The Madera District Chamber of Commerce was proud to honor Mr. Albert Cosyns as the 2009 Senior Farmer of the Year.  The Chamber hosted their annual presentation and celebration dinner for Mr. Cosyns on Thursday, July 23, 2009 with a hosted Social Hour beginning at 6:00 p.m. followed by dinner and presentations at the Madera Municipal Golf Course St. Andrews Ballroom located 23200 Avenue 17 in Madera.  Those attending that wanted to participate in the Senior Farmer presentations were asked to contact Debi Bray at the Chamber office.  This was a reservation only event, $35 per person; tables of ten (10) were available for sponsors.  No seats were sold at the door.

The Madera Chamber of Commerce thanks the following Sponsors of our 2009 Senior Farmer Dinner
Allied Waste Services, Cedar Creek Senior Living, Citizens Business Bank, Cosyns Farms,
Fresno Madera Farm Credit, and Stellar Distributing
Special thanks to Mrs. Franklin 'Elaine' Secara who sponsors the
Madera Chamber of Commerce Senior Farmer of the Year Plaque

Sponsorships of this event were available for $250.00 and $500.00.  All proceeds from this event benefited the Madera High School Chamber of Commerce Ag Scholarship fund.  If you are interested in sponsoring this event in the future, or need additional inforamtion, please call the Chamber office at (559) 673-3563.

Net revenue derived from this event benefits the Madera Chamber of Commerce Ag Scholarship fund.  Your support not only honors our Senior Farmer and Past Recipients, but also supports the Ag Scholarship program for our youth who are our future Farmers.

Congratulations to the Madera Chamber of Commerce 2008-09 Ag Scholarship Recipients...
Victoria Barros, Madera South High School and Jessica Sidney, Madera South High School

ABOUT THIS YEAR'S SENIOR FARMER...MR. ALBERT COSYNS
Born in 1925 to Ivo and Marie Cosyns, Albert, (known as Al), grew up in Orange County in Southern California to a farming family that included his older brother, Charles, and his younger sister, Yvonne Lerno.

Life was wonderful, and as a young man he, himself began farming in Orange County.  After 16 years Al decided it was time to make a move so he hitched the bean harvester to his truck, undertook the precarious task of hauling it over the Grapevine to settle and make Madera his home.  The Cosyns family then became farming neighbors with the Houlding family. However, when the Cosyns first moved to the adjacent property, the oldest of the Houlding boys, Bob was excited to hear that the “cousins” had moved next door.  Bob eventually figured out that they were not related but these two farming neighbors forged a family relationship that has lasted over 50 years. It gave the Houlding family great pleasure to nominate their longtime family friend and neighbor, Al Cosyns, for this year’s Senior Farmer of the Year Award.

Throughout his many years in agriculture Mr. Cosyns has farmed a diversity of crops including grapes, almonds, cotton alfalfa, black eyed beans, lima beans, barley, corn, wheat, safflower, soybeans, oats, sugar beets, and sudan grass.

In his dedication to agriculture and our community, Mr. Cosyns has been involved in 4-H as an advisor and supporter, as well as in the Future Farmers of America Livestock Auction.  He served on the Bonita Soil Conservation Board and the Sugar Beet Board.  He has been a member of the Madera County Farm Bureau for 45 years and a member of the Madera Chamber of Commerce.  One of Al’s most significant accomplishments was being a co-founder of the Madera Ag Youth Association and serving on the
the organization’s Board of Directors for 6 years.

Al has enriched the fabric of Madera agriculture and is proud of his two sons; Allen (wife Susan) and Rick (wife Lynne), who have carried on the family tradition in farming, and daughter, Linda (husband, Carlos) who is a retired school teacher. Al had two wonderful marriages; to his first wife, Margaret, and second wife, Betty.  He now enjoys spending time with his companion, Ruth. Today there are three generations of Cosyns; so near and dear to Grandpa’s heart are Al’s seven grandchildren and eight great-children.

ABOUT THIS ANNUAL EVENT...
Since 1981 the Madera District Chamber of Commerce has annually honored outstanding individuals for their leadership, service, and contributions to Madera County Agriculture. The Senior Farmer of the Year Award recognizes, with great appreciation, the lifetime of an exceptional individual in the discipline of agriculture. Individuals are nominated and awarded points in 8 topic areas and must be 65 years or older. Nominations are reviewed by past honorees who also determine the final selection. These previous honorees, along with our 2009 recipient, have made huge and significant contributions to Madera County and recognizing them is just never quite enough for all they have done.

“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted”. The truth in this quote by author David Bly, certainly exemplifies the past recipients. Their years of hard work have brought success and continue to provide a prosperous economic base for Madera County. The Chamber looks forward to celebrating a new Senior Farmer of the Year; the following is the impressive list of past honorees: