By Christine Johnson, Chair, Young Farmers and Ranchers
Since January, the Kern Young Farmers and Ranchers have donated over 600 pounds of food, $10,300 to local scholarships or charity work, and volunteered a combination of almost 400 hours of our time to the community. We’ve hosted four socials, toured five different agriculture locations around Kern County, and planned two significant fundraisers. Some of our team members attended California YF&R leadership events outside of Kern and we collaborated on two occasions with the CSUB Agribusiness Club for joint meetings.
YF&R volunteered at several Farm Bureau events — including the Golf Tournament and Bounty of Kern County — and had the honor of presenting our scholarships and awards in person to various recipients. That doesn’t even count our upcoming events — on November 4, we will hold our YF&R elections meeting at Wiki’s Grill with guest speaker Dr. Aaron Hegde and finally our Christmas party in December.
As you can see, this year has been packed full of activities, and Fall was no exception. Here’s a quick recap of our most recent events.
On September 12, we collaborated with the CSUB Agribusiness Club for a meeting with students on their campus. The Grimm Family Center for Agricultural Business graciously hosted us and sponsored a buffet dinner. Almost 30 students attended, along with several professors. We started by presenting a slideshow of recent photos and explaining the purpose of YF&R.
The highlight of the meeting was hearing from guest speaker Todd Snider. Todd is CEO of Western Ag Crop Insurance as well as the 2nd Vice President of the Kern County Farm Bureau. He shared honest and engaging stories of his journey toward starting his own crop insurance company and provided relevant advice for young professionals navigating the career world. It seemed like the students really connected and there were quite a few questions afterwards. We are so thankful for Todd taking the time to encourage and invest in the next generation by speaking to our group! As a bonus, six students signed up to become collegiate members with the Kern County Farm Bureau, sponsored by the Grimm Center.
On September 13, we toured Lengthwise Brewing Company at their brewery location on District Boulevard. One of the new owners, Zak Karlen, gave us a brief behind-the-scenes tour of the brewery area and explained his vision for continuing the company’s legacy. He mentioned how the employees have remained loyal over the years and discussed some new beers they’re currently perfecting. We finished the evening with dinner and drinks. With about 25 people in attendance, it was encouraging to connect with new members and reconnect with others I haven’t seen in a while.
As 2024 wraps up, I am incredibly proud of the YF&R executive team for their dedication to making this a wonderful year. They have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to plan, budget, email, invite friends, and show up! Most of all, I’m thankful for the friendships I’ve made through YF&R and the people I’ve met through our various events and tours. The agriculture community is truly welcoming. It has also been an honor to serve as a Farm Bureau director this year, and I have appreciated staying informed through the monthly meetings and connecting with other Farm Bureau directors. Thank you to those of you who have encouraged me in ways both personally and professionally.
If you are interested in getting involved in the Young Farmers and Ranchers group, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. While our activities will soon close for the year, we will be sure to plan some exciting events as the new executive team takes charge in January.
Email: KernYFR@KernCFB.com
Instagram: @Kern_YFR
Facebook: KernCountyYoungFarmersAndRanchers
