Jim Hansen Named "Kings County Agriculturist of the Year" as the Hansen Family Celebrates 100 Years in Farming

On Friday, September 28 ^th , Jim Hansen will be named the 2007 Kings County Agriculturist of the Year at the Lemoore Chamber’s Salute to Agriculture Banquet.
It is purely coincidental that the past Honorees chose to honor Jim Hansen on the hundredth anniversary of the Hansen Family farming operation in Corcoran. Interestingly, Jim’s great grandfather, Nis Hansen, started farming a 250-acre fruit ranch in Armona in 1877.
Jim Hansen, along with brother Jess, sons, Phillip and Erik, and nephews Mark and Nis represent the fourth and fifth generation of Hansen Family farmers in Kings County. Jim’s six grandsons may make it six generations.
Jim is deeply rooted in Kings County. He was born in the Hanford Hospital on January 19, 1940. Both of Jim’s parents, Phillip Hansen and Harriet Bailey Hansen, were from pioneer families in Kings County. Harriet’s grandparents, Sarah and Aaron Mooney, were early residents of Lemoore. The Sarah A. Mooney Museum was their family home, which the family donated to the Lemoore Chamber of Commerce in 1976 to be used as a historical museum.
Jim graduated from Corcoran High School in 1958 and UC Davis in 1962 with a Degree in Agricultural Economics. While at U.C. Davis, Jim met his future wife, Betsy. They were married in 1964 after Betsy’s graduation. They have three children: Phillip, who lives in Hanford, Erik in Corcoran, and Julie Wilson in Burlingame. Each of the three children is married and each has two sons.
Jim has a long history of community service as well as involvement in farming issues on a local, state, national and international level. Locally, he was honored as Corcoran’s Man of the Year in 1987 for his contributions which include involvement with: the Corcoran Community Foundation, the Tulare Lake Drainage District, the Tulare Lake Basin Water Storage District, the Corcoran’s Lions Club, the Corcoran Recreation Commission, The Corcoran High School Agricultural Advisory Board, the Corcoran Recreation Commission, and serving as the Finance Chairman of the Corcoran Football Stadium Committee in 1968 which built the state of the art stadium using no tax dollars.
On a more regional level, Jim has served on the Kings County Economic Development Commission; Chairman of the Cotton Board which administers the U.S. Cotton Research and Promotion Program working with the USDA to oversee the program and collect manditory assessments from U.S. growers and importers of cotton products; Board member and Chairman of Cotton Incorporated which operates the U.S. Cotton Research and Promotion Program; on the Board of Directors for Supima Association which is the promotion entity for U.S. pima growers; and on the California Cotton Growers Association Board of Directors---receiving a Distinguished Service Award in 2001 in recognition of exceptional leadership and dedicated service.
Jim was a member of the second class of the California Agricultural Leadership Program, a three year program to broaden leadership skills, travelling and training on the State, National and International level and exposure to agriculture’s international implications and foreign trade. As part of this program, Jim traveled to Central America, Iran, Kuwait, Israel and Russia.
But, with all of the accolades that Jim has received, perhaps the highest honor was simply stated by his son Erik during a recent interview: "It is a privilege to be Jim Hansen’s son. He is a good father, a good businessman, and an inspiration. I hope to carry on the farming tradition."
The Corcoran Chamber of Commerce congratulates Jim Hansen and on behalf of Kings County, thanks Jim for the contributions he has made to the Ag Industry as well as to the region.