MR. BILLY McKINNEY HONORED AS THE 2008 SENIOR FARMER OF THE YEAR

THANK YOU TO OUR 2008 SENIOR FARMER DINNER SPONSORS!

PARTNER OF SENIOR FARMER
Kuckenbecker Tractor Company, The Martinazzi Family, The McKinney Family,
North Fork Mono Rancheria

FRIEND OF SENIOR FARMER
Fresno Madera Farm Credit

And a special Thank You to the Mrs. Franklin 'Elaine' Secara who sponsored the Madera Chamber of Commerce Senior Farmer of the Year Plaque.

Pictured right, Billy McKinney and his best friend Sprite take a break from working cattle.  Sprite is a 2 1/2 year old Border Collie/McNabb.

Mr. Billy McKinney was honored at the 2008 Senior Farmer of the Year Dinner and celebration held on Thursday, July 24 at the Madera Municipal Golf Course, St. Andrews Ballroom located at 23200 Avenue 17 in Madera. The social hour began at 6:00 p.m. followed by dinner and presentations.  Reservations were required (no tickets were available at the door).

About our 2008 Senior Farmer of the Year, Billy McKinney... The Madera District Chamber of Commerce announced the selection of Billy McKinney as the 2008 Senior Farmer of the Year. A Madera resident and grower for 62 years, McKinney has approximately 1,700 head of cattle and once grew up to 10,000 acres of grain. He is active in the cattle industry and is a past president of the Breakfast Lions Club.

He and his wife, the former Lillian Fracchia, have been married for 52 years. He is a life member of both the Elk's Lodge and Veteran's of Foreign War Post 1981. The Madera Tribune published their annual Salute to Agriculture section on Thursday, July 24 featuring Mr. McKinney.

Reservations for the dinner were $35.00 per person with open-seating; sponsorships were available and included an option for a reserved table for ten.  Dinner included Rib Eye Steak, Baked Potato, Vegetable, Salad, Roll & Butter, Dessert and No Host Bar; Vegetarian meals were available by request.  Sponsorships and dinner reservations were available at the Madera Chamber of Commerce office located at 120 North E Street in Madera or by calling the Chamber office at (559) 673-3563 to pay by credit card.   Family, friends and associates were invited to participate in the program honoring Mr. McKinney by emailing Debi Bray or calling her at the Chamber Office (559) 673-3563

Thank you to Tami Jo Nix, Madera Tribune for her photo and contributions to this article.

Net revenue derived from this event benefit the Madera Chamber of Commerce Madera South High School 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 2007-08 MHS Ag Scholarship Recipients...
Mike Petrucci and Heidi Richardson

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 2008 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:

• 1981 - Sherman Thomas
• 1982 - Henry Bitter
• 1983 - Gino Petrucci
• 1984 - Walter Rosskopf
• 1985 - A.K. Baker
• 1986 - Everett Garner
• 1987 - Floyd Nelson
• 1988 - Lionel Rogers
• 1989 - Ben Coulthard
• 1990 - J.E. McKinney
• 1991 - George Andrew
• 1992 - John Sordi
• 1993 - Ed Sagouspe
• 1993 - Honorary Senior Farmer Franklin Secara
• 1994 - Elsie Buchenau
• 1995 - Norman Dill
• 1996 - Henry Massaro
• 1997 - Joe Galleano
• 1998 - Robert T. Houlding, Sr.
• 1999 - Dino Petrucci
• 2000 - Elvin Davis
• 2001 - Alfred Russell
• 2002 - Oliver Espinola
• 2003 - Will Gill, Jr.
• 2004 - Jack Schnoor
• 2005 - Richard B. Johnson
• 2006 - Charles Faso
• 2007 - Vernon Martinazzi
• 2008 - Billy McKinney