In a day devoted to policy and politics, speakers at the California Farm Bureau Federation Leaders Conference in Sacramento described their efforts to work within, and change, the Legislature and regulatory agencies.
Speakers at the event last week included State Assemblyman James Gallagher, California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross, California Farm Service Agency Director Aubrey Bettencourt and David Crane, president of Govern for California.
Gallagher, R-Nicolaus, said he empathized with farmers for the challenges that confront them.
"It’s bad enough that we have to battle the elements, but it’s a whole other thing to have to battle your own government, who should be doing things that help promote this agriculture industry that has been the backbone of our economy since the founding of the state of California," he said.
To make progress in state politics, Gallagher encouraged farmers to continue hosting farm tours for legislators and talking to representatives about the challenges farmers face, such as regulations.
Farmers can change the make-up of the California Legislature, he said, through the electoral process. Agriculture should also form alliances with other business organizations that face similar issues, he said.
Suggesting that this year’s election could be a turning point, Gallagher said, "Double down on what you’ve done before. Good candidates are going to want to run, but they are going to need our help and they need our resources to help get them across the finish line."
Ross, who has been CDFA secretary since 2011, emphasized the importance of building relationships in order to bring about change.
"We live in a state of 40 million people—our consumers, our neighbors and the voters—and there are only 77,000 farms. So, there is a critical importance in building relationships and to really think about where you can make a difference," she said, and encouraged farmers and ranchers to reach out to the nonfarm public.
"We need to find more ways to share our stories in a sincere and powerful way," she said, "so consumers will take a minute out of their day to think about what we do for so many people and how we care about our land."
Ross also encouraged a partnership approach to address environmental issues.
"Regulations and laws will never be as successful at conservation as partnerships with private landowners," she said.
Crane described the work of Govern for California, which organizes political donors to support "exceptional people" to run for the Legislature and tackle politically unpopular issues such as pension and education reform.
Crane, who served as an advisor to Arnold Schwarzenegger when he was governor, said that though governors have veto power, they are powerless to create legislation without the backing of the Legislature.
"You can’t actually do anything in state government unless you get the votes of 41 people in the state Assembly and 21 people in the state Senate, and you can do that with a combination of Republicans and Democrats," he said.
Bettencourt, who was appointed last year to head the U.S. Department of Agriculture FSA operation in California, started by celebrating her Kings County roots.
"I am an unapologetic California farm girl," she said. "I think we do it better than anybody else. I think we do it on the cutting edge. We invent. We embrace technology. We do it better, faster, cleaner, smarter, and we drive this industry worldwide."
The FSA operates a number of federal commodity, disaster-assistance, conservation and loan programs, and Bettencourt said she wants FSA to build better relationships with growers in California. In an agency with 31 field offices and 94 employees in the state, it’s no small undertaking, she said—especially when many of FSA programs weren’t designed with California in mind.
"They’re making something written for soybeans work for peaches, and that takes creativity," Bettencourt said of her staff, which underscores what she called her guiding principle for the office: "Find a way to make it work."
She also said efforts are underway to modernize USDA paperwork processes, allowing farmers to use an online portal at www.farmers.gov, rather than travel to a field office.
"You’re going to be able to do it online," Bettencourt said. "We all live on our phones, we all live on our iPads, we all live on our computers, and finally our government’s going to catch up to that."
Also during the conference, the California Rural Crime Prevention Task Force presented CFBF with an award for its support of rural crime-prevention efforts.
In addition, CFBF President Jamie Johansson and former president Paul Wenger formally presented the organization’s Distinguished Service Award to Alameda County Farm Bureau members Jim and Joan Lopes, who were named winners of the award last year but had been unable to attend the CFBF Annual Meeting.