madera county farm bureau · 5 e river park pl e ste 101 fresno, ca 93720 email:...

September 2019 Vol. 9, No. 9agriculture today SAVE THE DATE:

NOV. 12, 2019TREE VINE IRRIGATION WORKSHOPStay Tuned For More Information

CALENDARSeptember MCFB Board of Directors - No Meeting9-10 Fresno Food Expo30 CFBF Photo Contest Deadline

October17 MCFB Board of Directors Meeting, 1:00 p.m. @ MCFB17-19 California Agriculture in the Classroom Conference, visit www learnaboutag.org27 Ag United Harvest Celebration at Eastman Hall, Chowchilla Fairgrounds

Madera CountyFarM Bureau

Drive Through Lunch with Gar Tootelian Serves HundredsBy MCFB Staff,Photos By MCFB Staff

On a pleasantly sunny day in August, Madera County Farm Bureau and GAR Tootelian joined forces in providing lunch for hundreds of Madera residents. BBQ tri tip sandwiches, chips and bot-tled waters were handed out to drivers and passengers of over 200 vehicles. In addition to a free lunch, motorists were gifted a My Job Depends on Ag yard sign, packets of Central Valley grown almonds, and fliers highlighting the im-portance of agriculture and water.

On hand were volunteers from Co-merica Bank, Fresno Madera Young Farmers and Ranchers, GAR Toote-

SAVE THE DATE: OCTOBER 27, 2019

AG UNITEDSee page 1

See DRIVE THROUGH LUNCH; Page 6

2 | September 2019 Madera County Farm Bureau

Madera County

Farm Bureau news2019 Executive Committee

President: Nick Davis 1st Vice President: Michael Naito 2nd Vice President: Laura Gutile

Treasurer: Jennifer Peters Secretary: Scott Maxwell

Appointed by President: Steve Massaro Appointed by President: Dennis Meisner

Appointed by President: Tom Rogers Appointed by President: Jason Erickson

Directors at LargeRyan CosynsClay Daulton

Stephen ElgorriagaClay Haynes

Michele Lasgoity

Jay MahilNeil McDougaldJeff McKinneyPat RicchiutiChris Wylie

Fresno Madera YF&R Chair Cory Broad

California Farm Bureau - District 9 Director Tom Rogers

California Farm Bureau Committee Energy, Air, and Climate- Clay Daulton

Agriculture Labor- Jay Mahil, Nick Davis Federal Economy & Farm Policy- Scott Maxwell

Marketing, Organics and Food Safety- Tom Rogers Pollinator & Crop Production- Ryan Cosyns

Office Staff Executive Director: Christina Beckstead

Executive Assistant: Kristen Sargent

Madera County Farm Bureau 1102 South Pine Street

Madera, CA 93637 (559) 674-8871; www.maderafb.com

Advertising/Publishing Mid-Valley Publishing

1130 G Street, Reedley, CA 93654

Advertising Sales Debra Leak (559) 638-2244

Editor Kristen Sargent

Periodical Postage Paid at Fresno, California 93706

POSTMASTER Send address changes to:

Madera County Farm Bureau 1102 South Pine Street, Madera, CA 93637

The Madera County Farm Bureau does not assume responsibility for statements by advertisers or for products

advertised in Madera County Farm Bureau.

Nick Davis,President

Let’s talk Har-vest, Ag Runway, Ag United and Membership Step-Up Opportunity!

Harvest: Who’s doing it? Every-one! I’m speak-ing to primarily our perennial crop farmers when I speak of harvest-ing this time of

year. Hats off to you Dairy farm-ers who prepare, plant and harvest an acre of ground, three times each year. Either way, harvest is a special time of year, full of short conversa-tions with employees, vendors and sometimes family. I notice my body speaks more than my mouth does. The look on my face usually says it all to whom I am speaking with, good or bad. My tolerance for excuses is less and my appreciation for people who help make the harvest days less difficult, increases. What a dynamic time of year!

