First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, who works closely with CDFA on school initiatives, headlined California Ag Day on Tuesday.
In contrast to a washed-out Ag Day in 2023, when storm runoff was flooding farmworker towns, this year’s celebration marked a return to familiar warm spring sunshine of earlier drought years. The theme this year was “next-gen tools, talent and tech,” referring to what agriculture needs to “embrace the challenges and opportunities of today and tomorrow.”
First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, right, with CDFA Secretary Karen RossCDFA Secretary Karen Ross took the stage to offer hope for more opportunities ahead, despite the many challenges that farmers and ranchers have faced in recent years.
“At the core for me, [California agriculture] is about the ability to grow incredibly healthy, good food and the opportunities to share it and make sure that every Californian has access to it,” said Ross. “I'm especially thrilled that our first partner, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, will be here to give some comments, because she's leading change through the Farm to School Program and so many other initiatives investing in our future.”
In saluting the work of farmers, Ross said that agriculture’s full value chain creates economic opportunities in rural communities “all the way to the ports where we ship our product.” In honor of Women’s History Month, she tied in the growing trend of women in leadership positions throughout the industry, before handing the microphone to Siebel Newsom.
The first partner, whose husband owns organic vineyards, shared her experience of visiting an organic vineyard recently in Galt.
“Exiting the car, I was immediately greeted by the lush green beauty of Mother Nature and the uniquely wonderful smell of the honey fruits and flowers cushioning their lands,” said Siebel Newsom. “I felt that immediate sense of comfort that only time and nature can provide.”
It’s easy to be “in the know” about what’s happening in Washington, D.C. Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse news! Simply click here.
She praised the vineyard’s climate-smart practices and applauded farmers throughout the state for creating a more sustainable future.
“With our environment in dire straits, it brings me hope to see and highlight the next generation of farmers, ranchers, researchers, scientists and other climate-smart agricultural leaders,” she said.
Siebel Newsom went on to say that California respects the history of the land, starting with Native Americans, who have managed the state’s “unique natural elements, including its fertile soils and fresh water.”
The first partner shared that she has worked directly with CDFA’s Farm to School staff. The Newsom administration has invested $90 million in the program. She touted the first-in-the-nation initiative for addressing food and nutrition insecurity and reducing stigmas. By investing in local, regenerative farmers, CDFA is reducing transportation emissions and waste while sequestering carbon in the soil, according to Siebel Newsom.
Adding to the dire warnings on climate change, Senator Melissa Hurtado of Bakersfield, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said climate extremes are “impacting our traditional way of farming,” and new tools and technologies are needed to cope with the challenges.
Hurtado’s counterpart on the other side of the building, Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria of Merced recently took over as Assembly Agriculture Chair after Asm. Robert Rivas ascended to speaker last year. Like Hurtado, Soria is descended from farmworkers and has labored alongside her parents in the fields. She shared that in the short time since her appointment, she has participated in 35 agricultural tours.
“The best way to learn about the issues that impact agriculture in our community is to be on the ground to learn directly from those that are facing the challenges,” said Soria. “With climate change impacting ag, we have to make sure that we work closely together to ensure that our California agriculture continues to thrive.”
For more news, go to Agri-Pulse.com.
