Wenger will continue to lead state’s Farm Bureau

Modesto-area nut farmer Paul Wenger won a fourth two-year term Wednesday as president of the California Farm Bureau Federation.

Delegates chose Wenger, 60, on the closing day of the group’s 97th annual meeting in Reno. The vote keeps him in the thick of state and national discussions on water, labor, pesticides, farmland preservation and other issues.

“I’m proud of the fact that Farm Bureau today is a respected agricultural organization because of the leadership shown by the CFBF board and by county Farm Bureaus,” he said in a news release. “We have to continue to fight and lead the way.”

Wenger grows walnuts and almonds in Wood Colony, just west of Modesto, and has served as president of the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau. He has been a state officer since 1997, starting as second vice president and moving up to first vice president in 2005.

Also Thursday, Mariposa County cattle rancher and farm appraiser Tony Toso was elected second vice president. He succeeds Jamie Johansson, an olive and citrus grower near Oroville, who was named first vice president.

Johansson replaces Kenny Watkins, who raises walnuts, cattle and hay in the Linden area of San Joaquin County. Watkins, who did not seek re-election, received a Distinguished Service Award earlier in the meeting.

The state group has about 53,000 members and is part of the 6.2 million-member American Farm Bureau Federation.

Wenger, in a speech on the meeting’s opening day, said farmers and ranchers have faced challenges with the four-year drought and will have more with the new state law regulating well-pumping.

“Put the pressure on the folks in your area to come together … to make sure they can control their groundwater effectively, locally,” Wenger said.

He also noted a “hugely important” national election in 2016. “If we will continue to work together, we will not just endure, but we will thrive,” he said.

This story was originally published December 9, 2015 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Wenger will continue to lead state’s Farm Bureau."