Every summer, people around the country enjoy fruits like apricots, table grapes, kiwis, peaches and plums. And since California is the nation’s largest producer of each of these commodities, there’s a good chance those fruits were grown in the Golden State, says the California Fresh Fruit Association.
With roots dating back to 1921, CFFA is one of the oldest agricultural trade associations in California, Courtney Razor, CFFA director of member services and communications, said in a news release.
“CFFA is a public policy organization that advocates on behalf of 13 permanent, fresh fruit commodities — everything from blueberries to stone fruit to table grapes,” Razor said. “We advocate for our grower and shipper members at the local, state and federal levels on a vast array of issues including but not limited to labor, water, trade and food safety.”
Statewide, the association has about 350 members from Lake County to the Coachella Valley, with the bulk of operations clustered between Madera and Kern counties, according to the release.
Keith Hesterberg, president and CEO of Fresno Madera Farm Credit, said that without CFFA members, consumers would have much less fresh fruit.
“According to state statistics, California growers lead the nation in the production of apricots, figs, table grapes, kiwis, nectarines, peaches, persimmons, plums and pomegranates — and [are] second nationally in blueberries and cherries,” Hesterberg said in the release. “In fact, the state is basically the sole source of American production of kiwis, nectarines, clingstone peaches and plums. Farm Credit is proud to support many different commodities like fresh fruit that are such important parts of California agriculture.”
Farm Credit Alliance members AgWest Farm Credit, American AgCredit, CoBank and Fresno Madera Farm Credit are proud supporters of CFFA, the release said. The organizations are part of the nationwide Farm Credit System, the largest provider of credit to U.S. agriculture.
Despite unusually wet weather in California this year, water supply and implementation of the state’s groundwater management system were key priorities, Razor said.
On the labor front, CFFA members were disappointed in the passage of AB 2183 last year, which permits “card check” voting for union representation instead of secret-ballot elections that allow workers to vote without fear of coercion, the release said. The association has been working with other ag organizations to educate members about how to comply with the new requirements, Razor said.
CFFA says it also supports technological research and mechanization with the goal of making farm practices more efficient.
Razor credits the association for ensuring its members and their employees had access to personal protective equipment and vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, so growers could provide safe working environments and ensure fruit could be harvested and transported to consumers.
Razor also thanked Farm Credit for its sponsorship of CFFA’s 87th Annual Meeting, which was held in March this year at The Lodge at Torrey Pines near San Diego.
“The California Fresh Fruit Association is extremely grateful to Farm Credit for their continued partnership and support in helping us make the event a success each year. At our 2023 Annual Meeting, we had 225 members in attendance who heard from keynote speakers about priorities taking place this year at the state capitol and in Washington, D.C., as lawmakers begin preparations for the farm bill,” she said.
Supporting organizations advocating for California agriculture is also an important priority for Farm Credit, the release said.
“The issues CFFA works on are absolutely critical to the success of our state’s fruit growers — indeed all of California’s farmers and ranchers,” Mark Littlefield, president and CEO of AgWest Farm Credit, said in the release. “Without water, a labor force and the ability to export crops overseas, the industry that feeds the nation and the world could not exist, which is why it’s so important that CFFA and other advocacy organizations do such a great job of educating policymakers here in California and in Washington, D.C.”
AgWest Farm Credit, American AgCredit, CoBank and Fresno Madera Farm Credit are cooperatively owned lending institutions providing agriculture and rural communities with a dependable source of credit, the release said. For more than 100 years, the Farm Credit System has specialized in financing farmers, ranchers, farmer-owned cooperatives, rural utilities and agribusinesses.