Ag Runway: Do you, or some-one you know, utilize aerial applica-tion for plant protection needs? I do! Madera Municipal Airport is home to runway 08/26, which is primarily used by aerial applicators benefitting our farming community. Turns out, this runway is set to be decommis-sioned by the end of this year. Did you know about this? Will this im-pact your farming operations? Our local aerial applicators are few and their workload is heavy. If our farm-ing community loses this runway, it could mean in wet years like this year, our crops won’t get the protec-tion needed to fight-off harmful fun-gus and insect populations. If you care to learn more, please contact me or the Farm Bureau office. We are up to speed on this newly developed issue in our farming community.

Ag United: When the dust set-tles, we celebrate the end of another long and challenging year in agricul-ture. Save the Date! Our Ag United (and Annual Meeting) event is Oc-tober 27th and we’re excited to an-nounce our special guest Ray Apple-ton! Mr. Appleton is the ‘Mouth of the Valley’ and can be heard on KMJ Radio Monday through Friday, 11:00AM to 2:00PM. Also, come-

President’s Message

See PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE; Page 3

TO BECOME A DONOR CALL 674-8871

new MCFB donorsMCFB would like to thank all our members who

help support our work through their voluntary contributions for the month of August

Harris Land Management Inc.Keith Kwan

Nicole D. CoutoSteve BolderoffVlot Calf Ranch

TO BECOME A MEMBER CALL 674-8871

NAME CITY P/C/B

new MCFB MembersMCFB welcomes the following new Agricultural (producer),

Associate (consumer) Collegiate, and Business Support members who joined in August

American Pistachios Grower Fresno B

Farm Bureau Membership

BenefitsInsurance

Nationwide Travel Insurance,Nationwide

Agribusiness,VPI Pet Insurance

News and Entertainment

AgAlert,California Country

Mag & T.V.Vehicles

Avis,Budget,

Ford,Do-It-Yourself

GraingerKelly-Moore

Paints, Dunn Edwards

Paints,Case IH,

CAT,Grainger and

Western Square Ind.,O'Reilly Auto

Parts

TravelChoice Hotels,

Wyndham HotelsBusiness ServicesAnderson Marketing,

Farm Bureau Bank,Farm Employers Laborers Service,

A4 PromotionsHealth Services

Clear Value Hearing,

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Discount Program,LensCrafters,

Preferred Alliance

Contact the MCFB Office

at (559) 674-8871 or

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ADVERTISE IN THE MADERA COUNTY

FARM BUREAU (559) 638-2244

Madera County Farm Bureau September 2019 | 3

BUSINESS MEMBER DIRECTORYBecome a Madera County Farm Bureau Business Member

Business Support: $450/yr. Applies to any company who receives income from the local farming industry or a company who does not, but supports local farming

• Agricultural Member Voting Rights and Benefits • Eligibility to provide benefits to MCFB members • Discounted advertising in our monthly newsletter • Free job postings in our E-Newsletter • Name, phone number, and website in our Business Member directory (print and online)

ACCOUNTINGMoss Adams970 W Alluvial Ave Ste 101Fresno, CA 93711(559) 432-2346www.bpfcpa.com

AGRICULTURE/FREIGHT TRUCKING

Mazon Trucking, Inc.(559) 673-1552Email: [email protected]

AG INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES & SERVICES

Agrigenix403655 Brickyard Drive, Suite 105Madera, CA 93636(559) 753-2900www.agrigenix.net

D &D Ag ServicesPO Box 1246 Madera, CA 93639(559) 871-2290

Fresno Equipment Company4288 S Bagley AveFresno, CA 93725(559) 486-8020www.fresnoequipment.com

G3 Enterprises Inc.502 E. Whitmore AvenueModesto, CA 953581-800-321-8747www.g3enterprises.com

GAR Tootelian Inc8246 S. Crawford Ave.Reedley, CA 93654(559) 638-6311gtipros.com

H.M. Holloway, Inc.12806 Road 26, Suite 3Madera, CA 93637(559) 662-8820www.hmholloway.com

Madera Ag Supply Inc23400 Road 24Chowchilla, CA 93610(559) 665-2300www.maderaagsupply.com

Madera County Ag Commissioner332 South Madera Avenue Madera, CA 93637(559) 675-7876www.maderacounty.com

