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Choosing up sidesMy first trip of 2010 was perfectly fitting. I truly believe 2010 will require every single one of us in agriculture to be extremely vigilant in setting the record straight with the non-farm public. I know of no place where that concept is in higher demand than California, and I know no group as a whole that works harder at telling the story than the California Women for Agriculture. Celeste Settrini has taken over as president, and her energy and passion for agriculture are obvious with her every breath. The CWA homepage has the same appearance of any other group that gathers with a mission, but their page says: "To promote an educational program in order to develop the interest of California women in agriculture and to promote agriculture in California. To involve women of the State of California for the following general purposes: to speak on behalf of agriculture in an intelligent, informative, direct and truthful manner." I have said this many times before, and I will say it again because it is so true. When it comes to advocacy for agriculture, the men meet and talk about what needs to be done and the women get it done. Every time I travel to California, I am simply amazed and again reminded of the struggles of the California farmer/rancher. There is no good reason for them to continue in agriculture, other than good old-fashioned intestinal fortitude and hard-headedness. For example, almost every single issue that the federal government is discussing that leads to increased regulations in agriculture has already been faced by California farmers/ranchers. From food safety to animal rights and carbon emissions, not to mention water rights and access, it is California agriculture that has to do the first battle with the overzealous Uncle Sam--and they seem to do it with a smile. California, with all of the challenges, is still the No. 1 farm-producing state in the nation, with over $36 billion in farm receipts annually. This trip west took me to Hollister, Calif., which is about 60 miles south of San Francisco and just over the hill from the Salinas Valley. It has earned the title of "Salad Bowl of the World," since 80 percent of our nation's lettuce is grown in this region. I talked to so many people who once had cattle ranches but now grow spinach or broccoli or lemons or apricots. Land values are in the range that we have never even heard of in the Midwest, with cash rents running as high as $75,000 per acre. And people wonder why vegetables are so expensive! During the very same week that I am in the "Salad Bowl," our elected officials are discussing how to get more affordable fruits and vegetables in our school lunch program. In fact, the very same people who promote this notion of more affordable leafy greens in schools are the first to promote some ridiculous food safety measure such as destroying all crops within 30 feet of all wildlife tracks found in fields. Do they know about washing? Doesn't cooking kill germs? If it sounds like I am starting the year beating the drum for California, it is because I am. I recognize the folks in California are down in the bunkers in the middle of the battle. If you take a close look at California agriculture, you will have a very clear picture of where the battles of the nation are headed. I know for a fact that most of us on this side of the Rocky Mountains still think of fruits and nuts when we hear "California." The truth of the matter is that extensive time spent in California in the past few years has taught me that you can find rural farm folks almost anywhere in California, but they are becoming more and more of a minority. In fact, you will learn as I have that even though these people have an address that reads California, they live as far away from the "kooks" in Hollywood as you and I do. I hope you now have a better grasp of the war that is being waged in the West and why we all need to have a better understanding of how the challenges affecting the lettuce grower in the Salinas Valley are not any different than those that will face the Great Plains cattle feedlot owner. The culture of ag is under attack, and after my latest trip west, I feel much more comforted knowing that the 1,800 members of California Women for Agriculture are on our side. Editor's note: Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.FacesOfAg.com, or e-mail Trent at trent@loostales.com.
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