Adam Gray: Never Apologize for Being a Farmer
gvw_gv_wire
By gvwire
Published 5 years ago on
August 29, 2019

Share

As someone who was born and raised in the San Joaquin Valley, the economic and social values of agriculture are part of who I am. Accountability for our actions is part of our way of life. If you don’t work hard, you don’t get paid. It’s as simple as that.
Unfortunately, folks in Sacramento don’t always remember the rules of the game. They demonize successful farmers as “Big Ag.” They claim we waste water, forgetting that irrigation is what puts food on their tables. That’s not waste – it’s hard work.

 Portrait of Adam Gray
Opinion
Adam Gray
They want us to make sacrifices they would never ask of other industries, and they want us to make them without any of the help they provide to other industries. When Hollywood started filming more of its movies outside of California, the Legislature provided hundreds of millions of dollars worth of incentives to bring them back.
I once asked if we could do something similar for the dairy industry, which is being forced to either consolidate or leave the state. My proposal went nowhere.

Farmers Shouldn’t Apologize for Their Successes

Farmers in the Valley know the truth, but even we are guilty of sometimes buying into Sacramento’s untrue narrative. When now-U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris was running for office, she came to Modesto to meet and discuss agricultural issues at a round-table forum. As local farmers introduced themselves, each one qualified their success by referring to their operations as “small, family farms” even though many were large operations.

 Valley farmers feel the need to apologize for their success. Surely, major companies in the Bay Area are not referring to themselves as “small, family tech firms.” 
When it was my turn, I felt compelled to share an observation with Harris: Valley farmers feel the need to apologize for their success. Surely, major companies in the Bay Area are not referring to themselves as “small, family tech firms.”
These farmers are major employers in a region lacking enough jobs. They are the primary economic engine in a region desperate for investment. They give back to the communities that have given so much to them, and they provide food security for the entire nation.
We live in truly interesting times when an industry so valuable to the people and history of California is openly attacked. We should not apologize for our success. We should not undersell the value of our industry — and we should not be afraid to stand up for our way of life.

Recent Battles Won

When we keep our heads held high, farmers, ranchers, dairymen, and agriculture demonstrate our strength.
When the governor proposed cutting the Ag Incentive Grant, which funds FFA, the Capitol was flooded with over 1,000 FFA members in their blue corduroy jackets. We won that fight. When environmentalists tried to pass a multi-billion dollar water bond without a single cent for new water storage, we stuck together and secured $2.7 billion to build new dams. And last year, representatives from the Valley stood together and passed legislation guaranteeing no future state budgets would leave out a dedicated source of funding for California’s network of 78 fairs.

We must keep up the fight against this agenda. If we are willing to do the hard work to win in Sacramento, we will be rewarded, just like when we work hard back home on the farm.
We are strong when we stand together, but our strength will be tested. There is an active agenda by some in Sacramento and elsewhere to destroy California agriculture as we know it.
We are seeing it now in the California Water Commission’s decision to delay awarding funds to build new water storage. We are seeing it in the state’s continued exclusion of hydropower from being considered clean energy, requiring us to dump the electricity we have in order to buy energy from others. We are seeing it in the State Water Board’s irresponsible and dangerous decision to take our water and flush it out to sea — never mind the harm to our economy and drinking water supplies their plan will cause.
We must keep up the fight against this agenda. If we are willing to do the hard work to win in Sacramento, we will be rewarded, just like when we work hard back home on the farm.
About the Author
Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, represents California’s 21st District, which encompasses all of Merced County and part of Stanislaus County.

DON'T MISS

23 for ’23: A Year in Photos

DON'T MISS

See How this Fresno roastery sends aid to Northern Thailand.

DON'T MISS

District Says Fresno Teachers Contract Proposal Would Bankrupt Budget Reserves by Year 3

DON'T MISS

Trump Vows to Ban Gaza Refugees, Expand Muslim Travel Ban If He Wins

DON'T MISS

The Supreme Court Orders Makers of Gun Parts to Comply with Rules on Ghost Guns

DON'T MISS

George W. Bush for Speaker? A Democratic Lawmaker Thinks It’s Possible

DON'T MISS

Former Navy IT Manager Gets Five Years for Hacking, ID Theft

DON'T MISS

Gunman Kills Two Swedes in Brussels, Prompting Terror Alert and Halt of Belgium-Sweden Soccer Match

DON'T MISS

Zakaria: The Best Response to Hamas Would Be to Keep the Saudi Deal Alive

DON'T MISS

Groundbreaking Human Brain Atlas Offers New Hope for Treating Neurological Disorders

UP NEXT

What Does Destroying Gaza Solve?

UP NEXT

How Liberal California Compares to Florida, Texas on Social Media Regulation

UP NEXT

California’s Widening Housing Gap Defies State Efforts to Jump-Start Construction

UP NEXT

Both Israelis and Palestinians Are Victims of Israel’s Apartheid System  

UP NEXT

Both Israelis and Palestinians Are Victims of Israel’s Apartheid System  

UP NEXT

Revisiting Israel’s Alleged Use of White Phosphorus Amid Renewed Conflict

UP NEXT

Hamas’s Unexpected Attack Forces Israel to Rethink Its Palestinian Strategy

UP NEXT

CA’s Safety-Net Hospitals Can’t Afford $25 an Hour Minimum Wage

UP NEXT

FUSD Offers 14% Pay Raise Plus Bonuses to Teachers. Union Says No Thanks, if It Means Healthcare Gets Cut

UP NEXT

Two Suspected Hate Crimes Appear to Target Jewish Community in Fresno

You May like

Trump Vows to Ban Gaza Refugees, Expand Muslim Travel Ban If He Wins

1 year ago

The Supreme Court Orders Makers of Gun Parts to Comply with Rules on Ghost Guns

1 year ago

George W. Bush for Speaker? A Democratic Lawmaker Thinks It’s Possible

1 year ago

Former Navy IT Manager Gets Five Years for Hacking, ID Theft

1 year ago

Gunman Kills Two Swedes in Brussels, Prompting Terror Alert and Halt of Belgium-Sweden Soccer Match

1 year ago

Zakaria: The Best Response to Hamas Would Be to Keep the Saudi Deal Alive

1 year ago

Groundbreaking Human Brain Atlas Offers New Hope for Treating Neurological Disorders

1 year ago

Newsom Signs Law to Slowly Raise Healthcare Minimum Wage to $25

1 year ago

Former Fresno CC Coach Ed Madec Arrested for Allegedly Threatening to Kill Chancellor

1 year ago

Jim Jordan’s Rapid Rise Cheered by Trump and Far Right. Could It Make Him Speaker?

1 year ago

HOT OFF THE PRESS

23 for ’23: A Year in Photos

1 year ago

1 year ago

Trump Vows to Ban Gaza Refugees, Expand Muslim Travel Ban If He Wins

1 year ago

The Supreme Court Orders Makers of Gun Parts to Comply with Rules on Ghost Guns

Photo of a hacker typing on a laptop

1 year ago

Former Navy IT Manager Gets Five Years for Hacking, ID Theft