Young farmers talk policies during Capitol advocacy visit
By Manola Secaira Participants of the California Farm Bu- reau Young Farmers & Ranchers, a program that supports agriculturalists between the ages of 18 and 35, converged in Sacramento last month for a day of advocacy. Their April 21 visit represents the second of the Calling on the Capitol series, which allows Farm Bureau members to meet with lawmakers and their staff to share their sto- ries and discuss policies that affect farmers and ranchers. The advocacy event coincided with Ag Day at the Capitol, an annual celebration of California agriculture that showcases state-grown crops while providing agricul- tural education to the public. Jennifer Cortez, a Farm Bureau member based in Sacramento County, said it was her first time joining the day of advocacy. While it sometimes felt overwhelming, she said, it’s important for young people in ag- riculture to represent their interests in front of lawmakers whose decisions shape the industry’s future. “Throw me on a farm and I know a lot about livestock and animals, but this is where the disconnect happens,” she said. “This is exactly where we need to be in or- der to have our voices heard.”
Labor was one topic that continually popped up in discussions. One piece of legislation that participants discussed was Assembly Bill 2646, which would boost the minimum wage for certain seasonal agri- cultural workers to $19.75 beginning next year. California Farm Bureau opposes the bill, citing concerns about reduced hours and opportunities for workers if costs in- crease for farmers. YF&R participants also spoke to law- makers about Senate Bill 921, which would have created a tax credit to help agricultural employers offer overtime pay for employees. The bill was created to respond to the decline in overtime hours for agricultur- al workers in California, spurred by the passage of a 2016 law requiring overtime benefits. While the law was intended to boost their wages, many farmers report- ed being unable to afford to pay for the extra hours, which resulted in overall cuts. University of California researchers have since found a resulting cut in aver- age hours and wages for farm employees overall since the law’s passage. San Joaquin County farmer Elliot Locke said his family’s walnut farm is one of many that had to cut employee hours. He said tight margins in the walnut market made
Members of California Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ranchers Mariah Fellows, from left, Lauren Farber, Haley Aldana and Samantha Loprieato advocate during Calling on the Capitol last month.
the move necessary, and he’s seen other farmers in his region follow suit. “We all feel the same way, which is we don’t want to do this, but we just can’t af- ford it,” he said. On April 22, the bill failed in the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee. However, a California Farm Bureau spokesperson said legislators are committed to working on the issue and ac- knowledged the 2016 law wasn’t working as intended. The topic of labor resurfaced in discus- sions about autonomous technology on farms. August D’Amato, a Napa County vineyard manager and YF&R state chair, said she’s been trialing an autonomous ro- bot at her farm. The robot, Saga Robotics’
Thorvald, uses ultraviolet-C light to steril- ize the environment around her crops and target fungal spores and bacteria. But under California’s current regu- lations, D’Amato can use the robot only when someone is monitoring it, even if it could operate by itself. She said the re- quirement has already stalled her work, and she’d like to use the technology more efficiently. “Ultimately, one of the key parts of being able to use autonomous technology in ag- riculture is having less people exposed to equipment, different dangers in the field— having less labor to run this equipment, and maybe I can use that labor elsewhere as well,” she said.
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