The Agricultural Council of California has launched a new campaign to counter the blame farmers are receiving during the state’s unrelenting drought.
Cannon Michael farms in California’s Central Valley. He says the drought has been getting a lot of attention from the media.
“The disappointing part was a lot of it really was pointing fingers at farmers and also crop choices,” he says. “It was a lot of misinformation about how much water was being used.”
Michael says the ag industry doesn’t always work together well, but felt the need to come together with a coordinated message to reach out to consumers.
He says whether people are in a city or rural area of California–everyone relies on engineered water systems.
“There’s been a lot of criticism that farmers shouldn’t be farming in areas that don’t get enough rainfall,” he says. “But people in San Francisco or Los Angeles wouldn’t be able to have those urban centers if they based it on natural rainfall. They both rely on engineered water systems to supply their urban population.”
Michael says California’s food production is unlike any other state or country.
“The campaign is educating people where their food is coming from,” he says. “Your dollars speak volumes–so you want to pay for things coming from the right places.”
The council is encouraging all of California’s farmers to share the advancements made in water conservation practices in the agriculture industry.
Source: www.brownfieldagnews.com/