President's Message

January 2020

Well… I survived!  This was the most exciting holiday season I’ve experienced in my lifetime.  My family and I somehow managed to lug-around our eighteen-month old son Dean, and four-week old daughter, Demi, to every family gathering and holiday celebration we were invited to.  It’s amazing how many times I needed to dress the kids, change their diapers, change their diapers again, buckle them in their car seats, keep Dean from opening every kitchen cabinet door, the list does go on.  I can’t tell you how many times I said, in reference to Dean’s runny nose, “Oh, he’s teething!”  But, was his runny nose from teething?   I don’t know.  It could be, since he definitely has a few molars erupting, but I’m a new parent and have no clue.  On the flip side of this busy holiday season, I’m grateful for my loving wife Alli, orchestrating us through the hustle and bustle.

I’ve spent time reflecting on Madera County Farm Bureau (MCFB) over the last several weeks.  Some of the questions I ask myself are: What value did MCFB give its membership this year? Is the value any different than years before? Who is responsible for creating this value? What direction is MCFB headed?  Is this the direction MCFB should be headed?  Is MCFB representing its membership the way in which they prefer to be represented?  These are only a few of the questions I’ve asked myself.  Maybe I can address a few of these questions in later messages.  But for now, I would like to give our 2019 credit to the driving forces of MCFB.  Special thanks to our Executive Director Christina Beckstead, for her efforts on driving the direction of MCFB in 2019.  She has been spectacular at juggling responsibilities.  I appreciate her obvious commitment to MCFB.  Thank you, Christina!  Also, shout-out to our MCFB Executive Assistant Kristen Sargent.  She is responsible for several activities, but what she excels at is communicating to our membership.  Thank you for taking my call and getting answers to my most-ridiculous questions.  Lastly, thank you Stefani Dias for your assistance to both Christina and Kristen and to our members.  Teamwork makes the dream work, keep it up!  I have many expectations for MCFB in 2020…looking forward to working with our team to provide our membership exceptional value in 2020.