Pica Trade Co., Inc.www.specialtyfood.com

Star Pump Company5588 Road 16 Madera, CA 93637(559) 673-2917starpumpcompany.com

NutrienFresno: (559) 233-0585Madera: (559) 674-6741www.nutrien.com

Pacific Distributing907 Helms LaneModesto, CA 95350(209) 480-2863www.orchard-rite.com

Stanislaus Farm Supply Co Inc624 E Service RdModesto, CA 95358(209) 538-7070www.farmsupply.coop

TEP10700 Road 30Madera, California 93637www.tep-ag.com

Thiel Air Care IncPO Box 605Chowchilla, CA 93610(559) 665-7830Email: [email protected]

WiseConn Engineering4589 N Marty Ave Suite 102Fresno, CA 93722(559) 326 7613www.wiseconn.com

ATTORNEYS

Sagaser Watkins & Wieland PC5260 N Palm Ave Ste 400Fresno, CA 93704(559) 421-7000www.sagaserlaw.com

AUTOMOTIVE

Advanced Automotive, LLC311 S. Pine StreetMadera, CA 93637(559) 661-8744

Gill Auto Group1100 S Madera AveMadera, CA 93637(559) 674-5661www.gillautogroupmadera.com

J’s Car Wash904 N. D StreetMadera, CA 93637

BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION, CONSULTANTS

Tesoro Viejo Inc.www.tesoroviejo.com

TSB Ag IncPO Box 58Madera, CA 93639

COMPOST/LANDSCAPING PRODUCTS

Recology Organics(800) 208-2370www.recology.com/organics

CONSERVATIONCalifornia Farmland Trust8788 Elk Grove BlvdBuilding 1, Suite IElk Grove, CA 95624(916) 687-3178www.cafarmstrust.org

DISPOSAL & RECYCLINGMid-Valley Disposal, LLC15300 W. Jensen AvenueKerman, CA 93630(559) 567-0532www.midvalleydisposal.com

FARMSCressey RiverFagundes Fagundes FagundesForebay FarmsTF FarmsPO Box 2717Merced, CA 95344Email: [email protected]

Laura’s NutsLaura Gutile(559) 706-5586

Parichan Farms Inc8344 Road 33Madera, CA 93636Email: [email protected]

Triangle T Partners LLCPO Box 109El Nido, CA 95317(559) 665-5319

Valley Pride Farming5 E River Park Pl E Ste 101Fresno, CA 93720Email: [email protected]

FARM MANAGEMENTAgriland Farming Company Inc.23400 Rd 24Chowchilla, CA 93610(559) 665-2100www.agrilandfarming.com

FIGSCalifornia Fig Advisory Board1925 Howard RoadMadera, CA 93637

FINANCIALCentral Valley Community Bank7100 N Financial Dr.Fresno, CA 93720(559) 323-3472www.cvcb.com

HULLER/ PROCESSORSHorizon Nut Company26487 N Highway 99Tulare, CA 93274(559) 685-3663www.horizonnut.com

Sierra Valley Almonds850 Commerce DriveMadera, CA 93637(559) 661-8800svalmonds.com

INSURANCEFoster & Parker1643 N Schnoor Ave #103Madera, CA 93637www.fosterparker.com

Nationwide1-877-669-6877www.nationwide.com

INTERNETUnwired Broadband(844) 719-FAST(3278)[email protected]

PETROLEUM & PROPANE PRODUCTS

Valley Pacific Petroleum1633 E Mineral King AveVisalia, CA 93292-69371-800-266-3782www.vpps.net

Van De PolP.O. Box 1107Stockton, CA 95201-1107https://vandepol.us

REAL ESTATEMiracle Realty17073 Road 26Madera, CA 93638(559) 674-0091miracle-realty.com

SECURITYZaks Security1906 Howard Rd. Madera, CA 93637559-673-4525

WATER, IRRIGATION & ENERGYAanonson Sprinkler Company19254 Golden State Blvd.Madera, CA 93637559-673-4261www.aanonsonsprinkler.com

Chowchilla Water DistrictPO Box 905Chowchilla, CA 93610(559) 665-3747www.cwdwater.com

Deerpoint Group Inc.1963 Independence Dr., CA 93637(559) 224-4000deerpointgroup.com

*Bold listings indicate Friend of Farm Bureau members. For information on Friends of Farm Bureau please contact our office at (559) 674-8871

dian Mr. Jimmie ‘J.J.’ Walker will pro-vide us with laughs and knee slaps that will likely make our cheeks and bellies hurt. Mr. Walker has quest-appeared

on Dave Letterman, but most notable for his time on the late-seventies televi-sion show, Good Times. Tickets can be purchased at the Farm Bureau Office. Please join us!

