California Agricultural Organizations Applaud Ryan Schohr’s Appointment to EPA Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Committee

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 21, 2026

California Agricultural Organizations Applaud Ryan Schohr’s Appointment to EPA Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Committee

Sacramento, Calif. — The California Farm Bureau, California Cattlemen’s Association, and Butte County Farm Bureau today jointly announced the appointment of Ryan Schohr of Gridley, Calif., to serve on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Committee (FRRCC) for the 2026–2027 term.

Schohr, a managing partner of Schohr Ranch, brings decades of hands-on experience as a multi-generational producer in Northern California. His diversified operation includes premium rice, walnuts, timber, and commercial cattle. Through his leadership roles and national engagement, Schohr has worked alongside producers across the country on farm and resource management issues in support of productive farms and thriving rural communities.

“Ryan Schohr represents the practical, solution-oriented voice that federal agencies need,” said Shannon Douglass, President of the California Farm Bureau. “His experience at the intersection of intensive production agriculture, environmental stewardship, and rural community vitality will help ensure EPA policies are workable, science-based, and supportive of the country’s family farms and ranches.”

The California Cattlemen’s Association added its strong support. “Ryan is a respected producer whose work spans crop protection, resource management, and ecological grazing practices,” said Rick Roberti, President of the California Cattlemen’s Association. “Appointing active producers like Ryan is critical so that EPA programs deliver workable solutions that support the agriculture sector and America’s rural communities.”

“Ryan understands that effective environmental policy must be workable on the ground, particularly in rural communities where agriculture remains the backbone of the local economy,” said Mark Spannagel, former Chief of Staff to the late Congressman Doug LaMalfa. “His public service experience reflects a balanced, pragmatic approach to environmental policy while ensuring the long-term viability of farming in California.”

Colleen Cecil, Executive Director of the Butte County Farm Bureau, highlighted Schohr’s proven leadership. “Ryan has served our organization for nearly 30 years, including as President, and has demonstrated collaborative problem-solving on water policy, agricultural protection measures, and rural advocacy,” Cecil said. “A graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Program, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Chicago, Illinois-based Farm Foundation and is a fellow in the organization’s prestigious Round Table. These experiences have given him valuable national perspective and equipped him to address complex agricultural and environmental issues at the federal level.”

The FRRCC plays a vital federal role in advising the EPA on policies affecting farms, ranches, and rural communities nationwide. Schohr’s nomination is supported by agricultural organizations and producers across the country. His extensive civic and industry involvement, including service on the Butte County Water Commission, support for local FFA and 4-H programs, hosting agronomic research trials with university and industry partners, and leading educational tours for school groups, conservation organizations, trade delegations, and food companies, equips him to bridge regulatory frameworks with real-world agricultural realities. His perspective will strengthen the committee’s work on conservation and the long-term resilience of rural America.

About the Organizations:
The California Farm Bureau is California’s largest and oldest statewide agricultural organization, is comprised of 54 county farm bureau’s representing members in 57 counties. The California Cattlemen’s Association is a non-profit trade association representing California’s ranchers and beef producers in legislative and regulatory affairs. Butte County Farm Bureau is a non-profit grass roots organization whose purpose is to protect and promote agricultural interests throughout the state of California and to find solutions to the problems of the farm, the farm home, and the rural community.

Media Contacts:
Steven Feneroli, Managing Director of Public Affairs and Communications, California Farm Bureau – 916-561-5500 | sfeneroli@cfbf.com
Katie Roberti, Director of Communications, California Cattlemen’s Association – (916) 444-0845 | katier@calcattlemen.org
Colleen Cecil, Executive Director, Butte County Farm Bureau – 530-533-1473 | colleen@buttefarmbureau.com

Vote No on Prop. 50

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By Colleen Cecil, Butte County Farm Bureau

This November, you will be asked to decide on Proposition 50, a measure that would eliminate the independent Citizens Redistricting Commission and return the power of drawing congressional maps to Sacramento politicians. The Butte County Farm Bureau has taken a strong position of opposition to Prop 50, and here’s why you, our members, should too.

You might remember that we the voters created the independent redistricting commission to ensure that communities not politicians, decided how districts were drawn. The commission was designed to prevent partisan gerrymandering, where maps are manipulated to benefit one political party over another. Prop 50 would roll back these protections and put map-drawing back in the hands of legislators behind closed doors.

In Butte County and across Northern California in Congressional District 1, agriculture is not just an industry, it’s our way of life. We produce rice, walnuts, almonds, cattle, prunes, and more. These operations depend on fair water allocations, balanced regulations, and federal support for wildfire recovery. Our needs are vastly different from those of urban coastal districts. If Sacramento politicians regain control of redistricting, our rural voices will be silenced and replaced by urban voices from more coastal counites, leaving us with less influence in Congress. That means fractured representation for farming communities like ours.

Prop 50 isn’t just unfair, it’s expensive. The rushed process has triggered a special statewide election in November that is costing taxpayers an estimated $300 million. At a time when local families are struggling with high food prices, soaring utility bills, and inflation, Sacramento should be focused on solutions, not political power grabs. Farmers know the importance of responsible budgeting; we live it every season. The last thing California needs is wasted dollars on a measure that undermines voter trust.

It’s worth remembering that Californians have already rejected attempts to dismantle the Citizens Redistricting Commission once before. Voters wanted independence, transparency, and fairness. Prop 50 ignores that mandate. 

For Butte County farmers, Prop 50 is not just about maps on paper, it’s about our ability to have a voice in decisions that affect water policy, Farm Bill programs, and disaster recovery funding. If Sacramento politicians succeed in redrawing lines to their advantage, the unique challenges of our rural agricultural region risk being overshadowed by urban interests that do not share our priorities.

Prop 50 is a power grab that will silence our rural voices, waste your taxpayer dollars, and undermine the fairness that many in Butte County demanded when we created the Citizens Redistricting Commission. Butte County farmers know the value of accountability, fairness, and community representation. That’s why we urge every voter in our county to join us in protecting fair maps and strong rural representation by voting No on Prop. 50 this November.

Colleen Cecil is the Executive Director of the Butte County Farm Bureau, located in Chico, California.

Reprinted from the Butte County Farm Bureau News, September/October 2025.

Welcome to The Farm Shovel

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Thanks for taking a minute to check out The Farm Shovel! We are excited at the Butte County Farm Bureau to add this new blog to our website www.ButteFarmBureau.com, and use it as a place to share timely information, newsworthy stories and the occasional editorial about the current events in our local agricultural community.

We’ll offer updates and announcements on benefits of Farm Bureau membership in Butte County to current members and encourage those of you digging around the chance to join us.

When we post a new update to The Farm Shovel, we’ll be sure to alert you of them on our Facebook page and on our Twitter feed so be sure to follow us if you don’t already. You will also find  links to The Farm Shovel in our e-newsletter, The Farm Wire. Sign up for the e-newsletter here.

There are many ways to get information these days. We think this format will offer a chance to provide a few more details that are often too extensive for an email newsletter or social media post. And we will be able to share up-to-the minute news that doesn’t make our bi-monthly newspaper deadlines that members get in the mail.

Who knows? You may choose to bury the information you read on The Farm Shovel but then again maybe you’ll unearth something you need to know? We just look forward to helping you shovel through the mountains of information on your desk and pickup truck dash. Let’s get to digging!