[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 19]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 28304]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



              HONORING JOHN PAKCHOIAN, GROWER OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 3, 1999

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor John Pakchoian, as 
American Vineyard's Grower of the Year for 1999. Mr. Pakchoian began 
farming in 1938 in a vineyard near Fowler, California. He is 82 years 
old and still farming.
  John Pakchoian's favorite thing to talk about is farming. He was born 
into a farming family where he learned the responsibilities of hard 
work at the young age of six, after his father died. Pakchoian was the 
oldest child and the only boy. He worked before school and after school 
to help support the family.
  John Pakchoian enlisted in the Marine Corps when World War II broke 
out. As Private First Class, Pakchoian belonged to the 26th Regiment, 
5th Marine Division. His heroic performance in Saesbo, Japan on July 
21, 1944 earned him a Bronze Medal.
  The raisin industry went through a tough time at the start of World 
War II, prices were deteriorating and growers were losing hope. Raisin 
growers were called upon to produce raisins for the troops oversees, 
which boosted prices. In 1937 under the Federal Marketing Order Act, a 
federal marketing order for raisins was formed in 1949.
  It has been 50 years since the marketing order was formed, and the 
raisin industry has come a long way, facing many challenges along the 
way. These challenges prompted Pakchoian to get involved in industry 
issues. He along with Ernie Bedrosian and Dick Mitchell helped draft 
the by-laws of the Raisin Bargaining Association, RBA. John Pakchoian 
was the fifth chairman of RBA and served on the Fresno County Farm 
Bureau Raisin Committee for 10 years.
  John and Clyde Nef were the driving force behind the Raisin Industry 
Diversion Program in the mid 80's, known as RID. Pakchoian said the 
industry needed RID because too much raisin tonnage was being sold for 
cattle feed. In recent years there hasn't been a need for RID. The 
focus of the market now is to hold on to its markets and explore new 
ones.
  Pakchoian has grown every crop you can grow in the San Joaquin Valley 
and the only ones that have carried him through were the table grapes, 
wine grapes and raisins. Raisins have been the one crop that has kept 
John in business all of there years. Pakchoian likes nothing more than 
farming.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize Mr. John Pakchoian as Grower of the 
Year, 1999. He has worked hard to promote the raisin industry and bring 
it to where it is today. I urge my colleagues to join me in wishing 
John Pakchoian many more years of continued success.

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