Well by the looks of it; Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. So, we will enjoy six more weeks of winter, and a wet winter it will be. The February snow pack was released, and it showed a very healthy one in fact, we are 175 percent of average which is the most since 1995. That is some great news especially with the many years of drought. What a great start to the new year!
As the new year begins, I recommend that everyone go through their safety programs with all employees as it is the perfect time to reinforce and reiterate your policies. Please visit our website to see when we will be having our training classes as well. Pesticide training would be one of the biggest, especially with most growers either starting to apply or already applying. Also, please discuss with your employees the importance of being aware and cautious of sensitive areas; for example, roadways, homes, and schools. By taking careful measures we can avoid major issues and unwanted attention to chemical drift.
With the new year comes new laws and regulations along with proposals for regulations. Membership based organizations are key during this time, and with our collective voices, we can help shape some of these rules. I urge all of you as members to talk with your friends and neighbors, try to recruit one new member for our organization to help make our Madera County Farm Bureau a larger and greater voice for agriculture.
