[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 178 (Monday, October 30, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1030-E1031]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING CRAIG McNAMARA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 30, 2023

  Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Craig 
McNamara, of Winters, California, as we celebrate the 30th anniversary 
of the Farming, Agriculture, and Resource Management for Sustainability 
(FARMS) Program.
  Craig McNamara was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After traveling by 
motorcycle across Central and South America to learn more about the all 
of agriculture. Mr. McNamara enrolled at the University of California, 
Davis where he earned a bachelor's degree in plant and soil sciences. 
He then apprenticed under Tom Lum of Dixon for three years and would 
later rent his first 100 acres of farmland and establish Sierra 
Orchards.
  In 1993, Craig and his wife, Julie, founded the FARMS Program giving 
high school students access to applied scientific research and careers 
in agriculture, conservation, and sustainability. The FARMS Program 
grew to become a model practice for youth education throughout the 
nation and led to the establishment of the Center for Land-Based 
Learning in 2001.
  Since its founding, the Center for Land-Based Learning has educated 
more than 25,000 students from 30 different California counties. The 
Center for Land-Based Learning is the only organization of its kind in 
the state to offer a closed loop of agriculture-based education, 
internships, and careers. Because of the program high school students 
and adults have had the opportunity to discover impactful careers in 
fields ranging from biological sciences and technology-aided farming to 
land-use management and robotics.

[[Page E1031]]

  As an American farmer and activist, Mr. McNamara was revolutionary in 
the field of sustainable, climate-smart agricultural practices. He 
endured years of skepticism from those steeped in antiquated beliefs, 
but that did not slow down his work. Today, modern environmental 
science and economics embrace Mr. McNamara's teaching which emphasizes 
that ``people, profit, and planet'' all deserve equal attention and 
dedication.
  Throughout his professional career, Mr. McNamara has served as a 
board member for the American Farmland Trust; the Roots of Change 
Stewardship Council; University of California, Davis Dean's Advisory 
Council and Agricultural Sustainability Institute Advisory Board; and 
the Public Policy Institute of California Advisory Board, He is 
currently a board member on the Edible Schoolyard Project and Project 
REGEN. He is also on the leadership council of the Public Policy 
Institute of California.
  Mr. Speaker, Craig McNamara is a dedicated public servant and leader 
in our community. He has inspired and educated future generations of 
farmers and agricultural leaders. It is therefore fitting and proper 
that we honor him and the work of the FARMS Program here today.

                          ____________________