In a landmark moment for the California Farm Bureau Federation (CFBF), Shannon Douglass, a diversified farmer from Glenn County, has been elected as president for a two-year term. This marks a significant milestone as she becomes the first woman to lead the organization since its establishment in 1919. Having previously served three terms as the first vice president, Douglass expressed her excitement, highlighting the opportunities she gained as a first-generation farmer through the Farm Bureau.
Douglass, who owns Douglass Ranch in Orland, where cattle are raised, and walnuts, corn, and forage crops are grown, is passionate about representing the diversity of farmers and ranchers in the state. She emphasized the importance of CFBF’s role in safeguarding the future of the nation’s most productive agricultural economy.
“We face abundant challenges in farming and ranching today,” Douglass said in a press release. “But California remains a great place to grow food, and Farm Bureau is committed to helping our state farmers, ranchers and agricultural businesses thrive for generations to come.”
Elected at the 105th Annual Meeting in Reno, Douglass succeeds Jamie Johansson, who served as president for three terms starting in 2017. Douglass, a graduate with a master’s degree in agricultural policy from California State University, Chico, has a strong background in agricultural leadership programs, serving as a director of the Glenn County Farm Bureau and chairing the California Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ranchers State Committee.
Other leadership changes also took place during the event. Joining Douglass in the Farm Bureau leadership are Shaun Crook, elected as the first vice president, and Ron Peterson, elected as the second vice president. Crook, a vice president in a family timber business, also specializes in real estate, while Peterson, a cattle rancher and dairy farmer, cultivates silage crops and almonds.
Brian German
Ag News Director / AgNet West