Why Compromise Should Not Be a Dirty Word for Farmers
September 26, 2023 Knowing my thorough immersion in water issues — I’ve certainly taken a deep dive many times in the pages of American Fruit Grower® magazine — a friend emailed me a column a few months ago at the end of the rainy season bemoaning California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s treatment of baby salmon.
It was written by Los Angeles Times Political Columnist George Skelton, who has covered government and politics for 60 years. In the column, he specifically calls out almond growers, as most urban writers do. Yes, almond growers use a lot of water, but it’s nothing compared to what it costs to produce milk, meat, etc. As one Extension adviser once told me, it takes roughly one liter of water to produce a calorie of plant-derived food.
Almond growers use a lot of water because the world wants almonds, and so they planted a lot of trees. They did a heck of a job of marketing almonds around the world, and some of the credit goes to former Almond Board of California President Richard Waycott, who is stepping down after 21 years.
As my friend guessed, I enjoyed the column immensely, but not for the reason Skelton likely hoped. If Newsom is getting slammed for siding with farmers over fish, I’m good. It’s not just because I know more farmers than fish, either. It’s because our liberal governor appears open to dialogue, compromising with farmers and with ranchers.
That’s important, because Newsom doesn’t just head up the world’s fifth largest economy — though the Golden State is rapidly closing in on Germany for No. 4 — California contains what are arguably the richest, most productive agricultural valleys in the world. He also heads a super majority, as both the state’s Senate and Assembly are overwhelmingly controlled by Democrats.
Because of that supermajority, a lot of folks, me included, worried about how agriculture would fare in such a situation. Specifically, how would he divide the water flow? In mid-February, during an extraordinarily wet winter, Newsom signed an executive order allowing the suspension of salmon protection. The action enraged many environmentalists, but it made sense to an awful lot of growers eager to put the drought behind them (for now).
The order meant the massive runoff from the past winter could be used to fill up the state’s reservoirs, not for aiding baby salmon. What impressed me most about Newsom’s issuance of the executive order is not so much about what he did, but how he went about it. His willingness to compromise bodes well for the state’s growers.
It’s refreshing, especially compared to the quagmire that is Washington DC. Rather than work for the betterment of the country, too many representatives on the national level seem to view anything less than total victory as defeat. That’s just unrealistic. In life, you’re going to win some and you’re going to lose some. But if you’re representing me, I’d rather you swallow your pride and do the best you can for the folks who voted you into office.
Growers need to be willing to talk and to reason, and yes, to compromise. Society today is changing fast, rapidly becoming more urbanized on a planet that is now mostly interconnected, and growers need to adapt to this wired world. Insisting on maintaining the status quo, or even worse, trying to return to “the good old days,” isn’t an option.
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