Banner year for Farm Bureau

2013 was a banner year for the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau. From policy victories to sold out events and increased visibility in the community, we have been able to keep our momentum and accomplish a lot. If you have ever wondered what exactly the Farm Bureau is all about, keep reading.
Community Involvement
The Farm Bureau increased our visibility in communities across the county in 2013. Our sold out Farm to Table Harvest Celebration in November highlighted local farms and wineries and made the organization more visible to the general public. We connected the Open Space Authority with local farmers for their Coyote Valley Family Farm Feast, were actively involved in the county fair, and participated in the ribbon cutting for Martial Cottle Park in San Jose. Numerous community presentations ranged from a discussion of the food system with San Jose State urban planning students to hunger and food justice issues at a Latino theater. Farm Bureau was one of the organizations highlighted by the Los Gatos Museum this year and we are partnering with the San Jose Museum of Art on their Around the Table: food, creativity, community exhibit through April 2014. If some of the activities noted in this report seem familiar, it may be due to Farm Bureau’s presence in the media in 2013. Farm Bureau leaders were quoted in at least a half dozen local print media outlets including the Gilroy Dispatch/Morgan Hill Times, Salinas Californian, and San Jose Mercury News, along with numerous TV news stories and radio interviews. The addition of the Farm Focus blog on the website for the Morgan Hill Times is another way the Farm Bureau began communicating with the public this year.
Protecting your business
As deep as the pride in farming runs, it is still a business and the Farm Bureau was incredibly successful in protecting your bottom line this year. One of the most potentially damaging challenges this year was a proposal by Supervisor Dave Cortese to increase the county’s minimum wage to align with San Jose’s minimum wage. The measure would have cost local farmers millions of dollars and would have cemented a competitive disadvantage compared to farms in other areas. Farm Bureau leaders met early and often with Cortese and other Supervisors and in November he withdrew the proposal. Another potential cost increase that was averted this year was the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s consideration of higher groundwater rates for agricultural users. Farm Bureau leaders were vocal in a months long process to review the rates, noting that any cost increase cuts into farmers’ already thin margins. In November, the water district board voted unanimously to keep the ag rate the same. Farm Bureau and others successfully advocated for immigrant Asian vegetable growers who were fined thousands of dollars primarily for very minor wage stub infractions. Thirteen months after the farmers were cited, the Department of Industrial Relations has finally agreed to reduce the fines for all the farmers. Farm Bureau worked with other organizations in 2013 to form the Central Coast Groundwater Coalition to monitor and characterize groundwater quality to address environmental and regulatory concerns.
Promoting agriculture
Farm Bureau leaders were out in force this year promoting our local farms and ranches. The Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance was formed in 2013 with the Farm Bureau as an active member working to promote our local farms, ranches, and wineries. Wineries in Santa Clara County are about to increase their visibility exponentially with the recent approval of wayfinding signage for wineries. The plan is to post generic WINERY signs on roads with one or more winery so that visitors can find their destination and identify the area as a wine region. The great news is the county has agreed to fund the cost of signs in the unincorporated areas. The Country Crossroads farm trails map unveiled a new website (www.countrycrossroadsmap.com) this year where consumers can find local farms on their computer, tablet, or smartphone by searching by location, commodity, hours of operation, and other categories. The Farm Bureau continues to build an audience online through our Facebook and Twitter pages created this year. Join the conversation by liking us on Facebook (Silicon Valley Farms and Food) and following us on Twitter (@FarmBureauSCC).