Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau’s 102nd Annual Meeting
2019 Farmer of the Year Edward Ortega with County Supervisor Zach Friend.
Edward Ortega has been selected by the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau as the 2019 “Farmer of the Year”. This award is presented annually to the farmer(s) who have contributed beyond their normal farming duties to help the community.
The presentation was made during the Farm Bureau’s 102nd Annual Meeting/Dinner held at the Cabrillo College Horticulture Center & Botanic Gardens in Aptos.
The board of directors felt it was appropriate to honor Edward because of his leadership in the berry industry along with all of his involvement in the community.
The theme of the evening was “Farm to Market.” The Featured Speaker for the evening was Gary Bascou, Co-Owner, Staff of Life Market. Gary spoke about the history of the company and the future opening of the store in Watsonville.
Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau President Brendan Miele highlighted some of the accomplishments of the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau over the past year.
Other activities of the Annual Meeting included the election of four new bureau directors.
There are a total of 19 directors on the board. The following directors were elected to fill vacancies from those whose terms expired:
First term, three-year director: Amanda Peixoto-Castro, Organic Vegetables
Second term, three-year directors: Brian Dietterick, Cattle • Cynthia Mathiesen, Berries • Nita Gizdich, Apples & Berries
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All newly elected terms commence on Nov. 1. For more info: www.sccfb.com
2019 Farmer of the Year Edward Ortega with his wife Linda (center) and children (from left) Abigail, Sofia and Nicholas.