By Andrew Watkins, SJFB President
Just as our members are busy with the harvest season upon us, the San Joaquin Farm Bureau is keeping busy as well. Our committees have been very engaged in planning events, meetings, educational programs and training sessions. The Rural Health and Safety Committee has outlined a year’s worth of courses for our members to bring you a one-stop-shop when it comes to gaining knowledge about safety and updates for our industry.
Be sure to look out in the mail for a postcard outlining the planned training sessions. The fall and winter schedule will include Retirement Planning on Oct. 18, Sexual Harassment for the employee and supervisor on Nov. 9, CPR and First Aid on Nov. 15, Lock- Out/ Tag- Out on Dec. 6, Contingency Planning on Jan.17, and CAL/ OSHA Top Ten Violations Feb. 8. If there is a topic that we do not have listed, please give the office a call to discuss adding other training.
SJFB’s Young Farmers & Ranchers have also been busy planning their monthly meetings and tours to highlight agribusiness in San Joaquin County. Their November meeting will be held on Nov. 1 at Dave & Buster’s in Modesto. They will be conducting the 2024 Officer Elections at this meeting. Please contact the SJFB office if you are interested in serving on the YF&R Executive Team.
The Young Farmers & Ranchers is free for anyone to join. YF&R is a program dedicated to young agriculturalists between the ages of 18 to 35. Members will get a firsthand understanding of all aspect of agriculture and its impacts such as production, banking, business and more. The San Joaquin Young Farmers & Ranchers typically meet on the first Wednesday of every month. Check our website or contact the office for more information on how to get involved. It is great to see the younger generation continue their passion for agriculture. Keep up the good work YF&R.
The Foundation for Agricultural Education has been working towards planning their 2024 fundraising campaign and bringing ag presentations back into the classrooms. Recently, they had the opportunity to support the second annual Ag Career Summit last month. This event was held at the Robert J. Cabral Ag Center and hosted high school juniors and seniors from the FFA chapters county wide. There was an impressive turnout of students as well as industry professionals. These folks really showed up to help offer the students a leg up when it comes to future planning for their return to our agricultural industry.
The 2023 YF&R State Conference & Farm Bureau Annual Meeting is upcoming on Friday, Dec. 1 through Sunday, Dec. 6. The event will take place at the Grand Sierra Resort Reno, Nevada and the event theme is Vison, Action, Results. This event hosts the election of California State Farm Bureau Officers for 2024.By attending annual meeting members will have the opportunity attend various workshops such as Policy, Professional Development and Marketing, Branding and Sales. Continuing Education sessions for Pesticide Certification will also be available. Members will also have the opportunity to enjoy cooking demonstrations, a multitude of food and beverages and bid on live and silent auctions. There are agricultural tours and many exhibitor booths to visit. Be sure to look at the California Farm Bureau website for more information regarding this event.
