TULARE, CA – Thought leaders from the San Joaquin Valley gathered last week to identify and discuss the top issues affecting agriculture and rural America.
Erin Fitzgerald, CEO of U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action (USFRA), spoke about attacks on the nation’s farm and ranch families and the misinformation – at best – some major media outlets spread during the All Ag News Rural Ag Summit last Monday
“We’ve launched the decade of ag – challenging people to be positive (and) proactive,” she said. “Invite people into the ‘agri culture’ and invite them to the dinner table and say this is agriculture, let me tell you about it”.
Tom Sell, Principal with Combest Sell and Associates (CSA), explained how the nation’s agrarian system was established and the role the founding fathers wanted it to have.
People like to talk about farm policy as a great depression-type of creation but our nation’s farm policy was far before that” he explained. “It was a deliberate attempt through homestead acts and land giveaways (and) we were giving away land for the very deliberate purpose of creating commerce throughout our land.” Even today, however, when we get frustrated by the circus picture the media paints about Congress, Sell said “I promise you it’s not as bad in Washington, DC as what you see on the news”.
The event was held at the International Agri-Center prior to the start of the nation’s largest outdoor farm show, the World Ag Expo, and was sponsored by California Farm Bureau, United Ag, and All Ag News.
(SOURCE: All Ag News)