California Women for Agriculture Marks 50 Years with Homecoming Celebration in Coachella Valley
California Women for Agriculture (CWA) celebrated its 50th anniversary Nov. 7-9, 2025, in the very place the organization began. Members from chapters across California gathered in La Quinta and throughout the Valley to honor five decades of women’s leadership in agriculture, highlight the region’s agricultural heritage and celebrate the legacy of the local women who sparked a statewide movement. CWA was founded in 1975 when a group of Coachella Valley women stepped forward during a challenging moment for local farms. As crops were nearing harvest and tensions grew, these women, many of whom were not farmers themselves, volunteered in the fields, rallied around growers and workers, and spoke to the public about the importance of protecting the nation’s food supply. Their grassroots action quickly spread, inspiring more than 200 women to gather in Palm Springs that same year and establish CWA chapters across the state. Founders Cherry Ishimatsu, Corky Larson, Jeri Taylor and Beverly Sfingi, all based in the Coachella Valley, helped propel women into leadership roles in agriculture at a time when those opportunities were limited. “CWA was formed at a time when women did not hold leadership roles in our industry,” said CWA State President Debra Stroschein of Blythe. “Today, women serve at every level of leadership in agriculture and CWA is proud to have been a part of this progress.”
The Coachella Valley continues to be one of California’s most productive agricultural regions and agriculture remains the second largest economic driver in the local economy. -CWA
51 Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com January – March 2026
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