President's Message

March 2017

As we close the books on what has been an unusually wet, but welcome February, we have wonderful news; totals of over 12 ½ inches of rainfall for the season and a snow pack that is totaling 186% of normal. With these numbers, most Californians would think that farmers will collect all the water they want…Regrettably that is not the case. It was just recently announced that only the Eastside growers will receive a 100% water allocation. The Westside growers are still waiting in suspense while the oceanic researchers attempt to figure out their water temperature plan for the fish will be. Once that plan is finished, they will announce the allocation of what the Westside growers will or will not receive. This goes to show that California lacks both infrastructure and commonsense. As a resident and farmer this is very disappointing as we are spending billions of dollars on a high-speed train but cannot repair two very important things for us here: water infrastructure and transportation in California.

As the weather begins to warm and more field activities begin, please check our website for safety trainings. Currently we have two classes scheduled: a Pesticide and Tractor/ATV training on March 31st, and an Ag Hazmat Endorsement class on April 7th. There will also be several others in the months to come, so please stay tuned. These are important tools to help keep your employees safe out in the fields. Also, please watch your mailboxes as the save the dates are coming for our annual wine tasting & scholarship event, which will be held May 7 at Peters Brothers Nursery and will feature a food pairing by local chefs. Please join us in supporting our local youth going into Ag!