Lastly, Madera County Farm Bureau is giving members an opportunity to

step up their membership dues, if they so please. This is not mandatory, only voluntary. In April of this year, the Madera County Farm Bureau Board of Directors acted in creating a new voluntary step up program to the ag-ricultural membership category. The

Board recognized Farm Bureau con-tinues to ramp up their efforts to “fight the good fight” as regulatory burdens have continued and growers have had to consolidate, reducing the number of

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEContinued from Page 2

See PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE; Page 11


Ag AlertJuly 24, 2019

Six county Farm Bureaus have been inducted into the California Agricul-tural Heritage Club, which recognizes farms, ranches and agricultural busi-nesses that have been in continuous op-eration for 100 years or more.

A total of 18 new members joined the club during a ceremony last week at the California State Fair in Sacramento, which organizes the club.

The six county Farm Bureaus added to the Agricultural Heritage Club in-cluded:

• ContraCostaCountyFarm Bureau, organized 1917;

• ImperialCountyFarmBureau, organized 1915;

• MaderaCountyFarmBureau, organized 1915;

• OrangeCountyFarmBureau, organized 1917;

• PlacerCountyFarmBureau, organized 1914;

• SanDiegoCountyFarmBureau, organized 1914.

Grohl Family Ranch of Stanislaus

County and Wilbur Ranch of Sut-ter County, both established in 1869, earned recognition for 150 years of con-tinuous operation.

Two entities were recognized for at least 125 years in operation: Thornhill Companies of Santa Barbara County, established in 1871, and Innisfail Farm

of Yolo County, established in 1894.Others recognized for at least 100

years of continuous operation, along with the county Farm Bureaus, were the Agricultural Council of California, established in 1919; Butte County Rice Growers Association, established in 1914; California Department of Food and Agriculture, established in 1919; Dairy Council of California, estab-lished in 1919; Foppiano Vineyards of Sonoma County, established in 1896; Gambini Farms of Stanislaus County, established in 1918; Menghetti Farm of Stanislaus County, established in 1919; and Stickles Ranch of Merced County, established in 1911.

Judy Culbertson, executive director of the California Foundation for Agricul-ture in the Classroom and chair of the Agricultural Heritage Club, emceed the induction ceremony.

The state of California created the California Agricultural Heritage Club—originally known as the 100 Year Club—in 1948. All members sub-mit an application and documentation to prove ownership and continuous op-eration for at least 100 years. ■

Six county Farm Bureaus join state’s Heritage Club

80% of high school students believe ag science ed is important

Bayer Science Matters, Farm ProgressAugust 20, 2019

A 2019 survey by Bayer in collabo-ration with the National 4-H Council found that low awareness of career op-tions in agriculture is a primary factor leading to the limited pool of skilled applicants. In fact, the second annual Science Matters survey found that al-though nearly 80% of surveyed high school students believe agricultural sci-ence education is important to future success, only 19% reported that they are likely to consider a career in agriculture.

One explanation for this disconnect could be a lack of awareness of the di-verse opportunities available within the agriculture industry. Only 36% of sur-veyed students reported being familiar with agriculture career choices beyond working on a farm.

A 2019 survey by Bayer in collabo-ration with the National 4-H Council found that low awareness of career op-tions in agriculture is a primary factor

leading to the limited pool of skilled applicants. In fact, the second annual Science Matters survey found that al-though nearly 80% of surveyed high school students believe agricultural sci-ence education is important to future success, only 19% reported that they are likely to consider a career in agriculture.

