Residents selected for premier educational opportunity

Two Colusa County residents have been selected to participate in the California Agricultural Leadership Program, one of the premier educational opportunities in the United States.

Sarah Reynolds of Williams and Jim Peterson of Colusa will take part in seminars, trips and other activities over the next two years.

Their class, recently inaugurated in Sacramento, is the 40th sponsored by the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation.

Its alumni include Assemblyman Jim Nielsen, California Secretary of Food and Agriculture A.G. Kawamura and Lt. Governor-designee Abel Maldonado.

Reynolds said Monday she is honored to be selected for the program, because it will give her an opportunity to expand her horizons beyond the farm issues she faces on a daily basis.

"It's not about being a leader for leadership's sake," Reynolds said. "The program will provide me with the tools I need to take an active role in addressing the challenges our farming community faces now and in the future."

Reynolds works at T&P Farms in Arbuckle and has taken many roles on the family farm since graduating from Maxwell High School in 2002 and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2007.

She is the project manager and almond huller and sheller office manager, and does byproduct sales. One of her projects is introducing a large solar power system to the farm.

Her husband, Sam Reynolds, is a Colusa County farmer who grows row crops, wheat and rice, and manages his family's farm in Williams. The couple has been working to expand his farming operation by leasing new ground, diversifying and making advances toward drip irrigation.

Sarah Reynolds also has a small pomegranate operation.

"It's a hobby I hope will grow into a business," she said.

Peterson is a partial owner of three agricultural businesses within a family farming operation. The farming side of the business involves his family's farm, as well as custom farming for other families.

Chico Nut Hulling and Shelling is an almond processing company that performs hulling and shelling of almonds for his own operation as well as several outside growers. It packages and sells almonds and walnuts nationally and internationally.

Peterson was born in Chico, where he grew up and worked on his family's farm. In 1999, he graduated with honors from Simpson University, where he majored in business and human resource management. He lives in Colusa with wife, Nelle, and their three children.

Both Reynolds and Peterson were selected after a lengthy process, which included the recommendations of program alumni and agriculture leaders in the state.

At seminars during the next two years, delivered by the program's four partner universities and other academic institutions, instruction will focus on leadership theory and skills, such as communications and public speaking.

Reynolds and Peterson will participate in a 10-day national seminar during the first year and a 15-day international seminar during the second year.

"To be an effective leader in agriculture, we must have a vast knowledge of political culture — locally, nationally and worldwide," Peterson said in a statement. "The California Agricultural Leadership Program will have a profound impact on my life and will better prepare me for the challenges ahead."

Contact Susan Meeker at 458-2121 or smeeker@tcnpress.com.