Commentary: The year ahead-Maldonado and Parra share their views on agriculture in 2007

By Sen. Abel Maldonado

Only in America can a poor man come to this country in 1963 as a bracero under the guest-worker program, work hard all his life, become a successful farmer and businessman, and then see his son become the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. As a farmer, I know firsthand the joys and frustrations of farming in our state and will make it my top priority to ensure the interests of everyone involved in the industry are represented.

Right now, California agriculture faces many challenges. We need to find new and innovative solutions to guarantee we lead the nation in food safety, invest in technologies to make agriculture sustainable and environmentally friendly, and finally, help California agriculture remain competitive in a global economy. There is nothing like California-grown fruits, vegetables, grains and livestock and I want to ensure our standards for excellence remain high.

In the wake of the recent E. coli outbreak, it's clear that something needs to be done to ensure all food delivered to consumers remains the safest and most abundant in the world. I am encouraged by the efforts our industry has made to move forward with enhancing growing and processing standards. I believe that the industry, with oversight by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, should be at the forefront of finding a solution—because if we don't regulate ourselves, my colleagues in the Legislature will.

The need to move forward quickly with the implementation of a marketing agreement is immediate, followed by an industry-supported marketing order, so we can get more inspectors into the fields and processing facilities. California-grown produce can and will be safe for consumption.

Another important issue in 2007 is the renewal of the Farm Bill. The 2007 Farm Bill should include provisions to help California farmers find new ways of growing that are sustainable and environmentally friendly. Specifically, the bill should include funds to expand and improve the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and fund agronomic research and development.

I will also push for the bill to include an increase in funding to create a permanent allocation for the Specialty Crop Competitiveness Act of 2004. These dollars are vital to ensure an abundant and affordable supply of fruits, vegetables and other specialty crops for consumers. In developing criteria for allocations of block grant funding to states, caps on state allocations should be eliminated and allocations should be based on specialty crop production formulas. California produces large amounts of our nation's specialty crops, and the block grant funding should reflect that.

Finally, I want you all to know that my door is always open to each and every one of you. I hope you will let me know how we can work together to move California's agriculture industry forward into the future.

(Abel Maldonado represents California's Central Coast in the Senate and is chairman of the Agriculture Committee. His family-owned business, AGRO-JAL, farms over 6,000 acres, employs more than 250 people and ships produce worldwide. He may be contacted via e-mail.)

By Assemblymember Nicole Parra

California's San Joaquin Valley reigns as the most productive agricultural region in the nation. Its unique climate, geography and hard-working people allow this reputation to carry far and wide. As such, I am honored to serve as the chair of the Assembly Committee on Agriculture.

I will be working closely with Assembly Agriculture Committee Vice-Chair Doug LaMalfa, R-Chico, who himself is a rice farmer from Northern California, and the newly appointed committee members, including Assemblymembers Tom Berryhill, R-Modesto; Mervyn Dymally, D-Compton; Cathleen Galgiani, D-Stockton; Jean Fuller, R-Bakersfield; Tony Mendoza, D-Norwalk; and Dave Jones, D-Sacramento.

The priorities for the Assembly Committee on Agriculture in the current legislative session will focus on food safety, water and assisting freeze-relief efforts.

The recent devastating freeze in California will have long-lasting impacts to agriculture, farm laborers and rural businesses. The negative impacts will likely last this entire legislative session, if not longer. I will work to ensure that state and federal agencies and departments are urged to act swiftly and in cooperation with local governments to address the economic and personal hardships of workers, farmers and businesses.

Also, on Jan. 19, I traveled to Fresno, Castroville and Bakersfield accompanied by Sen. Abel Maldonado, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Doug Mosebar, president of the California Farm Bureau. Local officials attended as well, and briefings were issued on relief activities, resources available to those needing assistance and an overview of the ongoing efforts both state and federal government have put in place to assist in the long-term recovery of California's agriculture industry.

Food safety is another area where the committee will focus efforts during the year. The nation has had two serious food-borne illness outbreaks in the past 12 months. Both incidents have been linked to California produce. This is a serious issue to the food supply and consumers, as well as to producers. I have toured the area implicated as the source of the contamination and met with growers, packers, shippers and livestock producers. I have heard from state agencies and university researchers that no one single solution assures absolute prevention of a future incident.

I intend to hold hearings on the outbreaks in order to identify steps that can prevent future contamination, to learn of research needs and possible tracking methods that are being used successfully by other industries, and to develop legislative options to address the food safety issues presented by the outbreaks.

Water supply has been an ongoing area of concern for farmers in California. As chair of the Assembly Committee on Agriculture, I feel it is my responsibility to support the development of new water resources. With this in mind, I have co-authored Senate Bill 59, from Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, which uses bond money to develop and construct surface storage projects, improvements to California's delta and also includes money for environmental stewardship purposes.

(Nicole Parra represents the 30th Assembly District, which includes portions of Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties and all of Kings County. She may be contacted via e-mail.)