Farm Bureau members get involved for various reasons. For some it’s benefits, others it’s
the advocacy or even the networking opportunities. Current Butte County Farm Bureau President, Clark Becker joined Farm Bureau for the discount he received on his Worker’s Compensation Insurance. However, he quickly learned there is much more to Farm Bureau than discounts.

“The biggest benefit of being a Farm Bureau member is all the resources that we have to keep our industry in the fight,” said Becker. “Without Farm Bureau, the regulations that we all complain about now would be so much greater and we would not be able to stay in business. Whether it be at the local, State or Federal level Farm Bureau is there fighting for us.”

His passion for agriculture began as a child growing up on a small walnut ranch in Gridley. Before he started farming on his own, Becker attended California State University, Chico where he earned a bachelor of science in agriculture business. After college, he and a friend started farming rice and a custom spraying operation.

“My father farmed rice until I was five and the farming bug was stuck to me,” said Becker. “I enjoyed working in our orchard and often couldn’t wait to get home from school so I could go drive some type of equipment on the ranch.”

Becker relies on Farm Bureau to be an accurate resource of information for his daily farming operation. He often calls Butte and California Farm Bureau Federation staff for help in addressing issues and knows there is always somewhere there to answer his questions or take the time to find the right answer.

“The resources that Farm Bureau brings are endless and will be a huge asset to you if you so choose to use them,” said Becker “All of us pay some type of assessment on the crops we grow that goes to supporting only that commodity. Only Farm Bureau is there fighting for all of agriculture.”

Though being the president of Butte County Farm Bureau takes a lot of his time, Clark, his wife of 20 years Kourtney and their three boys, Jackson, Charlie and George farm walnuts in Gridley and rice in Butte, Colusa, Yolo and Yuba counties. He is also partners in a wetland restoration and land leveling business that works on duck clubs and ranches across Northern California. In his spare time, he also enjoys spending time with his family snowmobiling in the winter, Jeeping in the summer and hauling his son George to High School Rodeos.