One explanation for this disconnect could be a lack of awareness of the di-verse opportunities available within the agriculture industry. Only 36% of sur-veyed students reported being familiar with agriculture career choices beyond working on a farm.

“The 2019 Science Matters study shows a disconnect between students’ perceived value of agricultural science and their awareness of tangible, fulfill-ing and diverse career opportunities, which presents an enormous opportu-nity for the agricultural community,” said Lisa Safarian, president, North America Commercial, at the Crop Sci-ence Division of Bayer. “These survey

Photo / Christine Souza

County Farm Bureau leaders pose with plaques signifying entrance into the California Agricultural Heritage Club; from left: Shannon Spears, Placer County Farm Bureau; Mark Lopez, Orange County Farm Bureau; Laura Gutile and Christina Beckstead, Madera County Farm Bureau; Karlee Dornbush, Placer County Farm Bureau. The Contra Costa, Imperial and San Diego County Farm Bureaus were also inducted.

See AG SCIENCE; Page 9


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Pilots land hard on councilBy DJ Becker, The Madera TribuneAugust 24, 2019

A group of about 25 local pilots and longtime aviation enthusiasts filled the Madera City Council chambers Wednesday night, some of them angry and others shocked at even the possibil-ity of the closure of the secondary agri-cultural runway long used by area crop dusters and other pilots.

But as far as the city is concerned the fate of the 3,702-foot-long crosswind runway has been sealed, leaving city staff and sitting council members in the awkward and unenviable position of justifying an initial decision apparently made as far back as 1993 to close the runway, as the residential population of Madera grew.

Complicating matters further, the city, anticipating the closure of the run-way moved forward with the building and completion of the new multimil-lion-dollar city fire station at the end of and in the path of that runway.

The Madera Municipal Airport is three miles north of the city and was

built in 1943 by the Army Corps of Engineers. It consists of 524 acres, two runways and is a city-owned, uncon-trolled public facility.

The runway closure had been more recently finalized and updated in 2015, by an independent multiagency agree-ment called the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan of which local pilots and members of the Madera Airport Advisory Commission claimed they were not made aware. That agreement dictates the full closure of the second-ary runway at the end of this season, or August 2019.

The Madera Countywide Air-port Land Use Compatibility Plan or ALUCP was drafted by the County of Madera in 2015 and replaces the origi-nal 1993 plan. It states in part: “Prepa-ration of the ALUCP is required by the State Aeronautics Act. The ALUCP is intended to promote compatibility between airport operations and sur-rounding land uses, considering noise, safety, airspace protection and over-flight effects. Neither the ALUCP nor the ALUC have authority over existing land uses, operation of the airport, or state, federal, or tribal lands. Nor does the ALUCP propose future airport or land use development, or other physical changes to the environment.”

Members of the autonomous 2015 Madera Airport Land Use Commis-sion who approved and adopted the plan were: Chairman Ross Thornton, John Reed, vice chairman, and Com-missioners Luis CeJa, Donald Horal, Thomas Hurst, Larry Pistoresi, and Ralph Tonseth. Donald Horal was the lone dissenting vote, according to city records.

Crop dusters and recreational pilots are crying foul. Some suspect that the action to close the runway without a lot of public notice, was due to previous city officials being unduly influenced by the thought of the large amounts of new tax revenue from 10,000 or more new homes planned for the area.

“Madera has plenty of (vacant) land to build on, why reduce the value of our airport with something like this? asked one pilot, who shook his head in dis-belief. Another pilot commented every-thing in Madera was related to agricul-ture, and the runway closure would now have rippling effects and only increase the costs to growers.

See PILOTS; Page 8

DJ Becker / The Madera Tribune

Long time private pilot and resident Dan Whistler speaks to the City Council Wednesday night sharing his objections to the closure of the secondary agricultural runway at the Madera Municipal Airport. Also pictured is Acting Planning Manager for The City of Madera, Chris Boyle.


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AGENDA lian, Madera County Farm Bureau, and Outlaw Consulting Group. These joint efforts provided a seamless process for distributing lunches to our farmers and community.

Thanks goes out to everyone who vol-unteered in the process of setting up,

serving, and cleaning up this event. A BIG thank you to GAR Tootelian for providing the lunches from Players Smoked BBQ , bottled waters, traffic direction, mailers and social media cov-erage for this event.

