President's Message

October 2017

With the heat and sweat of harvest making way for Fall, I am reminded of a quote by David Bly that paints the farmer in the correct light; “Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted”. Even though there are some crops still out in the fields waiting to be harvested, the growers in Madera county achieved success this year by having a bountiful and safe harvest, which is what matters most.

As growers wrap up the season throughout the county, I have noticed that many new tasks have begun in anticipation of the winter months. We are all hoping for another wet winter season. We growers have received notices from our local water districts stating that water rates have been cut to encourage us to use as much surface water as possible for the final month of October. I urge you all to take advantage of this opportunity as this is being done to help conserve groundwater and fill your soil profiles with clean, natural surface water. Please do your part. I know many of us remember that just a few years ago this luxury was not available to us and we wished it was. Please call and order your water.

Now onto something more enjoyable: the Madera County Farm Bureau Ag United Harvest Celebration and Annual meeting of the members. Please join us October 15, 2017 at Eastman Hall at the Chowchilla Fairgrounds for a wonderful evening. Joining us as guest speakers are The Peterson Brothers performing their famous farm parodies. We will have a prime rib dinner and lots of nice raffle prizes. Please call 559-674-8871 or visit Maderafb.com to purchase your tickets. Come out and support your local farm bureau. Cheers to all for a great finale of the 2017 harvest!