[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 182 (Friday, October 31, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1026-E1027]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING JUDY AHMANN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 31, 2025

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Judy 
Ahmann, who has been named the 2025 Member of the Year by the Napa 
County Farm Bureau. Judy is being recognized for her decades of 
advocacy for agriculture and her enduring commitment to the Farm Bureau 
and our Napa County's agricultural community.
  Ms. Ahmann was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and later moved with her 
family to Long Beach, California. She attended Long Beach State 
College, graduating in 1966, a year after marrying her husband, John. 
Judy began her professional career at IBM, but her passion for the land 
soon led her and John to purchase their first 12 acres in California. 
After a brief relocation to New Jersey for work, they returned to 
California in 1970 and settled in our Napa County, where they purchased 
300 acres and began raising cattle. In 1986, they acquired more than 
3,000 acres along Lake Berryessa, establishing Running Deer Ranch. With 
no prior ranching experience, the Ahmanns turned to the Napa County 
Farm Bureau and local Cattlewomen's and Cattlemen's Associations for 
guidance so they could raise their three daughters, Christina, Anna, 
and Erica, in the ranching tradition.
  Ms. Ahmann's commitment to our agricultural community is clear from 
her extensive advocacy work. She became a long-standing member and 
leader in California CattleWomen, serving as president at both the 
local and state levels, including as state president in 2007 and 2008. 
She later joined the Executive Board of American National CattleWomen, 
where her leadership earned her recognition as National CattleWoman of 
the Year in 2014. In 2010, Judy was selected as a member of Common 
Threads California, which honors women for their volunteer leadership 
and contributions to agriculture.
  Judy has rightfully been recognized for her advocacy at the national 
level. In 2013, she testified before the House Natural Resources 
Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation in support of 
the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area Act. Her 
testimony focused on the need to balance conservation efforts with the 
preservation of working ranchlands and grazing operations for future 
generations.
  Ms. Ahmann's dedication to agriculture extends to supporting the next 
generation of farmers and ranchers. She and her family have been 
generous supporters of youth in agriculture, donating time and raising 
funds for scholarships benefiting local 4-H and Future Farmers of 
America students. She has been a steadfast supporter of the Napa County 
Farm Bureau, actively promoting agricultural policy, education, and 
community engagement. In 2010, Judy and John placed a conservation 
easement on 1,275 acres of Running Deer Ranch through the California 
Rangeland Trust, permanently protecting the ranch as a working 
landscape while preserving its vital wildlife habitat. They also 
granted a trail easement to open public access to 9,100 acres of Bureau 
of Land Management land that had been landlocked for more than 150 
years.

[[Page E1027]]

  Judy remains deeply involved in ranching alongside her daughters and 
their families, who now operate Running Deer Ranch. Despite the 
devastation caused by wildfires in 2018 and 2020, the Ahmann family has 
continued to rebuild, demonstrating resilience and an unwavering 
commitment to sustainable ranching and responsible land management.
  Mr. Speaker, we thank Judy Ahmann for her decades of leadership in 
the cattle industry, dedication to agricultural education and advocacy, 
and commitment to supporting the next generation of farmers. Therefore, 
it is fitting and proper that we honor her here today as the Napa 
County Farm Bureau's 2025 Member of the Year.

                          ____________________