[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 29, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1771]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CONGRATULATING MRS. MARTHA TWISSELMAN ON RECEIVING THE 2010 
                    AGRICULTURIST OF THE YEAR AWARD

                                  _____
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 28, 2010

  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mrs. Martha 
Twisselman of McKittrick, California on receiving the 2010 
Agriculturist of the Year Award from the Kern County Fair. Mrs. 
Twisselman's dedication to fostering youth interest in agriculture 
through her work on the Kern County Fair Junior Livestock Auction 
Committee and her many years of community service make her most 
deserving of this award. It should also be noted with special 
recognition that Mrs. Twisselman is the first woman to be recognized 
with this honor.
  Mrs. Twisselman was born in Paso Robles, California, to Ellsworth and 
Mary Muttney. Martha attended Olig Elementary, McKittrick Elementary, 
and graduated from Taft High School. After graduation, she married Carl 
F. Twisselman II and moved to the Temblor Ranch where she began her 
life in the cattle business.
  Mrs. Twisselman is an active community volunteer, having held several 
posts in the past years including President of the McKittrick 
Elementary School Parent Teachers Association and President of the Taft 
High and McKittrick Elementary Parent's Support Organizations. Martha 
has also supported local youth groups, acting as a girls' softball 
coach for eight years and serving as a 4-H leader for 14 years.
  Mrs. Twisselman's service to the agricultural community includes many 
years of involvement with the Kern County Cattlewomen's Association. 
She served as a director of the association, held the offices of 
secretary, treasurer, vice-president, and served as President of the 
association from 1997 to 1998. In 1996, Martha was also named Kern 
County Cattlewomen's Association Cattlewoman of the Year.
  In addition to her volunteer service to youth and agriculture groups, 
Mrs. Twisselman has worked side-by-side for more than five decades with 
her husband, Carl, in the family's livestock grazing business. Martha 
was also a staff member of the Kern County Fair Junior Livestock 
Auction Committee for five years, working with families involved in 
showing livestock at the Kern County Fair. Last year, the Kern County 
Fair Auction Committee dedicated its catalogue to Martha and Carl 
Twisselman in honor of the couple's service to the agricultural 
community.
  Martha and her husband Carl have four children, Mary Ann Hagstrom and 
husband Chuck; Carl F. Twisselman III and his wife Stacey; Julie M. 
VanSickel and her husband Jim; and Kathy Tracy and her husband Rob. 
Martha and Carl are also the proud grandparents of 13 grandchildren.
  The leadership, commitment and dedication Mrs. Twisselman has shown 
to the Kern County Fair and to Kern County youth has not wavered during 
the many years she has served her community. Martha Twisselman is a 
role model for community spirit and it is with great pride that I 
congratulate her again on receiving the distinguished 2010 Kern County 
Fair Agriculturist of the Year Award and thank her for the great work 
she does for the residents of Kern County.

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