Board Member Spotlight -

                                         Ron Fanucchi

                                                                 

                                    Clockwise from left: Ron (left), his wife, Toni (right) and his grandchildren; three generations of Fanucchi's; Ron,                                                                                          Fresno Statestudents, faculty and staff at the 2023 Ag One Kern County Alumni and Friends Luncheon 

Ron Fanucchi has served as a director on the Ag One board for the last six years. The Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology appreciates his dedication, integrity, and commitment to advancing Fresno State agriculture.

Born and raised in the heart of Bakersfield, Ron’s roots in agriculture run deep. He is a second-generation Fresno State alumnus, graduating in 1988 with a degree in agronomy. He followed in the footsteps of his father Carl Fanucchi who graduated in 1964 with a degree in crop science. He has been married to his wife, Toni, for 36 years. Together they have three grown children, two of whom are third-generation Bulldogs. They have four grandchildren, with a fifth grandchild due in November.

Ron is a fourth-generation California farmer. His passion for agriculture started at a young age. He began by accompanying his father to various farms. His first job was in the summer and during high school vacation in 1980, primarily in pistachio orchards near Bakersfield and Delano. When he enrolled at Fresno State, he worked on the campus farm and as an assistant to UC Cooperative Extension Specialist, Dr. Louise Ferguson. After graduation, he joined Paramount Farming Company (now Wonderful Orchards) and later worked at Total Investment Inc. Here he was introduced to the farm management company model he uses today.

In 1995, he partnered with fellow Bulldog and past Ag One President, Brian Blackwell and for the next 15 years, developed not only their own pistachio orchards but offered custom farm services. Ron started his own farm management company with 1100 acres. The Ron Fanucchi Farming Company was incorporated in 2003, and today he and his team farm forty acres of their own pistachios and manage over 17,000 acres for clients across Kern, Tulare, Kings, and Fresno Counties.

Ron’s impact has been key in continuing the Kern County Alumni and Friends event, which his father and his mother, Barbara Fanucchi, helped start in 1979. Ron attended the annual event during his high school years and has been involved with the luncheon and has been on the committee for more than twenty years. The proceeds from the gathering are added to the AG One – Carl and Barbara Fanucchi endowment which provides scholarships to deserving students, preference to those from Kern County. The fund has grown to over $200,000. For the upcoming academic year, six scholarships will be awarded.

Ron extends the tag line “Pride of the Valley” to describe the Jordan College and the educational opportunities it provides, especially for students from the Valley. His degree plus giving back has given him both personal and professional pride.

In addition to Ag One, Ron and Toni are active in various Catholic parishes in Bakersfield and Pismo Beach. In his free time, Ron spends time with his family, especially his grandchildren. He enjoys spending time on the Central Coast, traveling and as he describes “chasing elk and deer somewhere in the mountains every year”. It happens that one of his newer interests is running. He has completed four full marathons and more than a dozen half marathons.

Ron’s advice to all Jordan College alumni is to get involved and become Ag One members, “ It is a minimal investment that will keep you connected with the university.”