Ag Alert July 7, 2021

REAL ESTATE

Rally promotes bill to repair water systems

Valley Trust Realty . Tony Oliveira Broker BRE 02071049, 24476 Fairfax A ve.,Lemoore, CA 93245. More than for- ty years in Agribusiness experience. Representing sellers of ag properties and buyers seeking ag investments. Specializing in marketability of agricul- ture properties and 1031 Exchanges. Email: tony@valleytrustrealty.com Cell: 559-469-5119 8 0 Acres in Lassen County . Domestic Well & Septic. Clear Title, Fenced, Lots of Water! $125,000. Call Nancy at 530- 251-6870 200 ACRES NEAR Black Butte Lake, custom home with 20 acres of wine grapes. Winery, fishing, hunting. Turn- key opportunity. $4,200,000. Price re- duced $300K. 530-200-3572

232.15 Ac Walnut Orchard in Meridi- an, $23,000 per ac, 2 water sources - Well & Riparian rights in Butte Slough, 110 ac of Chandler & 110 of Howard most with NCB rootstock Solid set sprinklers, property graded to drain into District 70. Burn pile on inside of levee for trimmings, Cooperative for hulling and drying. Contact Jayedene Chesini for more information 530-682-2871. Berkshire Hathaway, HomeServices Heritage REALTORS DRE# 01943347

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MISCELLANEOUS

Kings County Farm Bureau Executive Director Dusty Ference speaks on the steps of the state Capitol during a rally in favor of Senate Bill 559 by Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger. The bill, which would help repair water delivery systems in the Central Valley, passed the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee last week and now goes to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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communication have got “to be on the forefront.” “I truly believe that in the 21st century that our job skills are shifting and part of it is because a smaller and smaller percentage of our population is actually engaged in production-type activity,” Freeman added. In a promotional video for ACRS21, Ryan Jacobsen, CEO of Fresno County Farm Bureau, said he thinks universities such as Fresno State al- ready do a great job training students on the tech- nical side, but that leadership qualities and skills that allow employees to communicate effectively, answer phones and convey messages of an orga- nization are “being lost today.” Charles Parker, agricultural education program manager and state FFA advisor at the California Department of Education, said even though the survey results “reinforced what we knew,” he would like agricultural educators to “go deeper” into what skills agricultural employers want be- yond soft skills, whichhe said “ought to be a given” for students graduating from an agricultural edu- cation program in California. “We can’t keep saying we need to teach them how to be better speakers, how to be better peo- ple,” he said. “We’ve got to get beyond that.” He called the ACRS21 certificate program “a great start” and “the first step inmoving forward,” but said educators need to “continue the dialogue” with agricultural companies and employers to develop a program that benefits agricultural stu- dents—and that incorporates both soft and tech- nical skills. Freeman saidACRS21 recently completeda suc- cessful pilot and is now being rolled out to nearly 100,000 FFAmembers across the state, with plans to launch the programat the high school level na- tionwide. Another pilot for community colleges will begin next spring, she said. The “vision,” she added, is for the state’s four-year agricultural uni- versities to adopt themodel, whichwill be the pro- gram’s focus in its third year. (Ching Lee is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at clee@cfbf.com.)

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al agriculture industry knowledge and leadership skills, while applicants for lower-level positions that require a high school diploma need depend- ability, life-long learning, positive attitude, time management and work ethic skills. For appli- cants with community-college degrees, skills that ranked the highest include being task-oriented andwritten communication. Skills that weremore evenly required across all educational levels in- clude ambition, critical thinking, teamwork and computer technology. Employers also identified top 10 skills they be- lieve job applicants lack that can negatively im- pact their employability. Those skills includework ethic, ambition, communication, dependability, agriculture skills knowledge, time management, positive attitude, oral communication, critical thinking and written communication. In response to how they would react to a certif- icate that validates skills related to their business listed on a job application, nearly 47% of employ- ers said they would give the applicant an advan- tage; more than 22% said they would move the applicant into the interview process; and nearly 17% said they would allow the applicant to move past the initial screening process. Judy Culbertson, executive director of the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, who serves on the advisory committee for the program, said results of the survey “defi- nitely confirmed the importance of soft skills in candidates applying with ag employers.” “Many ag jobs are more technical in nature; however, the importance of communication be- tween employee and employer is key to the suc- cess of a successful relationship,” she said. Freeman said she was not surprised by the survey results, which align with prior studies on career readiness indicating there may be a skills gap between what employers seek and what ed- ucational programs provide. With changes in the workforce, what people do for a living and impacts of technology, she said she thinks soft skills suchas

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HELP WANTED

We’re hiring!

Farm Bureau of Ventura County (FBVC) is seeking a new chief executive officer to replace its current CEO, who is retiring. Based in Ventura, Calif., the private, non-profit organization advocates on behalf of the county’s agricultural industry, and conducts programs and delivers services that benefit its members. The CEO reports to a 13-member Board of Directors, and is responsible for recommending policy, executing board directives, managing all day-to-day operations, and serving as FBVC’s representative in a wide variety of regulatory, legislative and public arenas. Required • A passion for agriculture and understanding of its issues. • Excellent oral and written communication skills. • Experience at coalition building and working with alternate points of view. • Four-year college degree. • Five years of management experience. • A record of community involvement. • Five years of leadership experience. Preferred • Experience working with a member-supported nonprofit organization. • Knowledgeable inmarketing, web-based communications, and personnel management. • Experience working with governmental bodies and regulatory agencies. • Bilingual (English and Spanish). View or download the full job announcement, and instructions for applying, at https://bit.ly/FBVC-CEO.

July 7, 2021 Ag Alert 15