The San Joaquin Valley is one of the world’s most productive agricultural regions and home to an incredibly diverse collection of 4 million Californians. Almost any commodity can be grown in the Valley’s rich soil and farming is the leading economic driver, generating billions of dollars in sales every year.

After some 40 years, the Farm Credit Multicultural Scholars Program at California State University, Fresno, is continuing to grow and expand its mission. In fact, the program is now reaching even more students and urging them to consider earning a college degree and pursuing a career in agriculture.

During the recently concluded school year, Fresno State completed the first year of an ambitious outreach program to visit Central Valley high schools to educate traditionally underrepresented students about the benefits of going to the university and pursuing a career in an agriculture-related field.

 At our recent Member Appreciation BBQ, Fresno Madera Farm Credit had the honor of awarding five exceptional ag youth groups with a $500 grant in recognition of their remarkable contributions to our communities. These grants will support their ongoing efforts and initiatives, fostering the growth and development of our future agricultural leaders.

 

The U.S. economy continues to outperform expectations despite a string of adversity – the pandemic, rampant inflation, and the Federal Reserve’s extreme monetary tightening policies. The strength of the job market plus big infrastructure investments should spur ongoing economic growth in rural America. However, potential pitfalls are on the horizon: Congress continues to delay progress on the Farm Bill and trade policy while consumers are irrationally pessimistic about the future. 

 

The war in Ukraine and inflation will remain the two biggest factors for commodity markets in the first half of 2023. There are now consistent signals that inflation is softening, which should enable the Federal Reserve to comfortably relent on interest rate hikes before mid-year. However, the opening of the Chinese economy could complicate the inflation picture as increased demand for oil and gas in China threatens to upset the delicate global energy supply and demand balance.