California dairy farmers lead the nation in milk production but face a growing number of issues, including several years of low milk prices, the state’s ever-increasing emphasis on reducing greenhouse gases, trade disputes, and other environmental regulations.

For 25 years, the Center for Land-Based Learning has provided hands-on education and workforce development opportunities to high school-aged youth and beginning farmers. With its current facility bursting at the seams, Land-Based Learning recently held a ground-breaking ceremony for its all-new home outside of Woodland and Farm Credit is proud to help make it possible.

For 91 years, California FFA students have descended on Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for the organization’s state judging finals, where more than 2,000 high school students compete in more than 20 competitions. Winners earn the right to compete in the national competition in Indianapolis in late October.

Because so many farms have been in the family for several generations, many of them have a man’s name attached. But in 21st century California, women’s contributions to agriculture and their communities can’t be overstated.

Farm Credit West, a cooperative lending institution focusing exclusively on the agricultural industry, recently announced strong financial results for 2018 with continued growth in net income, earning assets and capital. Farm Credit West benefited from strong earnings as well as geographic and commodity diversity as a result of its activities in California and Arizona.

Central Valley Food Bank moved into a new 145,000 square foot facility in Fresno last summer that nearly tripled their space and allowed the 27-year-old non-profit to greatly expand its efforts to feed the hungry from Madera to Bakersfield.

Multiple associations of the Farm Credit System, which has served the nation’s agricultural and rural communities for more than 100 years, have come to the aid of a community in need. Together they have donated nearly $500,000 to help victims of the devastating Camp Fire in Butte County, the deadliest fire in California’s history.

Farm Credit West, ACA, one of the nation’s largest agricultural lending cooperatives, is proud to announce they will once again be distributing patronage dividends to qualifying member-stockholders as a return on their equity from robust 2018 earnings.

Anarely Flores has farming in her DNA. Her grandfather was a farmer in Mexico, and when her family visited him during the summer as a child, she would be put to work. But she didn’t like farm work and her mother is employed in agriculture so she decided at an early age that she would go in a different direction.

Farm Credit West is a proud supporter of veterans. Every year, our Veteran Affairs Coordinator Len Monaco, spends a significant amount of time traveling to various universities in California in an effort to strengthen relationships with instructors and Student Veteran Organizations. Len utilizes these visits to introduce careers in agriculture to a group of students whose strong values often align to work in this industry.