“The falling leaves drift by the window

The autumn leaves of red and gold.”

Lyrics by Johnny Mercer (originally Jacques Prevert)

Music by Joseph Kosma

I have slowly embraced autumn.  It used to be my least favorite season.  I think my disdain was generated by adolescent dislike of the end of summer and the start of  a new school year.  Gone were the days of goofing off, swimming at will, going on vacations, sleeping in and not having to deal with schedules.  Once school started and I saw many of my friends and familiar surroundings again, I slowly forgot my original unease.  Fall is actually a great time for sports fans (baseball wanes, football begins).  It is also a very critical time for agriculture with the large number of crops being harvested.  Those of us in the Central Valley  appreciate fall’s usual onset of somewhat tepid weather.  Still, I have only recently begun to appreciate the changes that fall brings.  I like the colors, the orange hue of the sun and the longer evenings.  I still like the summer, but fall is reflective, provocative and somehow anticipatory.

It has been a few months since my last column.  Believe me, this year your Board of Directors has been very busy.  Since the beginning of summer a very successful Ag Lending Institute happened in June.  Enrollment was up a little over last year and the quality of education has been outstanding. I had the pleasure of making some opening remarks when the session began.  I am very proud of our support for this program as well and thankful for the tireless work of Curt Covington, Roy Martin and the University Business Center.  Thank you all for your support.

You must have been in a deep summer slumber to miss the many educational offerings your Board presented this year.  Mike Limas(with the expert assistance of Allan Cellini) organized a nursery tour that was very well attended. Jill Jelacich (and Allan Cellini) presented a “grape luncheon” in response to some requests by you the members.  Jim Soppe organized a luncheon devoted to the olive industry.  Our mission is primarily educational  and we have performed that mission in spades this year thanks to a devoted board and your support and he support of the institutions with whom you are connected. Many thanks!

In October Mike Flynn organized the annual golf tournament.  It was at Ridge Creek in Dinuba.  This year the tournament was on  a Friday instead of the usual Monday.  A great time was had by all.  Our attendance was down a bit.  I think every organization in the area takes advantage of the fall weather to host golf tournaments and we happened to pick a Friday when most of them were hosting their own.  Nevertheless, everyone had a lot of fun and we thank Mike for his work on this.  It is quite a job to undertake and he did a great job.  Look for this next year.

Water remains a very critical issue for valley production agriculture and industries connected with agriculture, including the lending industry.  At a recent meeting our board learned of a connection between ag lending and water policy that we would like your input about.  Essentially, there are bureaucratic delays involved when farmers attempt to purchase or transfer water from neighboring districts.  The delays in getting those approvals have proven very difficult for valley farmers since lenders rely, in part, on water availability when making underwriting decisions about production agriculture loans.  Obviously, these delays can impact planting and ground preparation decisions for row crops and can obviously negatively impact permanent crop production and projections.  Our society has been asked to make a presentation to  a governing state board on the issue. 

Your board would like to hear from you about your thoughts on this issue. We hope the opportunity to present the lenders side of story presents itself soon.  Let me or one of the members know what your thoughts are even if those thoughts are that you do not feel the society should make such a presentation.  We would like to be of help to you on this issue, so let us know.

Our board has established a nominating committee for the board vacancies next year.  If you are interested or if there is someone in your institution who has interest in being on the board by all means let me or another Board member know.  I know there is alol of talent out there, and we would be honored to have you serve with us during this very interesting time for all of us in the agricultural industry.

For now, I am looking for a leaf rake.