Farm leader urges Sen. Boxer to visit water-short regions

» October 13, 2010 «

As Sen. Barbara Boxer toured Northern California farm country today, the leader of the state’s largest farm organization urged her to visit farming regions that have suffered from federal policies.

“We appreciate the senator’s interest in agricultural issues, and we think she would benefit from firsthand knowledge about how her votes on water and environmental policies have affected family farmers and their employees across the state,” California Farm Bureau Federation President Paul Wenger said.

“In the San Joaquin Valley, farms and farm towns have been pushed to the brink by water shortages caused at least in part by endangered-species laws that favor fish over people. In northern San Diego County, farmers have had to cut back healthy avocado trees because they didn’t have enough water to sustain them,” he said.

“We’re not sure Sen. Boxer understands the full impact her policy positions have had on people in those and other parts of California that face chronic water shortages,” Wenger said.

The California Farm Bureau has endorsed Carly Fiorina for election to the Senate, in part because of Fiorina’s position on water issues.

“We need common-sense, balanced water policies that provide for both our environment and our economy,” Wenger said. “We know that Carly Fiorina will work to restore that balance. Unfortunately, Sen. Boxer has been unwilling to support the flexible water policy that California urgently needs.”

The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of 81,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of more than 6.2 million Farm Bureau members.

Contact: Dave Kranz
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.