[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 114 (Monday, July 27, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2012]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING ALBERT COSYNS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 27, 2009

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and 
congratulate Albert ``Al'' Cosyns upon being honored as the Madera 
Chamber of Commerce 2009 Senior Farmer of the Year. Mr. Cosyns was 
recognized at the annual Senior Farmer Dinner on Thursday, July 23, 
2009.
  Mr. Al Cosyns was born on March 12, 1925 in Southern California. 
After farming in Orange County, California for sixteen years, he 
decided to head north. He hitched his bean harvester to his truck and 
made his way over the Grapevine, finding his home in the heart of 
California, Madera. For fifty years, Mr. Cosyns has raised a variety of 
crops and has been finding ways to adapt to the new cropping patterns 
necessary to the longevity of a farming operation. Over the years they 
have farmed almonds, alfalfa, black-eyed beans, lima beans, barley, 
cotton, corn, grapes, wheat, safflower, soybeans, oats, sugar beets and 
sudan. Today, the Cosyns Farm is currently located on 2500 acres; with 
almonds and grapes at the heart of the operation.
  Mr. Cosyns' priorities have always been his ranch, his family and his 
community. Mr. Cosyns has always been active in the farming community 
and has served on a number of boards, including the Bonita Soil 
Conservation Board, the Sugar Beet Board and he has been a member of 
the Madera County Farm Bureau for forty-five years. He has also served 
as a 4-H Youth Advisor and is a supporter of the 4-H and Future Farmers 
of America Livestock Auction at the Madera and Chowchilla Fairs. Mr. 
Cosyns is the co-founder of the Madera Agricultural Youth Association 
(MAYA), an organization that supports youth in agriculture and provides 
scholarships to students entering college and pursuing a degree in a 
field related to agriculture. There are now four generations of the 
Cosyns family in Madera and Mr. Cosyns enjoys passing his knowledge and 
joy of agriculture on to the newest generation, his great-
grandchildren. Mr. Cosyns along with his sons, Allan and Rick, and his 
grandchildren, continue the farming tradition with their strong 
leadership in the community.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Albert Cosyns 
upon being named the Madera Chamber of Commerce 2009 Senior Farmer of 
the Year. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing Mr. Cosyns many 
years of continued success.

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