"Your presence will make a difference," California Farm Bureau Federation President Paul Wenger told attendees at this year’s CFBF Leaders Conference in Sacramento. Noting that Farm Bureau members were scheduled to meet that day with legislators at the state Capitol (see story), Wenger said farmers and ranchers must maintain and enhance their political activity.
During his welcoming address, Wenger referred to the theme of the CFBF Young Farmers and Ranchers conference, which occurred 10 days earlier—"Having a Presence, Taking a Stand"—and said it summarized the role farmers and ranchers can play in the political and policy-making process.
"If we are going to change what is happening in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., we have to have a presence," he said. "We have that presence 365 days a year in Washington, D.C., with the American Farm Bureau, we have it here in Sacramento with the California Farm Bureau, and you have it in your county Farm Bureaus. We do have to have a presence and we do have to take a stand."
Involvement by farmers and ranchers will be particularly important in the next three years, as Californians elect their representatives at the state and national levels, he said.
"We have the opportunity in 2016 and 2018 to make sure that those folks who are going to sit in the Legislature for the next 12 years after that, because of the new term limits, that they are the right folks," he said.
Wenger said farmers and ranchers face a number of interrelated issues, such as regulatory reform, trade and immigration reform, "but this year, it starts and ends with water."
He criticized people who contend that agriculture uses 80 percent of California’s water, showing conference attendees a graphic from the state Department of Water Resources on the disposition of the state’s average annual surface water supply. Of that water, 28 percent flows to the ocean and 32 percent is reserved for environmental uses, with 31 percent dedicated to agricultural production and the remainder set aside for urban and "other" purposes.
"I know what we can do in this state if we have the water resources," Wenger said, noting the efficiency of California farms and ranches and their ability to produce greater production for every gallon of water.
Referring to the need to operate the California water system in a manner that maximizes available supplies, Wenger said he hoped "some sensibility will come along so we can have more water when Mother Nature or the good Lord gives it to us, so we can help replenish our underground aquifers and refill our reservoirs."
In preparing to meet with legislators, Wenger encouraged Farm Bureau members to "be yourself, be respectful but be strong in your comments about how things affect you," noting the effectiveness of providing "real-life examples" of the impact of laws and regulations.
(Steve Adler is associate editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at sadler@cfbf.com.)