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May Farm Tour Photos / Farm Work Day Info

February 20, 2008

Central Valley Agriculture

Last week was the World Agricultural Expo, which is an annual event that takes place in Tulare. It is difficult to put the feeling of the event into words, but the basics are that it is a huge event centered on the agriculture industry. The event itself is as vast as big agriculture, with several buildings the size of sports stadiums packed with exhibitors and acres upon acres of parking.

The exhibitors range from the State of New Mexico soliciting for dairies to move to their state because there are fewer environmental restrictions to Toyota displaying its proposed 2010 full size diesel pickup. Last year Rudy Giuliani announced his bid for President at the event. The World Ag Show shows a side of America that most people do not know exists.

I go down every year because there is an equipment auction that follows the show in Tipton. While I did not attend the show this year I was in the Central Valley for long enough to be really glad that my parents started their farm in Yolo County. During the auction the air was clear enough to see the Sierras to the east; I had been to the town of Tipton several times before and this was the first time I could see the snow capped mountains and I was surprised at how close they were. Looking north I could see a huge brown cloud of smog looming over Fresno and I wondered how long it would be until the cloud invaded the whole valley.

This particular auction that I was attending was for farm equipment. There were lines and lines of wheel tractors, trucks, bulldozers, disks, trailers and implements neatly arranged, each item with a unique number. But the same auction location is also used to sell livestock. Next to the yard of equipment were pens with young cattle in them. The pens were made of metal posts concreted into the ground and cables running horizontally to fence the animals in. The animals were not necessarily packed into the pens but every square inch of the floor of the pens was covered with years of cow pies that had been ground into mud by the animals hooves. At first I didn’t notice it because this style of keeping animals is the industry norm, but it did not take long for the conditions to settle into my stomach. It really is disgusting.

I left the auction with a new grain drill and a diesel pump. I also left with the realization that my style of farming was only a small portion of what modern agriculture currently is. Many processes are being driven only by the profit margin and not by the quality of the system that produces the food. On my drive back to Capay, I wondered if Sacramento would ever be as polluted as the Fresno area. I decided that, ultimately, it is consumers like you that make the decision about our agricultural systems and in turn, the quality of our air. You should be proud of the role you are playing in this changing industry. - Thaddeus

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Our Next Farm Tour is To Be Announced.

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