Sessions need more farmers

Capital Press Editorial

June 6, 2008

It is unfortunate that only 40 people showed up recently in Sacramento to attend one of the California Board of Food and Agriculture listening sessions.

Part of a six-session series, these events are an opportunity for farmers, ranchers and others with a vested interest in agriculture to speak their minds and influence a strategic plan for state policy until 2030.

"Everybody in the state is a stakeholder of the agricultural system," Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura said during the session. "Without an agriculture plan, without a strategy, we can pretend to move forward... but parallel lines never meet."

Considering the value and number of farmers in California , it makes it even a greater pity that only 40 people bothered to make their thoughts known at this meeting.

Fortunately there are other meetings coming up July 1 in San Luis Obispo , July 2 in Tulare , July 7 in Oxnard and July 8 in Escondido .

Whether you are a family farm, a commodity group, a farm organization or some kind of agricultural business, you not only need to participate but also encourage others to be there.

If the government is taking the time to hold these meetings, probably what happens at them will influence policy. Farmers, ranchers and their supporters cannot afford to let us others dictate the direction of what happens in the state.

Fortunately, those who showed up in Sacramento covered some of the things that needed to be said, such as the impact of regulations on farmers.

"One of the No. 1 issues is (government regulation) - a variable we can't control," said Stan Van Vleck of the California Cattlemen's Association. "We in California are putting in regulations that we are not able to absorb.

Van Vleck and others also talked about their struggle with high land prices, and urban pressures on farmland.

The speakers talked about high food costs as well as what they faced to produce the food, and what role locally grown food can play in supporting market needs as well as educating the public.

There are so many other issues that are important to California 's agricultural producers that must be discussed at these sessions, and there also needs to be suggestions for solutions.

If this is truly meant to influence strategic planning, then farmers need to be at the table more than at the start to state problems: They need to be active in developing the solutions as well as working toward their implementation.

For the rest of these sessions the best thing farmers can do is show up in force, force recognition of their unique challenges and opportunities, and ensure these meetings become a success rather than a farce. 

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