County of the Year
County Farm Bureau of the Year 2024
Monterey County Farm Bureau received the “County of the Year” Award for Farm Bureaus with 300 to 700 members for membership recruitment and retention and for being politically active in its region. The Farm Bureau was recognized for fostering relationships with elected officials at all levels of government and working with regulatory agencies; Board members are engaged on several issues, including water, labor, land use and food safety.
The Farm Bureau organization is involved in consumer education and provides volunteer and financial support for three annual Farm Day events that educate 6,000 third graders about food production and processing. It also partners with the community on issues such as housing, homelessness, and illegal dumping.
Monterey County Farm Bureau is often a source used by the local media and has an active social media presence. Their e-newsletters target three audiences: agricultural members, Young Farmers & Ranchers, and community leaders and business partners.
Young Farmers & Ranchers
Committee of the Year 2024
The Central Coast Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R), a committee of Monterey County Farm Bureau, took home the “Committee of the Year” Award for its engagement in the community and its work with the Monterey and San Benito County Farm Bureaus. Members were involved in numerous community-service activities. For example, the committee’s annual Crab Feed raised more than $42,000, allowing it to donate $16,000 in collegiate scholarships in both Monterey and San Benito counties.
Jynel Gularte, a fifth-generation farmer from Gonzales in the Salinas Valley and currently serving as the Chair of the Central Coast YF&R, is the winner of the California Young Farmers & Ranchers “Excellence in Agriculture” Award. Gularte has been the controller and compliance officer on her family’s Monterey County vegetable farm, Rincon Farms Inc., since 2018. She graduated summa cum laude from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business in 2016 and spent time traveling the world and working various jobs in agriculture. Jynel also competed at the American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting for the same award in late January where she placed fourth in the competition for the National “Excellence in Agriculture” award.
The Open Discussion Meet, a competition discussing key agricultural issues, featured YF&R participants from across the state. They advanced to the final competition from earlier rounds in which they were challenged to demonstrate their abilities in exchanging ideas and offering detailed opinions on important issues for agriculture. Jynel Gularte, winner of the Excellence in Agriculture Award, was first runner-up in the Open Discussion Meet.
At left, Jynel receiving her Excellence in Agriculture Award from President Zippy Duvall at American Farm Bureau’s Annual Meeting held in San Antonio, TX. We congratulate Jynel for competing nationally for this recognition!