California Farm Bureau elects first woman to head the organization

Shannon Douglass, a diversified farmer in Glenn County, has been elected to a two-year term as California Farm Bureau president.

She previously served three terms as first vice president will be the first woman to head the organization in its 104 years, according to a news release.

“This is an exciting moment,” Douglass said in the release. “Farm Bureau has provided me with tremendous opportunities as a first-generation farmer. I’m excited to be part of the leadership of this organization, which represents the diversity of farmers and ranchers in our state."

Douglass, who was elected at CFB's 105th annual meeting in Reno, Nevada, succeeds Jamie Johansson, according to the release.

“The California Farm Bureau has long played an important role in working to protect the future of America’s most productive agricultural economy,” Douglass said. “We face abundant challenges in farming and ranching today. 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.”

She owns Douglass Ranch in Orland, Calif., which raises cattle and grows walnuts, corn and forage crops, and also co-founded CalAgJobs, an online listing of employment opportunities in California agriculture, the release said.

Douglass served as a director of the Glenn County Farm Bureau and as chair of the California Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers State Committee, CFB said. She is a graduate of the Leadership Farm Bureau program and the California Agricultural Leadership Program and participated in the American Farm Bureau Federation Partners in Advocacy Leadership program.

Douglass earned a master’s degree in agricultural policy, a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and a minor in agriculture business from California State University, Chico, according to the release.

In other election results, according to CFB:

• Shaun Crook was elected as the organization’s first vice president. He is vice president of a family timber business and a real estate agent specializing in ranch, commercial and residential properties. Crook has served three terms as the organization’s second vice president. He served as president of Tuolumne County Farm Bureau in 2015.
• Ron Peterson, a member of the CFB board of directors and past president of the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau, was elected second vice president. Peterson is a cattle rancher and dairy farmer who also grows silage crops and almonds.