MCFB has been in full swing this past month, with visits to Sacramento and Washington DC. Efforts are being made by our office to encourage our legislators to make a move on making groundwater recharge a beneficial use. We believe that by do so, more opportunities will be available to those who are outside of water districts, to acquire flood flows in wet years. We have been making progress on the Federal side, and hope to see some movement before the year is up.
On the local level, we have been meeting with our Board of Supervisors, and working towards either bringing back the water commission that was once in place or creating a working group that can assist in advising the BOS with questions and concerns regarding SGMA. These have been daunting tasks, but MCFB understands how important water is to everyone, not only in Madera County but Statewide.
On another note, I’d like to thank all who submitted comments/concerns to the Governor’s office with regards to the budget a CTE/FFA programs. With everyone’s help, efforts did not go unnoticed, and money will be allocated to such an important program. I ask do however ask that those efforts continue to be put forth in helping to fund our local UC Cooperative Extension, as it is facing a budget shortfall of approximately $19,000, and will have to cut programs if they cannot fill the gap. Local budget hearing will begin the last week of this month, and any assistance in reaching out to our County would be greatly appreciated by UCCE.
On a lighter note, it is with great excitement that I inform everyone that we will have the Peterson Brothers as the speakers at our Annual Meeting and Harvest Celebration on October 15, 2017. For those that have no idea who they are, just google “What does a farmer say”, and enjoy many of their ag parodies. We are in the planning stages now for the event, so if you are interested in sponsoring our event please contact the office at your earliest convenience.
As for other upcoming events, we have our annual Harvest Safety Training on June 29th, and we are currently running a summer savings on gun calendars, as we prepare next year’s calendars. Calendars are on sale for $80 and there are still 29 guns available. Please contact our office today for more information.
