[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 28471-28472]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING SARKIS SARABIAN AS THE 2007 AGRICULTURIST OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 25, 2007

  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Sarkis 
Sarabian, president of Sarabian Farms in Sanger, California, for 
receiving the 2007 Agriculturist of the Year Award from the Greater 
Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce. As a family farmer, who has lead his 
family's growing and shipping operations for many years, Sarkis is most 
deserving of this honor.
  The roots of Sarabian Farms run deep in California's Central Valley. 
Since 1920 the Sarabian family has actively participated in the farming 
operation specializing in peaches, plums and nectarines. Now in its 
fourth generation, Sarabian Farms is proof that multi-generational 
farming can continue to thrive as an outstanding enterprise for many 
years.
  For ten years, Sarkis has worked with Asian growers in the Central 
Valley to help them develop quality control and marketing skills. He is 
a founding member of the Armenian Technology Group in Fresno and has 
worked on projects that included reviving the honey industry in 
Nagorno-Karabakh, a separatist region of Azerbaijan.
  Mr. Sarabian, a licensed pest control advisor, has also worked as a 
soil conservationist and an agricultural consultant in countries that 
include Mexico, Chile, South Africa, Kenya, Moldova, Jordan, Venezuela 
and Morocco.
  Sarkis Sarabian exemplifies great principle and integrity. He is a 
role model for all of us, especially our Valley's upcoming generation 
of agricultural professionals. It is with great pride that I 
congratulate him for receiving this distinguished award and for all 
that he does on behalf of the industry.

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