President's Message
Support Agriculture and Family Farms
By Janine Goubert
As farmers, we’re often called a stubborn breed. It seems we’re constantly fighting an uphill battle. We plant our seeds, pray for them to grow, then fight the weather, pests, water availability (or lack thereof), and other issues, until finally, harvest season comes. If we’re lucky, we get our crops harvested before the rain, sometimes only to receive less than we did the year before for the same crop. We complain to each other at the local coffee shops, or at various ag related events, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
What we do isn’t a job; it’s a way of life.
Many of us are born into a farm family. Many of us have gone off to college, only to return home and work on the farm. But the education is not a bad thing; it’s a necessary part of adapting. Old time farmers don’t always adjust well to change and new-fangled ideas, but all this comes together to produce the best, safest, and freshest food and fiber in the world. By ensuring our children are educated in agriculture, we can be assured they bring home new knowledge.
Farm Bureau is an organization run by farmers. These people involved with Farm Bureau have a vast knowledge of agriculture and know first hand its importance to our economy. The county and State Farm Bureaus are always at the plate, ready to go to bat for our right to continue viable farming practices, and our job is to educate the public on the importance of local, state and U.S. agriculture.
But there are ways that you as individuals can step up too. Shop local farmers markets and fruit stands that sell only local, state and U.S. agriculture. Ask your produce man (or woman) at your grocery store what produce is locally grown and what is imported, then buy as local as possible. Make small talk with the man or woman you see buying imported tomatoes, and mention that the Hothouse tomatoes from California may be slightly more expensive, but are safer for their family and will also help boost the local economy. Read your food labels—many products you may think come from the U.S. actually come from other countries and you may not even realize it.
Conveying to the general public why agriculture is so important isn’t always easy, but sometimes it just needs to start with the next generation—children. Take a couple of hours out of your week to tell your farming story to students at a local grammar school, and let them know what agriculture means to our county and to the world. Help plant a school garden. Or Have a class tour your dairy and show them where milk comes from. Teach them the importance of the California milk campaign—they may go home and teach their parents a thing or two.
There is always room to teach the public about where their food comes from, and why California agriculture is vital to not only our country, but the entire world. The U.S. economy as well as its food safety, depends on a stable, fresh and safe food supply. California is the only place in the world that has the ability to grow 350 different commodities, and I believe that is something to protect and promote.
Being a member of farm Bureau is a vital role in supporting agriculture and our right to farm. We don’t ask for a hand out, just a level playing field.