Farm Bureau president applauds governor's action on water

» June 12, 2008 «

"As California family farmers and ranchers, we applaud the governor's swift action on declaring emergencies in those counties impacted by reduced water allocations," California Farm Bureau President Doug Mosebar said.

"The ability to grow food, on America's soils, to feed our nation and assist in hunger relief efforts around the world is a national security issue. Let's give this crucial issue the level of attention it deserves by putting all the cards on the table to craft water policy that works for everyone," Mosebar added.

Mosebar also emphasized that California is currently at a water crossroads and the governor's declaration is a wake-up call. He stated that family farmers are having to make tough decisions regarding continuing with crops already in the ground, fallowing fields and stumping trees due to the extreme uncertainty of immediate and future water supplies.

"We cannot be dependent on other countries for our basic food needs or we will find ourselves in the exact situation that we are now in with fuel," Mosebar said. "This is where the rubber hits the road, folks, and we stop trying to cram the large family we now have into the VW Beetle we owned in college. This is not a turf war anymore; it is a statewide crisis and we must all work together to craft solutions that balance the needs of all water users."

The California Farm Bureau Federation, the state's largest farm organization, works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of 92,000 members statewide.

Contact: Rosanna Westmoreland
Phone: 916/561-5550
news@cfbf.com

Contact:
Phone: 916/561-5550
news@cfbf.com

Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item.