After being evaluated on its activities involving membership service, policy implementation, leadership development, agricultural education and public relations, 20 county Farm Bureaus in California earned recognition for their work during 2009, at the California Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in Anaheim last week.

Mariposa County was one of 16 to earn an award of excellence. Additional honorees included El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Kern, Kings, Mendocino, San Diego, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Ventura and Yuba-Sutter.

Four county Farm Bureaus earned honors as county Farm Bureaus of the year, with one of those being singled out for special recognition.

The Napa County Farm Bureau won the inaugural Golden State Hall of Honor award, given to the county Farm Bureau in California judged to have made the most of its resources and accomplished the most outstanding program of work.

The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of 81,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of more than five million Farm Bureau members.