Celebrating West Side Agriculture 2020

20.03.2020 Views
12 | HONORING WEST SIDE AGRICULTURE THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020Stewart & JasperA family run business since 1948 and located in California’sCentral Valley, our philosophy is to give our customers the finestquality products by controlling every aspect of production, fromthe Orchard to the Marketplace - from the ground up.We specialize in gourmet California almond products forevery occasion including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries,corporate gifts, welcome bags, VIP gifts and so much more.Stanislaus County ag valuesfell 2 percent in 2018Stanislaus County farmersand ranchers producedagricultural commoditiesvalued at $3.5 million in2018, a decline of 2 percentfrom the 2017 valueof $3.6 million.The values of ag commoditiesfor 2018, the mostrecent year for which datawas available, are outlinedin the annual report issuedby the county’s agriculturalcommissioner.A number of factors impactedthe report.Poultry remained astrong industry in StanislausCounty, with chickenvalues increasing $22million. Almond valuesclimbed by $51 million -gains which were largelyattributed to an additional8,496 acres of the increasingly-popularcrop beingharvested.Those increases, however,were more than offsetby decreases in walnutvalues attributed to globalcompetition, fewer nurseryproducts sold thanin the previous year, depressedmilk prices andthe fluctuation of turkeyproduction within thecounty.The overall number ofacres harvested in StanislausCounty fell by28,623 as a result of asharp reduction in silageacres harvested. As dairiesclose, the crop reportstated, many silage acresare being planted in almondsorchards whichhave yet to bear crops.The top 10 agriculturalcommodities in StanislausCounty were as follows.1) Almonds, $1.1 billion2) Milk, $636 million3) Chickens, $276 million4) Cattle and calves,$237 million5) Nursery products,fruit/nut trees, $170 million6) Silage, $136 million7) Walnuts, $103 million8) Almond pollination,$76 million9) Turkeys, $64 million10) Peaches, $57 millionClassifiedsGet The Job Done!Call 862-2222 To Place Your Ad Today!Proudly Supporting West Side AgricultureProud to be a part ofthe West Side’s richagricultural historyNewman Company Store3500 Shiells Roadphone: 209-862-05551-877-ALMOND-8Modesto Company Store1700 McHenry Ave., Suite 58phone: 209-577-NUTS (6887)Patterson Company Store2985 Renzo Lane, Suite Dphone: 209-895-9463follow us on social mediaMello Trucking, Inc.209.988.8178

THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020 HONORING WEST SIDE AGRICULTURE | 13Immigration, water issues at forefront for valley agAs a third-generationfarmer and member ofCongress for the past 15years, I work every day tosupport California agriculture.Our farmers, ranchersand dairymen andwomen do an incrediblejob to create an abundanceof the healthiest food producedin the world forAmerica’s dinner tables.Ag and water issues aretheir top priorities. Topamong them are creating asteady, skilled workforceand building a reliablewater supply. Let’s take acloser look at the progresswe’ve made the past year.LaborIn California, it is estimatedthat nearly 60 percentof our 420,000 farmworkers are undocumented.The Farm WorkforceModernization Act, whichI helped introduce lastyear - and which has alreadypassed in the Houseof Representatives withJIM COSTAstrong bipartisan support- will help these workersgain legal status providedthey meet certain requirements.It will also reform thecurrent H-2A guest workerprogram to providemore flexibility for employers,while ensuringcritical protections forworkers. It also establishesmandatory, nationwideE-verify system for allagricultural employmentwith guaranteed due processfor authorized workerswho are incorrectlyrejected by the system.The Farm Workforce ModernizationAct is one steptoward fixing a brokenimmigration system andwill help build a legal andreliable workforce, forseasonal and permanentfarm workers. I am workingwith my colleagues tobuild a bipartisan coalitionin the U.S. Senate to finalizethis legislation so it canbe sent to the President.If passed, it would be thefirst immigration legislationto become law sincethe Immigration and ReformControl Act of 1986.This bill is good for farmers,farm workers andAmerican agriculture. Notonly is it long overdue, it’sthe right thing to do.WaterFixing our aging waterinfrastructure is no lesscritical nor easy to do. Ourcanals are decades old andshowing their age. We alsoneed to increase our watersupply by using all thetools in our water toolbox.Last month, I introducedThe Conveyance CapacityCorrection Act, a bill thatwould provide $400 milliondollars to complete repairsto the Delta-Mendota Canaland the California Aqueduct.Built in 1951 and1963, both canals are vitalbut aging pieces of infrastructureresponsible forcarrying water suppliesto residents and farmingcommunities of the centralSan Joaquin Valley. Thisbill works in tandem withothers I helped introducethis year:• The Move Water NowAct, which helps fund necessaryrepairs to the Friant-KernCanal. This canal- and those mentionedabove - have been damagedby dramatic sinkingground levels and their capacityto move water hasbeen greatly diminished.These two bills will formpart of a financing packagealong with state andlocal resources to repairthese vital canals.• The SAVE Water ResourcesAct, which addressesthe ongoing challengesour valley facesin securing water for ourfarmers. By implementingcompetitive financingprograms and funding infrastructureprojects, thislegislation would lay importantgroundwork forfurther efforts to expandour valley’s water supply.Fourteen million dollars infunding has already beenappropriated to help tacklethis issue.• The Nutria Eradicationand Control Act, whichreauthorizes funding toeradicate and control thepopulation growth of nutriain California. Nutriaare an invasive speciesthat present significant issuesfor our way of life inthe valley. They plague ourwaterways by destroyingwetlands and underminingour canals and levees, inturn cause flooding thatcan have devastating effectsfor our farmers.I have also been activelyworking with stateand federal officials on adeal that would create areliable water supply forfarmers and clean drinkingwater for our communities.The success of agricultureoperations in Californiadepends of hundreds ofthousands of skilled workers,and the availability ofa clean and reliable supplyof water is the foundationof our valley economy.I will fight to see that allfour of these bills aresigned into law. We needto invest in our water infrastructureand fix ourbroken immigration systemnow! California’s futuredepends on itJim Costa representsCalifornia’s 16th Districtin the United States Houseof Representatives.JOIN OUR TEAMSaputo Dairy Foods in Gustine is hiring for multiple positions!To view all open positions and apply, please visithttp://www.saputo.com/en/Careers

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Celebrating West Side Agriculture 2020

Special section of the West Side Index & Gustine Press-Standard honoring our local agriculture industry. ... View more Special section of the West Side Index & Gustine Press-Standard honoring our local agriculture industry.

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Special section of the West Side Index & Gustine Press-Standard honoring our local agriculture industry. Special section of the West Side Index & Gustine Press-Standard honoring our local agriculture industry.