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Since 1925 Farm Bureau has been reaching the public with stories of farming and ranching in California. Beginning as a radio broadcast, the Voice of Agriculture hit the airwaves to discuss the issues facing those in food and fiber production. While radio, TV, print and now social media have allowed us to reach the masses, sharing the story of the farming and ranching community has been our passion and core to our mission since Farm Bureau was formed in 1919. Today we continue to use a variety of methods to be the voice of those who work the land by sharing their stories.
Conversations with the non-ag public look very different than the coffee shop talk we all enjoy with one another. In order to help them understand our value and contributions, we must meet the non-ag public in the one spot where our connection exists - the kitchen table. When less than 2% of the general population has a direct tie to farming, ranching and the agriculture way of life it can be challenging to keep the importance of a strong agriculture industry at the forefront of their minds. That’s why Farm Bureau created a channel for reaching the masses and paved the way for California Bountiful – our magazine and TV show almost 100 years ago. Through California Bountiful we bring to the consumer, the voter, and the non-agriculturalist stories of interest about the families behind the food they enjoy. This week we launch the new season of California Bountiful TV with new host Aubrey Aquino. Aubrey is a northern California native who will build upon her experience hosting lifestyle shows across the country to share the stories of the people in California who make mealtime possible. Through a “Fork to Farm” approach Bountiful breaks down the culinary experience and takes the viewer back to the farms and ranches where it all begins.
While our Communications team informs the non-ag public through the Bountiful brand, our leadership team and policy staff are diligently working to communicate your message to our elected and agency officials both in California and Washington DC. Last week I addressed members of the House Ag Committee on the 2023 Farm Bill during the World Ag Expo in Tulare. I shared that since the passage of the last Farm Bill in 2018 American agriculture has faced significant challenges including a global pandemic, labor shortages, inflation and supply-chain disfunction. In this next Farm Bill, I asked the Committee to provide farmers and ranchers with the tools necessary to continue producing safe, nutritious and affordable food for US consumers and the nations abroad.
On the heels of that discussion, three Farm Bureau members and I traveled back to Washington DC to be the voice of California agriculture during issues-based policy discussions at the American Farm Bureau’s Issues Advisory Committee meetings. Sharing our story, advocating for solutions and putting in the time needed to forge agreements that actually work are key to the office of President and the role of active agricultural members of the Farm Bureau.
As we look ahead, I hope you consider opportunities where you can be a voice for agriculture. As a Farm Bureau member there are many structured opportunities available for you to tell your story to the non-ag public and even elected officials. Registration is now open for California Farm Bureau’s Capitol Ag Conference where ag members from throughout our state will travel to Sacramento for a day of issues-based speakers and briefings before breaking off into regionally focused small groups and heading to the Capitol for meetings with legislators. Attendees will round out the evening at a legislative reception for Farm Bureau members, elected officials and staff, agency leaders and friends in the agriculture community. I sincerely hope you’ll consider joining us in Sacramento on March 28th. This is a day for those new to advocacy and those who have walked the halls many times in the past. Your participation, your passion, your story and your voice are key to a future California that includes farms and ranches.
Register here to attend Capitol Ag Conference, March 28, 2023 in Sacramento
Check your local listings and catch an episode of California Bountiful this weekend.
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