Protecting Marion County Farms

Hello Marion County Farm Bureau Members!

My name is Dana Estensen and I am honored to be your new board president.  I am a 1st generation farmer, and this past year was my 21st wine grape harvest.  I have worked in an almond processor/huller and olive oil production as well as other ag related jobs.

I have always been a strong advocate for Farm Bureau.  I was on the State YF&R committee in California in the late 80s and involved with both the Yolo and Napa County Farm Bureaus, including a two-year term as president in Napa.

One of my favorite programs has always been Ag in the Classroom.  It’s so important to get our message out to the 99% of the population that isn’t involved in agriculture and give them an appreciation for the work we do. We are fortunate that Oregon has such great organizations that do excellent work in this area.

We arrived in Oregon in 2014 and have thoroughly enjoy being involved in Oregon agriculture, meeting our fellow farmers, and learning about the many diverse crops.  Our neighbor (and fellow board member) Stuart Olson came over to our vineyard office one day to talk to “the new neighbors” about Farm Bureau. Someone pointed him in my direction, and I’ve been on the board ever since.

We’re excited that the Marion County Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee has Claire Zielinski as its new chairperson.  The YF&R group is such an important building block for Farm Bureau’s future. It’s a great opportunity to connect with friends and colleagues locally and across the state as well as develop leadership and communication skills.  Please encourage any young people from ages 16 to 35 who are involved in agriculture to get involved.   

There are always many challenges in the legislative session and our OFB staff is already hard at work.  We would encourage all members to sign up for the Action Alerts at oregonfb.org/advocacy and personalize and submit the talking points provided to make your voice and story heard.  If you have ever attended a legislative hearing and heard (or read) testimony differing from Farm Bureau, you realize the importance of getting our message out.  You should also be getting email updates from Marion County Farm Bureau as issues come up so please make sure that we have your email address.

Thank you all for your hard work and commitment in making Farm Bureau the formidable organization that it is.  We have a dedicated, knowledgeable board of directors and staff.  Our members’ contributions are very much appreciated.  Besides engaging with the legislature, I know many of you sit on advisory committees at the local and state levels and in the past year have actively engaged in issues such as the COVID-19 and Heat Illness rules, road safety and crime in agricultural areas.  Thank you for representing the agricultural point of view on these important issues.