By Colleen Taber, Administrator, Kern County Farm Bureau
The Kern County Farm Bureau kicked off 2020 with our annual Spray Safe event, educating over 600 agriculturists! Shortly after that, President Trump arrived in Bakersfield, and the ag community was strongly represented. In March, we brought over 2000 Kern County youth to the fairgrounds to learn about where their food comes from at our annual Ag Day in the City. Mid-March, California was placed on a shelter-in-place order due to COVID-19. Our job at the Farm Bureau is to keep our members and beyond informed while advocating for agriculture. Our weekly ENews and EBlasts are a great tool to get out the latest information and resources. We utilized our committees to start to pivot fundraising events and membership outreach. We attended webinars and virtual meetings to stay up to date with the constant outpouring of information. In preparation for the election season, we facilitated roundtables with delegates. We hosted our drive-thru BBQ, Bounty On The Go. Most recently, we had our annual Golf Classic. While these events were different due to current state restrictions, they were successful in bringing together our ag community.
We have an exciting 2021 ahead. Stay tuned for our virtual Spray Safe event hosted on the CAPCA website while providing access to CE Units. A huge thanks to Bakersfield College for partnering with us on this project! There will be smaller gatherings providing networking opportunities. We are learning to redefine success. A membership with the Kern County Farm Bureau means relentless advocacy, and it’s our pleasure to serve. Join us on a journey to advocate through adversity. Bring on 2021!
