Recognizing Vincent Sola

Floor Speech

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Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Vincent Sola, as he is awarded the title of Farmer of the Year by the Kiwanis Club of Tulare.

Mr. Sola was born in Porterville, California and developed his love of farming at two years old from his father, John Sola. As a high school student, he rented his first twenty acres of land as part of a Future Farmers of America (FFA) project, and Dave Linder from Linder Equipment financed his first tractor and disc. He later served as FFA president during his senior year and earned his FFA State Farmer Degree. Mr. Sola graduated from Tulare Union High School in 1978 and from the College of the Sequoias with a degree in agriculture in 1981.

Mr. Sola is a fourth-generation farmer who has devoted his life to nurturing the land his family has tended since it was homesteaded in 1903. Mr. Sola has extensive experience growing products including cotton, corn, wheat, tomatoes, sugar beets, broccoli, cauliflower, and watermelons, all of which are important crops to Central Valley. He also uses these skills to help his neighbors, members of the community, and landowners in the area with their commercial farming.

Mr. Sola is committed to fostering the Central Valley's next generation of farmers. He spends his time teaching his son, Vin, about the family business, emphasizing the hard work and dedication needed to run a successful farm. It is because of farmers like Mr. Sola that the Central Valley thrives, and I want to thank him for his commitment to our agricultural community.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join me in celebrating Mr. Vincent Sola, as he is awarded the Farmer of the Year Award by the Kiwanis Club of Tulare. His contributions to the Central Valley will be felt for generations to come.

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