Thank you to the community of Madera for a great turnout. We hope you enjoyed your lunch while learning about agriculture and its importance in the Valley. ■

DRIVE THROUGH LUNCHContinued from Page 1


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In addition to barns, stables, pens, confinement buildings and sheds, other outbuildings include cold storage struc-tures, rice dryers, nut hullers, packing houses, prune dehydrators and potato

storage sheds, for ex-ample.

Coverage for farm buildings includes:

• Water pumps,motors and other out-

door equipment used for the operation of the building

• Furniture,fixtures,machineryandequipment – pertaining to the use of the building – located in, on or within 100 feet of the building

Also talk to your agent about:

• Insuring your farm buildings forreplacement cost or actual cash value

• TheCauses ofLoss (Broad,Basicor Special) for which you want to insure

• Howmuchdeductible to carry.Ahigher deductible may lower your pre-mium, but you would have to pay more in the event of a loss.

• The current values of your farmbuildings

Under certain conditions, Agri-Choice® may also provide coverage for collapse of farm buildings.

Extended coverage for new farm buildings

If you add a new barn, shelter or other confinement building, AgriChoice ex-tends your coverage of up to $100,000 for 60 days (beginning when the build-ing materials are delivered) or until your next renewal date. When your policy is about to renew, discuss the values of any new structures with your agent to be sure you’re properly insured.

See UNDERSTANDING; Page 12


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By Amy D. Fienen

The South Valley Caucus, made up of Farm Bureaus from Kings, Tulare, Fresno and Madera counties, has hired Paula Vinzant as their new de-velopment director.

In this newly created position, Vinzant will focus on promoting Farm Bureau’s message of advocat-ing for the local ag industry. She’ll be working on growing membership and securing event sponsorships to help ensure the growth and continued suc-cess of the four Farm Bureaus in the South Valley Caucus.

“Farm Bureau is doing important

work in the Valley on behalf of our farmers and ranchers, yet there re-mains a number of people who aren’t aware of the contribution we’re mak-ing in supporting the local economy,” said KCFB Executive Director Dusty Ference. “Given her background and skill set, Paula is uniquely qualified to help carry our message and grow our membership base, allowing us to con-tinue advocating for our members.”

A fourth-generation Texan, Vinz-ant studied communication at Texas Tech. She moved to California 27 years ago and now calls Visalia home. After spending nearly 20 years run-ning a staffing service, she got her

start in politics in 2010 working for Michael Reagan. She went on to be-come the political affairs and finance director for the California State As-sembly Republican Caucus. In 2013, she went to work as the finance direc-tor and fundraiser for former Senator Andy Vidak’s campaign, helping to secure his seat in a special election.

Until Vidak lost his reelection bid last year, Vinzant served as his dis-trict director, managing his offices in Hanford, Bakersfield and Fresno. She maintained relationships with con-stituents from across the Valley in ar-eas of healthcare, education, finance, oil and agriculture. She devoted a

great deal of time helping farmers and ranchers navigate complicated is-sues like water and high-speed rail.

“Having spent the past several years supporting the Valley’s farmers and ranchers through my role with Sena-tor Vidak, I have both the experi-ence and desire to continue the work I started through this position with Farm Bureau,” Vinzant said. “I’m looking forward to helping people understand the many benefits that come with joining and supporting this organization.”

She can be reached at [email protected], or (559) 901-4278. ■

Farm Bureau’s South Valley Caucus welcomes Paula Vinzant as new development director

PILOTSContinued from Page 5

Longtime pilot Dan Whistler, speak-ing for the pilots’ group, said he was be-yond blindsided by the runway closure announcement. “That (reaction) was a couple of months ago.” he said. Now he and his group were just trying to figure out how this 2015 plan had happened without pilots and other residents be-

ing informed. “We are diligently look-ing into, with the help of some very fine people, local pilots, how this happened five years ago. I don’t know how the developers got to be so involved and be allowed to build that many homes near the most active airport in Madera County,” Whistler said.

