Farmers and ranchers say their use of social media helps them reach people who are unfamiliar with agriculture. Siskiyou County cattle rancher Jeff Fowle, above, says he hopes his online messages will influence the non-farming public’s perceptions of agriculture.
Whether he’s strolling through the corral, doing payroll at his desk or checking on a newborn calf, Stanislaus County dairy farmer Ray Prock likes to stop by what he calls his “virtual watercooler” to chat about his favorite topic: agriculture.
He does this by logging on to his Twitter account, a social networking Web site that allows users to exchange quick, frequent messages known as tweets. By firing up his computer or turning on his smartphone, Prock can get a glimpse of what people in the global community are saying—and talk back to them. Read more…
Struggling dairy farmers debate breeding technique
Published online on Friday, Oct. 02, 2009
By Robert Rodriguez / The Fresno Bee
The use of a specialized breeding technique to boost the number of milking cows by thousands is generating debate in California’s dairy industry.
Some say it doesn’t make sense to produce more milk as farmers struggle with low prices, high debt and an oversupply. But supporters of the technology say it could be a valuable tool for efficiently raising more cows — and ultimately ramping up production when demand rises.
In the central San Joaquin Valley, the heart of the nation’s dairy industry, the slumping dairy economy has hit farmers hard. Many dairy farmers are losing money, while others have left the industry. Read more…
What’s the deal with celebrity endorsements of issues they don’t understand? It never ceases to amaze me how gullible these people can be. Take for example this article on ecorazzi.com. All these “celebrities”, including the very balanced Bill Mahr and the long time faux leather wearing Bob Barker, have signed on a letter with Farm Sanctuary supporting the “Tail Docking Bill”.
I am a California dairy farmer and I also support the bill. Tail docking is a practice that was experimented with 10 years ago or so to see if there would be a benefit to milk quality. It was soon discovered there was no advantage to the dairy farmer, the cow, or the milk so the practice soon ended. Read more…
Assemblyman Danny D. Gilmore came to Sacramento to fight for water for the Central Valley and spoke out against AB 49 on the floor of the Assembly earlier this month. The Legislature’s failure to end this water crisis as the legislative session came to a close, continues to deepen the Valley’s pain. With farms dying, thousands of workers losing their jobs, and our economy continuing to fall, the Legislature needs to pass a truly comprehensive water solution that boosts water supplies. The solution must include storage, conveyance, and conservation. It is absolutely imperative that the Governor call a special session in order for the Legislature to come together and continue working on an all-inclusive plan that gives the Valley relief as soon as possible.
Here is an email I recieved from Congressman Nunes’ office regarding Hannity’s work to bring attention to this man made natural disaster. It would be great if you all could attend.
Please take a moment to support farmers & dairymen by telling your story or showing your support for H.R. 3524 the Family Farm Preservation Estate Tax Act (Mike Thompson, D-CA).
Take action to urge your Congressional Representative to sign on as a cosponsor of H.R. 3524. Please do this by clicking one of the links below. That link will provide you with an opportunity to write your own story or send a form letter to your congressman.
This legislation improves the business climate while ensuring farms and ranches can be passed on to future generations. If passed, H.R. 3524 will:
* Exempt farm and ranch assets from federal estate taxes as long as the operation remains as a family agricultural operation.
* Exclude land enrolled in a qualified conservation easement from federal estate taxes.
Considering the tax-reform legislation that was approved in 2001 will phase out the estate tax entirely in 2010, Congress will likely be taking up this item this fall.
Your personal stories are needed to help lawmakers understand how farming and ranching operations differ from other businesses. Help keep farming operations viable, urge your Representative to sign on as a cosponsor of H.R. 3524.
A bill has just passed the Assembly (SB 789) and is on its way to the Governor for his signature. This bill will rob farm workers of their democratic rights and cause harm to all employers in agriculture.
The card check bill will allow the unions to force unionization on farm employers by intimidating the employees into signing a paper rather than holding a secret ballot vote. The unions argue that secret ballots allow the employer to intimidate the employees. This this is a lie. The employers never know who voted because it is a SECRET BALLOT. Read more…
Two years ago in July I was asked by my good friend Carlos to give the best man speech at his wedding. I was honored and flattered but it was sort of an odd request since I wasn’t actually the best man, or even in the wedding for that matter. But what did matter is that I was the best BSer Carlos knew at the time and I got the job.
The reason this comes up now is that Carlos’ wedding comes only a few weeks ahead of my son’s birth & he turned 2 today. I promised Carlos I would send him a printed copy of the speech I gave at his wedding and in reading it 2 years later I thought it was pretty good. Good enough, in fact to share here on my site. I hope you enjoy it and if you decide to plagiarize it, please leave me a comment here.
The reason this speech is partially in spanish is because both families of the wedding are from Mexico and I didn’t want to exclude any of the audience.
Modesto Assemblyman Tom Berryhill (R-Modesto), fifth from right, met with California dairy producers who traveled to Sacramento Wednesday for the Assembly Ag Committee hearing on SB 362. (Photo by Tessa Curti) July 1, 2009
Thanks to everyone who wrote letters, made phone calls, & went to Sacramento to defeat dean florez and SB362. This bill would have been financially devastating to California dairies during a time of serious economic despair. I had a chance to ride the bus to Sacramento to attend this hearing and it was really amazing to see so many dairy producers there. It was also a wonderful thing to see so much unity in the industry and have an opportunity to come together to rally behind a cause.
I missed out on the picture, but had a great time in Sac none the less. Here is the Western United Dairymen’s news post on this committee hearing:
I want to add that California Farm Bureau Federation also participated in opposing the bill and we appreciate their time and support.
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California dairy producers today made an effective case against legislation that proposed changing the Gonsalves Milk Pooling Act. After hearing from several dairy producers opposed to SB 362, authored by Sen. Dean Florez (D-Shafter), the Assembly Ag Committee defeated the bill by a 4-3 vote with one abstention. Voting with California dairy families to defeat the bill were Tom Berryhill, (R-Modesto); Connie Conway (R-Tulare); Mariko Yamada (D-Vacaville); and Jean Fuller (R-Bakersfield.) Bill Monning (R-Santa Cruz) abstained. Berryhill did a great job in speaking for the dairy industry, said WUD President Ray Souza. About 30 dairymen showed up at the hearing in the Capitol to testify and lend support for defeating the measure. Their support and testimony was critical in helping committee members understand the repercussions of SB 362. WUD was joined in the successful effort to defeat SB 362 by the Dairy Institute of California, Milk Producers Council and California Dairy Campaign. Everyone who spoke on behalf of dairy families, from two Hanford college students Jason DeGroot and Lucas Wilgenburg to 91-year-old Ben Van Warmerdam, a dairy producer from Galt, spoke movingly against the bill and for the Gonsalves Milk Pooling Act. Also to be thanked in today’s successful effort are all the WUD members who took the time to call their Assembly members urging opposition to the bill. Florez asked for and was granted reconsideration, making the measure a two-year bill and eligible to be heard again in the Assembly Ag Committee next year.
