[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 170 (Tuesday, November 17, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2786]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING ERROTABERE RANCHES

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 17, 2009

  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute to a 
family farming operation whose owners exemplify the spirit of 
fortitude, entrepreneurship, and advocacy demonstrated by so many of 
those who strive to provide food and fiber to our great Nation. Much 
has contributed to California's bountiful agriculture industry and 
economic well-being, but one significant underlying factor in 
California's agricultural success has been the presence of families 
such as the Errotabere family. A diversified family farming operation 
in Fresno County, Errotabere Ranches is being honored on November 18, 
2009 in Fresno, California as the 2009 Baker, Peterson & Franklin Ag 
Business Award recipient.
  Though the Errotabere story didn't begin in the United States, the 
Errotabere family has clearly added strength to the fabric of this 
great Nation since coming to America. Jean Errotabere was born in a 
French-Basque village in France called Aldudez just two miles from the 
Spanish-French border. He came to Riverdale, California in the late 
1940s to work with his brother on their ranch which was started in the 
late 1920s. Georgianne, a native of Vancouver, Canada, also came to the 
Central Valley of California to look for work. While waitressing at the 
Santa Fe Basque Restaurant in downtown Fresno, now known as the 
Sheppard's Inn, she met Jean Errotabere and their life together began.
  Over the next 3 decades, their family and their business continued to 
grow and at the time of Jean's death, in 1979, their sons Dan, Jean and 
Remi, took over the ranch operations. Together with their wives Susan, 
Colleen, and Maureen the Errotaberes have developed a diversified 
family farming operation that now spans over 5,500 acres throughout 
western Fresno County. Among the crops the operation grows are almonds, 
pistachios, processing tomatoes, garlic, pima cotton, alfalfa, wheat, 
safflower, Romaine lettuce, processing onions, seed lettuce, 
cantaloupes and honeydew melons.
  Errotabere Ranches has been actively involved in Agricultural 
Organizations, Riverdale schools, the Jordan College of Agriculture 
Sciences and Technology at California State University, Fresno and the 
Fresno County Farm Bureau. Errotabere Ranches President Dan Errotabere 
has been recognized and praised as a crusader for agricultural water 
issues, including his role in negotiating the historical treaty between 
Westlands Water District and the Friant Water Users Authority in 2004.
  ``This great Valley that we have is certainly the envy of the 
world,'' Errotabere was recently quoted as saying. ``It's a promising 
story for California that agriculture can do as much as it can.''
  It is a pleasure to honor and congratulate the Errotabere's ``can-
do'' attitude and repeated earnest advocacy for Agriculture. The 
Errotaberes are truly deserving of this great honor and I salute the 
entire family for their accomplishments and contributions to 
Agriculture in California and the Nation.

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