Farm Bureau COVID-19 Task Force selected as 2021 Farmer of the Year
The Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau COVID-19 Task Force has been selected as the 2021 “Farmer of the Year.” The COVID-19 Task Force was composed of four growers: Tom Am Rhein, Chair; Nishan Moutafian; Adriana Silva; and Tom Broz. 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 104th Annual Meeting/Dinner held at the Rodgers House Patio at the Santa Cruz County
Fairgrounds in Watsonville. The board of directors felt it was appropriate to honor the COVID-19 Task Force because of its leadership during the pandemic and the work it did to be the first in the nation to provide mass vaccinations for local farmworkers.
The Featured Speaker for the evening was Tom Am Rhein, Chair, Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau COVID-19 Task Force. Rhein spoke about the work of the
Task Force from its inception in early 2020, to the work it did in setting up the first mass vaccination clinics for farmworkers in the country. Santa Cruz
County Farm Bureau President Arnett Young was the Master of Ceremonies.
Other activities of the Annual Meeting included the election of directors to the board. The following directors were elected to fill vacancies from those whose terms expired.
All newly elected terms commence on November 1, 2021.
Directors:
For 1st term, two-year director, Lucas Flowers, Berries.
For 2nd term, three-year director, Anselmo Rivas, Bees/Honey and David Van Lennep, Timber.
PREVIOUS FARMERS OF THE YEAR
1979
J.J. CROSETTI, JR.
1980
ROBERT “BOB” HARRIS 1981
EDWARD SILVA
1982
FRANK SIRI
1983
BRUCE RIDER
1984
ERNEST J. BONTADELLI 1985
CLINT MILLER
1986
HARRY H. FUKUTOME 1987
NITA GIZDICH
1988
FRANK “Lud” MCCRARY 1989
MILES RIETER
1990
GEORGE H. COWLES
1991
KEE KITAYAMA
1992
AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYEES
1993
PATRICIA “PAT” WILEY 1994
FRANK ESTRADA 1995
LARRY B. GALPER 1996
HENRY HARNEY
1997
ARNE THIRUP
1998
MARVIN GLAUM
1999
MIKE JANI
2000
PAST FARM BUREAU PRESIDENTS 1917-1999 2001
ELIO RODONI 2002
HULDA MCLEAN
2003
KIRK SCHMIDT
2004
TOM AM RHEIN
2005
GROWERS WHO DONATE TO AG AGAINST HUNGER 2006
JIM RIDER
2007
HENRY WASHBURN, Posthumously
2008
RICHARD “DICK” PEIXOTO 2009
DIANE PORTER COOLEY 2010
BARGETTO FAMILY
2011
STANLEY E. IVERSEN
2012
JOHN PISTURINO
2013
KENNETH J. KIMES 2014
JOHN E. EISKAMP
2015
MARGUERITE REMDE & CHRIS BANTHIEN
2016
SILVIA PREVEDELLI 2017
GEORGEANN COWLES EISKAMP
2018
STEVE BONTADELLI 2019
EDWARD ORTEGA
2020
ALL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY GROWERS AND FARM EMPLOYEES