In an effort to provide food to California families in need, Farm Credit, Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) and Hilmar Cheese Company, Inc., are partnering to assist the expansion of the state’s Farm to Family Program, as recognized last week by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

For more than a quarter-century, the Center for Land-Based Learning has operated its successful FARMS Leadership Program, educating thousands of high school students about career opportunities in agriculture. And up through March of this year, the nonprofit had planned and implemented dozens of Field Day hands-on experiences throughout the state to get kids out of the classroom and onto working farms to learn more.

Farm Credit West, ACA, one of the nation’s largest agricultural lending cooperatives, announced today the distribution of $120,000 to food banks throughout California and Arizona. These contributions are aimed at providing relief to communities negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

FCW is practicing social distancing in our offices for the protection of our staff and customers. We encourage customers to conduct business with FCW electronically or by phone. If you must visit an office, please practice social distancing when at the counter or when meeting with a staff member. Thank you for your consideration.

With COVID-19 now spreading in the U.S., you’ve probably heard recommendations to wash your hands after contact with what are called high-touch surfaces: elevator buttons, public faucets, handrails, doorknobs, shopping carts, ATM screens, gas pumps, checkout keypads, and many more otherwise mundane objects we encounter throughout the day. The CDC has released some helpful resources that we thought we should share with our customers.

Farm Credit West, a cooperative lending institution focusing exclusively on the agricultural industry, recently announced strong financial results for 2019 with continued growth in net income, earning assets and capital. Farm Credit West benefited from record earnings as well as geographic and commodity diversity as a result of its activities in California and Arizona.

The health and safety of our customers and employees are paramount to Farm Credit West. We are monitoring the rapidly changing coronavirus (COVID-19) situation closely, including the March 11th World Health Organization declaration that COVID-19 is a global pandemic.

The 40th EcoFarm Conference – the oldest and largest organic farming conference in the West – went off without a hitch in late January, providing some 1,600 attendees with a wide range of information about how to grow food sustainably.

Farm Credit understands the vital connection between farmers and their land, as well as the importance of preserving our natural resources. These beliefs have motivated Farm Credit to be a long-standing sponsor of the Leopold Conservation Award.

Latinos have been the largest ethnic group in California since 2014 and make up an even larger portion of the population in many of California’s farming regions. In fact, the fastest growing population of farmers throughout the state are Latinos transitioning from farmworkers to farmers.