Our Art of Gathering

By CALF President and CEO Dwight Ferguson

We’ve attended and had the opportunity to support a lot of great gatherings lately. Regional reunions and get-togethers, prospective Class 53 applicant meetings and inspiring industry events – like the Common Threads Award luncheon and Colusa Farm Show and World Ag Expo breakfasts – top the list. Class 51’s very celebratory commencement was another recent highlight. 

Common denominators amongst all these gatherings are committed, generous and engaged program alumni and other supporters, who understand and believe that gathering matters. In “The Art of Gathering” (a 2022 Leaders are Readers book club selection), author Priya Parker wrote, “Gathering – the conscious bringing together of people for a reason – shapes the way we think, feel and make sense of our world.”

You’ll see below there are several more opportunities to realize these benefits scheduled in the coming weeks, including what should be a very enjoyable All Class Reunion next month. I look forward to gathering with you then!

As historic weather continues, please be safe and know that our thoughts are with those of you impacted by the storms and recent flooding.

As always, please contact me at dferguson@agleaders.org or 831-585-1030 with any comments or questions.

CALF Job Opportunity: Development Manager

The development manager engages the board to build positive external relationships and secure sufficient annual funding, which allow us to achieve our mission and maximize our impact in the community. This position is available immediately and will remain open until filled.

Interested applicants are encouraged to submit a cover letter and resume by email.

Class 52 National Seminar

Class 52 fellows returned on March 9 from their national seminar to Minneapolis and Washington, D.C. If you haven’t already done so, read all about their travels, lessons learned and reflections on their daily blog.

Class 53 Applications Available

Thank you for your help in identifying the next class of leaders!

The application, resources and a list of potential applicant and alumni gatherings are available on our website. The application is a three-phrase process, with phase one due April 19 and phase two due May 17.

2023 D.C. Exchange Selection

After a three year hiatus, a team of Ag Leadership alumni traveled to Washington, D.C. to interview applicants for the 2023 Washington, D.C. Educational Exchange Program. As this is now housed as a foundation program, staff supported these individuals to help seat a class that will visit regions 6, 7 and 8 this coming September. We also held the D.C. Exchange Reception where we reconnected with exchange alumni, this year's applicants, Class 52 fellows and Class V of REAL Montana.

Our sincerest thanks to Bob Atkins (17), Leeann Bettencourt (50), Anthony Bozzano (43), Lucas Espericueta (45), John Gardiner (51), Julian Lopez (50), Heather Mulholland (44) and Sal Parra Jr. (46) for serving on this year's selection team. 

Regional Director Nominations

NOMINATIONS FOR REGIONS 1, 2, 5, 6 AND 10 DIRECTORS DUE MARCH 15

A regional director (RD) represents Ag Leadership alumni from their region on the Alumni Council (AC). The AC is an advisory body to the CALF board of directors. Each RD serves as a conduit communicator actively serving, recruiting, encouraging and guiding volunteers to be servant leaders for CALF and the AC. Nominations are due today, March 15.

MORE INFORMATION

Deanna van Klaveren (32)

>Nomination form

>Job description

Leaders are Readers Book Club

“Think Again” by Adam Grant examines the science behind changing your mind – and persuading others to change theirs. It explores the biases and assumptions that we bring to our decision-making and outlines how individuals and organizations can build a mindset of lifelong curiosity.

REGISTER BY MARCH 24

>Register here

>Pay here

MORE INFORMATION

Deanna van Klaveren (32)

Join Us at the All Class Reunion!

We are planning a fun day of social and farm activities for families!

DATE & LOCATION 

Saturday, April 15 / 2 - 9 p.m.

Underwood Family Farms / Owned and operated by Craig Underwood (5)

3370 Sunset Valley Road, Moorpark

EVENT DETAILS

Registration, activities and lodging options are available on the event webpage.

QUESTIONS? CONTACT

Deanna van Klaveren (32)

Upcoming Potential Applicant & Alumni Gatherings

We hope you are planning to attend our upcoming gatherings! These events are an opportunity for alumni to gather and welcome those who would like to learn more about the Ag Leadership Program and the application process.

March 16 / Region 2

Patz & Hall Winery / 21200 8th St. E, Sonoma / 5 - 7 p.m.

March 23 / Region 1

Montna Farms / 12755 Garden Hwy, Yuba City / 5:30 - 7 p.m. 

March 25 / Region 10

Home of Bob (17) and Anne Atkins / 4113 N. Mission Rd., Fallbrook / 1 - 3 p.m.

March 29 / Region 5

Ocean Mist Farms / 10855 Ocean Mist Pkwy A, Castroville / 5:30 - 7 p.m.

March 30 / Region 1

Heritage Insurance Agency / 290 Airpark Blvd., Chico / 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

April 5 / Region 4

Home of Cannon Michael (39) / 11609 Hereford Rd., Los Banos / 6 - 8 p.m.

April 11 / Region 8

Wonderful Citrus / 1901 S. Lexington St., Delano / 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

May 12 / Region 7

Talley Vineyards (details to come)

RSVP & DETAILS

Deanna van Klaveren (32)

Ask Me Anything (AMA) Applicant Informational Events

Please join us via Zoom as we welcome questions from those interested in applying to Ag Leadership. Alumni will host the CALF Education Team and an alumni panel who will answer questions and share their experiences in the program.

Join Us!

Common Threads North Awards Dinner

April 5 / 5 - 7:30 p.m. / Winters

>Invitation

>Tickets and sponsorship

NorCal Ag Leadership Sporting Clay Shoot

Aug. 5 / 8 a.m. / Zamora

International Leadership Alumni Conference

Sept. 18 - 21 / Wyoming

>Details

RSVP & MORE INFORMATION

Deanna van Klaveren (32)

I Grew With Ag Leadership Campaign

CALF's new outreach campaign – launched on Feb. 23 – aims to increase awareness of Ag Leadership, engage more alumni, increase potential applicants and encourage donations and donors. It will be featured predominantly on our social media platforms – Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook (follow us!). Alumni testimonials will be posted on the campaign webpage.

Horizons Winter Issue

We hope you enjoyed reading the winter issue of Horizons, which hit mailboxes in February. You can access the digital version here.