California Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglass commented on the budget plan announced today by Gov. Gavin Newsom:
“Fees, taxes and increasing labor costs continue to negatively impact California food producers. The latest data shows that the state lost more than 7,000 farms and fallowed nearly 1.5 million acres of productive lands in the past five years, all while costs increased more than $150,000 per farm in the same timeframe. These are family farms and businesses disappearing from California at an alarming pace, preventing opportunities for beginning farmers and underserved populations from any pathway to launch agricultural businesses.
“We’ve heard promises from legislative leaders about focusing on California’s affordability, and we hope that every regulation and law that the governor and Legislature propose keeps affordability top of mind. It’s clear that any action on key issues such as Cap-and-Trade reauthorization, the insurance crisis and agricultural overtime laws must work for farmers and ranchers and, importantly, the employees who put food on our tables. Only with agriculture as a partner will the governor’s goals to advance economic development in rural communities find success. The future of California’s rural economies depends on it.”
The California Farm Bureau works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of more than 26,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of 5.8 million Farm Bureau members.
###
