,000 Donation to Central California Food Bank

    Fresno Madera Farm Credit and CoBank announced today that they have made a $30,000 donation to Central California Food Bank’s Feeding Families Fund Drive. The donation will provide more than 210,000 meals to residents of Central California during a year when the food bank has seen a 25% increase in need in our community.

    “Central California Food Bank went from serving 280,000 people per month pre-pandemic, to more than 350,000 people per month this year,” said Denise O’Canto, Corporate Relations Manager with Central California Food Bank. “This generous donation will help us continue to meet that expanded need, especially as we move towards the holiday season when demand is at its highest.”

    This donation is part of CoBank’s larger Sharing Success program which relies on the local knowledge and expertise of the bank’s customers to identify nonprofit organizations that are truly making a difference in rural communities. As part of the Sharing Success program, and an additional California Food Bank program, CoBank matched Fresno Madera Farm Credit’s $15,000 donation, bringing the grand total to $30,000.

    “CoBank is humbled by the generosity of our customers and their commitment to support the rural communities they call home,” said Leili Ghazi, senior vice president of CoBank. “We know this donation will support the Central California families who need a little extra support during this tough time.”

    According to the Food Bank, in 2020-2021 more than 25% of the families visiting the food bank were there for the first time. O’Canto attributes that increase to massive unemployment due to COVID and the closing of more than 57 local agencies which typically provided food to the community.

    “When the pandemic started, schools closed, and then many of the churches and partner agencies that were providing food to families were operated by senior citizens who were told to stay home in order to stay safe,” O’Canto said. “We had to fill that need and come up with new ways to distribute food.”

    O’Canto said over the past year the Food Bank has started making deliveries to seniors, setting up new distribution sites, and pre-packaging foods for added safety – all of which have required additional resources.

    “Our staff and our customers are committed to supporting the communities in our region – and our partnership with the Central California Food Bank has always been an important part of our outreach,” said Keith Hesterberg, President and CEO of Fresno Madera Farm Credit. “We know our donation this year will help to support the food bank’s mission to address food insecurity in our area – at a time when area families need it most.”

    About Fresno Madera Farm Credit

    Founded in 1917, Fresno Madera Farm Credit is a farmer-owned cooperative and a proud member of the national Farm Credit System.  Located in one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world, FMFC provides credit and financial services to farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses that grow, process, and market over 350 commodities that are shipped all over the United States, and the world. For more information about FMFC please visit fmfarmcredit.com, and for more information about the Farm Credit System, visit www.farmcredit.com.

    About CoBank

    CoBank is a $158 billion cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides commercial loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states. The bank also provides wholesale loans and other financial services to affiliated Farm Credit associations serving more than 75,000 farmers, ranchers and other rural borrowers in 23 states around the country. CoBank is a member of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of banks and retail lending associations chartered to support the borrowing needs of U.S. agriculture, rural infrastructure and rural communities.

  • Women’s Group Effectively Speaks on Behalf of the Busy Farmer

    In 1975, a group of women concerned about challenges to California agriculture got together to “speak on behalf of the busy farmer” and educate consumers and legislators about farming issues. Today, the CWA has become one of the largest all-volunteer advocacy groups in the nation, consisting of a diverse group of bankers, lawyers, accountants, marketing professionals and consumers – along with farmers and ranchers.

    Rose Tryon, a fifth-generation rancher beginning her second year as CWA president, said it is critically important that the ag industry continues to mount education and advocacy efforts, and last year added a digital campaign to its usual lobbying efforts.

    “Last year we ran a digital campaign titled Faces of Ag, where our communications team highlighted members who work in different facets of the industry,” she said. “We wanted to point out (to lawmakers) how important agriculture is to the state’s economy, how many jobs are involved and how many women and minorities are involved in ag and make a connection about how their decisions affect women and minority populations and ag in general. Our membership is as diverse as the crops we grow.”

    Because of the importance of educating policymakers about the many issues affecting farming and ranching in California, Farm Credit associations serving California have sponsored CWA for more than 20 years. Supporting Farm Credit institutions are American AgCredit, CoBank, Colusa-Glenn Farm Credit, Farm Credit West and Fresno Madera Farm Credit – all of which are part of the nationwide Farm Credit System, the largest provider of credit to American agriculture.

    “About half of the million dollars Farm Credit donates to nonprofits each year goes to preserving agriculture and raising awareness of the importance of agriculture in California,” said Timothy Elrod, president and CEO of Colusa-Glenn Farm Credit. “CWA’s 1,300 members do a great job educating decision-makers and advocating for policies that keep our state’s agriculture industry competitive and viable. We believe our contribution of $10,000 a year to support this great organization is an investment in the future of farming.”

    Tryon said Farm Credit’s support over the years has been essential in helping the organization grow.

    “We can’t continue to advocate without our sponsors, and we are so appreciative of Farm Credit’s support. They’ve been an absolutely wonderful sponsor, and we couldn’t continue without them,” she said.

    The organization consists of 21 local chapters that focus on promoting agriculture locally and providing scholarships to students majoring in farming-related majors. Tryon said her local chapter in the Chico area, for example, raises money to loan to students who can’t afford to buy an animal for FFA or 4H competitions. A student then raises the animal, shows it, and repays the loan when she sells it after the competition.

    That kind of commitment to the future of agriculture is another reason why Farm Credit continues to sponsor CWA, noted Keith Hesterberg, president and CEO of Fresno Madera Farm Credit.

    “In our area, CWA partners with Ag One to put on the Ag Boosters BBQ each year, which raises funds to support ag students and programs at Fresno State,” Hesterberg said. “Farm Credit is proud to directly sponsor that program, which helps ensure we will have well-educated ag leaders in the future.”

    About Farm Credit: 

    American AgCredit, CoBank, Colusa-Glenn Farm Credit, Farm Credit West and Fresno Madera 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 California Women for Agriculture:

    The CWA’s mission is to promote and develop the interest of California women involved or interested in agriculture and to promote a strong agriculture industry in California. CWA’s efforts are guided by five principal objectives: to speak on behalf of agriculture in an intelligent, informative, direct and truthful manner; to keep CWA members informed on legislative activities pertaining to agriculture; to join forces when the need arises to deal with agricultural issues and challenges; to improve the public image of farmers and to develop a rapport with consumers, educators, and governmental and business leaders in communities throughout the state.