Whistler said he felt the decision could potentially be reversed by the city council if enough people speak out, be-cause the 2015 agreement was not prop-

erly noticed to the public or even the Madera Airport Advisory Commission. “It’s the city’s responsibility. They cir-cumvented their responsibility by only doing a token effort (to give notice to the public in 2015 of this potential clo-sure).” he said.

City officials say the proper notice was provided and any impacts of the ag-ricultural runway closure can be likely be minimized because the crop dusting planes can still utilize the 5,545-foot

main runway, and other fueling and mechanical services of the airport.

The FAA also no longer funds the maintenance of the Ag runway, city officials said, and it could cost several million dollars to rehabilitate or to bring it up to FAA standards. Without that FFA support, the city of Madera is not in a position to fund those improve-ments. ■

Reprinted with permission of Madera Tribune


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AG SCIENCEContinued from Page 4

results are a call to action for the indus-try to come together and invest in our youth, educating them and developing their skills in areas where it has been traditionally challenging to identify and recruit a qualified workforce, and high-light the success and impact they can have in a multitude of diverse careers.”

The Science Matters survey explores the opinions of parents, teachers and students on the importance of agri-sci-ence in high school curriculum.

What did teachers and parents say?The agriculture industry isn’t alone in

recognizing the value in driving aware-ness and enthusiasm in agricultural ca-reers among students.

• The survey found that 92% ofteachers feel it is important to expose students to agri-science education, up 14% from 2018.

• 90%ofparentsreportedthatagri-science education was important.

• More than three-in-five highschool science teachers say that they feel qualified to teach agri-science content,

a 35% increase over 2018 when fewer than half of teachers reported feeling qualified.

• 55% of teacherswould like to fo-cus more on STEM subjects, while only 43% of parents and 30% of students agree.

“As a teacher with four years of ex-perience educating students and striv-ing to bring complex fields of study like agri-science to life in the classroom, I’ve learned that they absorb information and develop passions around subjects where they understand the real-life im-plications of the concepts they are learn-ing on paper,” said Kamal Bell, former teacher for Durham Public Schools and current student at North Carolina State University seeking a Doctorate in Ag-ricultural Extension Education. “It is more important than ever for students to have access to hands-on activities that broaden their perspectives about science and agriculture and make tan-gible their future opportunities for de-velopment and impact.”

Why create Science Matters?Bayer and National 4-H Council cre-

ated Science Matters, an educational

outreach program that leverages a va-riety of strategic and creative program-ming, to pique students’ curiosity about agri-science and STEM education.

By launching Science Matters in August 2017, Bayer and National 4-H Council have committed to equip at least 25,000 students from rural, urban and suburban communities with the tools and support they need to deepen their understanding of science. The pro-gram contributes to youth development

through curricula provided by 4-H to its network of local club leaders; creative initiatives to heighten young people's awareness of the role science plays in their everyday lives; scholarships to at-tend the 4-H National Youth Summit on Agri-Science; and, engaging with 4-H clubs across the U.S. through com-munity grants and local volunteerism to enhance the STEM education experi-ence. ■


By Logan Hawkes, Western Farm PressAugust 14, 2019

Rural crime is nothing new. As far back as can be remembered, disputes between ownership of livestock have been argued between neighboring farms and ranches. In the days of the Great Depression, landowners would often accuse others of theft if a deer or a rabbit was shot on their property, and perhaps dating back to the earliest days of farming, mischievous youth would stop along the road to grab a fresh apple or orange from a farmer’s tree.

Many stories and more than a ware-house full of movies have been based on the Old West and the days of cattle rustling, a problem that still exists in the United States today, including in California.

In more recent times, rural areas, once thought to be safe from the elevated levels of crime found in more populated areas like cities and towns, have become a target of thieves.

For many years rural residents rarely locked the doors of their homes or barns or feed storage sheds. Tractors were left standing in the field when the sun went down and were almost always in the same spot the next morning, or even the next week.

Times have changed. Farmers, in-cluding tree nut growers, have been experiencing a rise in crime, particu-larly for nut growers the theft of freshly harvested almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pecans and other types of high-value crops.

