Once again agriculture is at the mercy of our elected officials… As many of you know, the Overtime Bill (AB1066) passed the Assembly, and is now on the Governor’s desk. I ask that everyone take a few minutes out of their busy schedules to write a letter explaining how this will impact not only your operation, but most importantly your employees’ livelihood. UFW has helped to paint quite the picture, and we need to paint the actual picture. Our voice needs to be heard, and that can only be achieved by speaking up and speaking out!
On the water front, things are still moving along. MCFB has been working with a group of white area landowners to create a private entity to help represent their interests in the SGMA process. For those that have land that fall within the “white areas”, I encourage you to contact our office for more information on what is going on with the group, as well as to educate yourself on the potential impacts of SGMA. If you don’t know what SGMA is, and you pump groundwater, then you better pick up the phone and call us. SGMA will potentially impact every farmer and rancher in Madera County significantly, so I cannot stress how important it is to be educated on what’s to come.
On a positive note, harvest is well under way for most, and MCFB is planning its Ag United Harvest Celebration and Annual Meeting. We are looking forward to having everyone together once harvest has concluded to celebrate a successful harvest, enjoy some good food amongst friends, and hear from Sacramento Bee’s Dan Walters. Mr. Walters will discuss the ever evolving agriculture industry, and have a Q&A session. MCFB’s 2016-2017 Officers and this year’s scholarship recipients will be recognized, and a prime rib dinner will be served. Tickets are $60 in advance and $75 at the door, so get them soon. Sponsorships are still available, so please call the office if you are interested is supporting our event.
One last note, for those with trees on their property near the roadway, please make sure that those trees are not blocking any signage or visibility of oncoming traffic. Residents have contacted their respective governing bodies and complained about visibility issues, and although most farmers do not have a problem trimming their trees back when asked, sometimes in the rush of everything, those types of small things are forgotten, and can create a hazardous situation. So please be mindful of your trees and the roadways. With that I want to wish everyone a great harvest! Happy September!
