Dear Governor Jerry Brown, (this is for you Ag. Instructors)
Just so we don’t get this relationship off on the wrong
foot, I want you to know exactly where I’m coming from….Agriculture is the life
blood of California. In a region where in 2 hours we can either be surfing some
of the best waves in the world or skiing the greatest powder on the planet
agriculture still dominates in a state that currently ranks as the 8th
largest economy in the world. Unlike most states ours can claim more than
cotton, wheat, corn and soybeans as the basis of our agriculture commodities. California
is home to over 400 commodities and grows half of the nation’s fruits, nuts and
vegetables along with being the 2nd largest rice producer in the nation.
If it wasn’t for the farmers and the vast number of people and businesses that
are involved in getting food from the fields of California to the grocery
stores and eventually your kitchen table the American diet would be a pretty
boring endeavor. The rest of the nation has California agriculture to thank for
keeping them supplied with the most well rounded diet on the planet year round.
Governor Brown the reasons I can go on and on about the benefits of agriculture
not only to the state but to world is I was fortunate enough to be born into it
and have continued to carry the passion I have for it through life as my chosen
career choice. Unfortunately the majority of children in California do not have
the same privilege that I was able to experience and thus have no idea how
important agriculture is to this state. What is sad is that it use to be only
kids from urban areas that thought there food came from grocery stores but now
the adage has crept into what were rural areas that have morphed into bedroom
communities for the larger cities across the state. As schools have continued
to cut agricultural education programs due to budget constraints the gap grows
greater on a student’s understanding of the vast and highly complex food system
that is in place in their backyard. The current state education budget sits
right around $48 billion dollars which puts the funding for agriculture
education at a percentage lower than the chances of Kate Upton asking me for
her hand in marriage. The $4.1 million dollar grant that Ag Education receives
each year is a life line for programs across the state that struggle to survive
and teach students something that every human has relied on since we left the
hunter/gather phase of our existence thousands of years ago…Agriculture. Yes
before this state brought us the Golden Gate Bridge, a left leaning political
system and the Kardashian’s we have and will continue to bring food to your plate.
California currently has around 2,100 high schools which include public,
private and charter schools to go along with various continuation programs. Of
those only 300 support an Ag Education program. The 7% placement rate is
appalling. I’ll bet my next round on a Friday night that every one of those schools
has a computer science program. You ask why I pose this question. We all use
devices everyday and need to stay on the cutting edge of technology in todays
fast pace world. Guess what else we use every day and is so important country’s
wage wars over it and empires fall because of it?....Food!!! I think that is a
pretty good reason for everyone in the state to be educated about what they eat
and how it makes its way to their table. Governor Brown instead of giving this
program a one year reprieve which equates to the death penalty for most
programs I recommend that you take a lesson from the agricultural community and
sharpen that pencil just a little bit more and find those extra precious
dollars in the budget that can sustain these programs moving forward and keep the teachers that put their hearts
and souls into their profession at high schools across the California gainfully
employed and teaching the future of this state that agriculture just wasn’t our
past but is our present and will always be our future. If you’re looking for a
farmer to hug Jerry, I’m waiting with open arms…
Ps. Happy Thursday peeps and please write, call, email,
text, social media, etc. Jerry Brown and let him know how much you support Ag.
Education and that’s all you need to remember!
#ageducation #jerrybrown #california #empireliving
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