After receiving several weeks of rain and snow in February, I asked folks (mostly strangers) their thoughts about our recent weather events. To my surprise, a few said, “I’m tired of the rain!” or “I’m tired of the snow!” Naturally, I experienced a mini heart attack in reaction to their reply. I couldn’t believe someone could say that about rain or snow in our Central Valley. As I walked away in disbelief, I thought to myself, “maybe I would also think similarly if I weren’t immersed in agriculture every day.” The truth is, the disconnect is obvious and real between agriculturalists and most folks not involved in agriculture.
This short story says it all… A man saw a snake being burned to death and decided to save it by taking it out of the fire. When he did, the snake bit him causing excruciating pain. The man dropped the snake, consequently allowing the reptile to fall back into the fire. So, the man grabbed a metal pole and again removed the snake from the fire and finally saving its life. Someone who was watching said, “That snake bit you. Why are you still trying to save it?” The man replied, “The nature of the snake is to bite, but that’s not going to change my nature, which is to help.”
When we farmers are in the conversation and fighting for water, we are also fighting for folks who are uninformed and oblivious to our water woes. We will never change and we will continue to fight for the benefit of all.
