TULARE, Calif. (KERO) — The future of agriculture was the talk of the town on the first day of the World Agricultural Expo in Tulare today. A bipartisan group of 10 members of Congress, including California Congressman David Valadao and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, welcomed farmers and key ag industry players to the first-ever Farm Bill Listening Session.
With a big chunk of Kern County dedicated to farmland, it is no surprise the agribusiness industry brings in billions of dollars every year. Making sure that continues despite a changing landscape and economy was a key theme in Tuesday's listening session.
"Our task, and our job here, is to bring members of Congress to listen to them, so yes, we can make American energy independent again. We can provide the storage to store the water in the wet years, so we can provide the resources to be able to plant, to have the food for the future that is safe and secure," said McCarthy.
The members of Congress on the panel pointed to the Farm Bill legislation as a way to accomplish the goals McCarthy spoke of. It essentially covers a wide range of agriculture and food programs, and is up for re-authorization every 5 years.
With the current version of the Farm Bill set to expire this September, the Congress members spent 2 hours listening to farmers and organizations who are impacted by the bill.
Almonds are the cropwith the most farmland dedicated to it in Kern County. With more than 200,000 almond groves, the county produced around 260,000 tons of almonds in 2021, bringing in over a billion dollars.
However, Aubrey Bettencourt representing the Almond Alliance, says the industry needs to support almond farming to keep Kern on top.
"Trade and market access has not been updated since 2006," said Bettencourt. "We are a global commodity, and we want to stay number 1 in the world. Let us go out there and do that. We would love to see that increased."
Bettencourt also pointed out that although demand is soaring, almonds, like other specialty crops, face challenges, such as participation in USDA programs.
Water, to no one's surprise, was the main issue on everyone's mind.
"Water, water, water," said Central Valley citrus farmer Jim Parsons, pointing out that Representatives David Valadao and Jim Costa both have districts that have been shut off from water.
"My citrus grove can only be watered from the Friant-Kern Canal. They are repairing it, and I am glad to see that, because that is my only source of water," said Parsons.
Another issue hitting Kern citrus farmers is the threat of disease, especially concerning in California, as the Central Valley is the number one producer of fresh citrus in the entire country, comprising 80% of citrus production nationally.
Alyssa Houtby with the California Citrus Mutual talked about the threat of huanglongbing, also known as "citrus greening," a bacterial disease spread between citrus plants by an insect, the Asian citrus psyllid.
"California's citrus industry is under attack by a devastating plant disease called HLB. This disease has ravaged the Florida citrus industry, and it threatens to do the same here in California if we don't find a cure," said Houtby. "That cure can only be found through dedicated research."
Houtby went on to explain that the current Farm Bill provides $25 million per year to help find a cure, and asked for that provision to be renewed in the new Farm Bill.
Additionally, and although it is not included in the scope of the Farm Bill, many speakers brought up labor issues, calling not knowing if they will have enough people to tend to their crops the biggest gamble for farmers. Many asked for immigration legislation for farmworkers that would address the labor needs of farms.
"We take care of these farm families. They made our farmers in this room what they are. Every one of those farmers, those workers, made it happen," said Manuel Cunha of the Nisei Farmers League.
The meeting ended with the congress members acknowledging many of these concerns, saying that because food is a national security issue, baseline funding for agribusiness will be prioritized. The representatives added that conversations like the one held Tuesday will continue. The current Farm Bill doesn't expire until September, so there is still time for discussion and refinement.
