California Department of Food and Agriculture Undersecretary Jim Houston emphasized the importance of farmers telling their stories to the nonfarm public during a presentation to farmers and ranchers attending the California Farm Bureau Federation Leaders Conference in Sacramento last week.
"When (people) hear about farmers, how are they reacting?" Houston asked. "I think you need to tell your story: why you are here, why you farm, what you do for your community, the daily struggles that you face and why it is important to you. People need to hear that more."
Houston talked about values instilled in him as a youth and also that he encountered by meeting farmers during his career. A turning point for the undersecretary came as he was working as legislative director for Assembly Member Simon Salinas, D-Salinas, who asked him to cover agricultural policy. Houston discussed meeting farmers whose families were immigrants who settled in California to start a new life.
"I love hearing about the grandparents, the great-grandparents and the great-great grandparents who came from the Netherlands, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Southeast Asia, India—from all over the world," Houston said. "For generations, people have come and they landed in California. To succeed, those people needed a work ethic, character, integrity and most of all, they needed perseverance and a sense of responsibility of what they were trying to build."
Houston emphasized the importance of conveying to the public agriculture’s rich history and its importance to the country, noting that no society can be prosperous without agriculture.
"One of the things that people don’t seem to think about when they think about farmers is you are growing for other people: You are growing for your family, you are growing for your community and you are growing to feed the state and the world," Houston said. "I think farmers want to provide something that is going to last and be a benefit. When farmers farm, society is better off, and that is thanks to the countless hours and the sacrifice of all of these immigrants."
Houston spoke of the diversity of the farms that exist today, not just in terms of the gender and nationality of farmers and ranchers, but of the types of farms that make up California agriculture.
"Farmers and the types of farming are all very, very different. You’ve got fourth- and fifth-generation farmers, you’ve got new farmers and small farmers, urban farmers—all types—but what they share in common is this commitment to provide, to grow and to work," Houston said. "They are establishing a legacy and carrying on a legacy that will continue for generations to come, but that’s up to us."
In introducing Houston, California Farm Bureau Federation Administrator Rich Matteis said that through the years, he has demonstrated "a keen passion for agriculture," and now serves in the No. 2 spot at CDFA, representing the largest agricultural state in the nation.
Originally from Clovis, Houston was appointed CDFA undersecretary in 2015, after serving the agency since 2011 as deputy secretary for legislation and public engagement. Prior to his time with CDFA, Houston was a senior account representative at BGS Group Consulting Inc., representing entities involved in agriculture.
"I want my kids to grow up in a world where farming and farmers are valued, where there’s an appreciation for what they do," Houston said. "I don’t think we’re going to get there without your help, without you getting out there and telling your story."
(Christine Souza is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)