“Crimes on the farm have definitely been on the rise for a number of years,” California Farm Bureau Federation’s Robert Spiegel told Western Farm Press in a lengthy discussion on rural crime last week. “Farm equipment particular-ly is a major target of thieves. But they are stealing other items of value includ-ing agricultural products like livestock, even crops of value, including tree nuts.”

He says with the presence and pres-sure of organized law enforcement and even competition among criminals in urban areas, many thieves have looked to greener pastures to perform their dirty deeds and found a treasure of less-protected property and goods in more remote rural areas where fewer eyes were watching and where the level of trust ran much higher than in urban centers.

In 2016 law enforcement reports from

the Central Valley indicated that an es-timated $10 million in product losses were realized by California growers and processors over a single six-month pe-riod, including the theft of stolen tree nuts and other farm and ranch prod-ucts. The theft of tree nuts in the Cen-tral Valley alone were estimated at $4 million that year.

Tulare County Sheriff Mike Bou-dreaux reported over 30 truckloads of almonds, pistachios, cashews, pecans, and walnuts had been stolen from nut growers and processors in central Cali-fornia that year. Spiegel said such crim-inal efforts generally indicates an orga-nized effort, though he stopped short of saying the thefts were the work of an organized crime syndicate.

“These are not your usual crimes of opportunity that we have seen in the past. These were well-planned crimes involving a degree of planning and of-ten fraud to devise a way to appear as though their crime appeared to be noth-ing more than an ordinary shipment of tree nuts headed down the highway and on their way to market,” he said.

In more recent times criminals have been stealing other items of value in rural areas, in some cases farm imple-ments that can be cut up and sold as scrap metal. Also high on the list of items targeted are solar panels and oth-er types of metal theft including copper wire, brass valves and aluminum irriga-tion pipe.

The crimes have become so common that California Governor Gavin New-som signed Senate Bill 224 into law July

12 which seeks to protect farmers from rural agricultural theft.

The new law creates a new category for grand theft of agricultural property and requires the fines that are collected to be redistributed back to the cur-rent agriculture and rural based crime prevention programs to help fight ag crimes.

The bill sponsored by Senate Re-publican Leader Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) was offered to help law en-forcement curb agricultural crime. The bill passed the State Senate in a 3-1 vote on May 5 and moved through the State Assembly in a 71-0 vote.

Several agencies and organizations have surfaced that help fight rural

crime, like theCalifornia Rural Crimes Prevention Task Force and the Central Valley Farm Bureau Group that works with local law enforcement to monitor and report rural crime across county lines. County law enforcement agencies have also banded together in the fight against agricultural crime.

Grower-oriented programs like “Farm Watch” have been established to promote rural awareness, foster rela-tionships between neighbors and local law enforcement agencies, and promote efforts to prevent theft and vandalism of property.

Another program, Owners Applied Number (OAN), encourages farm equipment owners to brand their equip-ment with identification marks to help in the discovery and return of stolen equipment.

“These type of programs are helping to make more rural residents aware of the problem and encourages coopera-tion and local groups to form a network of neighbors watching neighbors to make catching criminal easier,” Stiegel reported.

The theft of bees from orchards and farms are also becoming a problem and a target of thieves.

In Kern County a Rural Crime Task Force has been established that includes a number of investigators and a deputy district attorney who is charged with prosecution of offenders.

“Rural crime has become a problem, but through more awareness and re-sources, farmers and law enforcement agencies are fighting back,” Spiegel said. ■

Nut growers wary as farm theft on the riseRural crime getting more sophisticated, experts say.

Logan Hawkes / Western Farm Press

From left, the Butte County Sheriff’s Department’s Jay Freeman, Matt Sandquist, Kenneth Bryant, Josh Brazzi and Grant Landis stand near a New Holland Workmaster 33 tractor being raffled off by the Butte County Farm Bureau. The raffle is to raise funds for a substance that helps law enforcement track stolen equipment.


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individual farmers represented by Farm Bureau. The program is acre-based, rather than individual or entity-based.

The new offer to our membership is as follows, (keeping in mind that the minimum individual ag membership is $300): members with up to 100 acres pay $300 for their Annual Farm Bu-reau membership. Members with 101

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