FRESNO, CA - As talks of drought, wildfires, and water usage continue to maintain importance amongst state growers and the fresh produce industry, a melding of minds was recently held as United States Interior Secretary Deb Haaland spoke with the California Fresh Fruit Association’s (CFFA) past Chairman Kevin Herman of The Specialty Crop Company. Hosted by Congressman Jim Costa at Herman’s ranch, the two were joined by California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross, Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton.

“We are happy to welcome Secretary Haaland to our ranch. It is pretty simple: California is running out of water. Climate change, drought, and millions of people moving here over the past several decades have all had an impact on our water supply,” Herman said. “More storage is the quickest and easiest solution to address this problem. The agriculture industry is doing its part by utilizing a variety of tools like drip irrigation, deficit irrigation, and groundwater recharge. Along with CFFA, we look forward to working with Secretary Haaland and the Department of Interior to find solutions to protect California’s water supply.”

The industry advocates met at Herman’s ranch to discuss the effects of California’s ongoing drought and the need for additional water infrastructure investments.

As noted in the release, the meeting concluded with a roundtable discussion with additional stakeholders, farmers, and industry representatives. With the meeting ending successfully, CFFA looks forward to working with Secretary Haaland on addressing California’s ongoing drought.

“We appreciate the time Secretary Haaland has taken to visit California and, specifically, to meet with CFFA members to hear first-hand about the effects of the drought on agriculture,” CFFA President Ian LeMay commented. “Every person in our state, nation, and world relies on agriculture, and we value when our state and nation’s leaders take the time to get boots on the ground to learn about the impacts of drought on our industry. Lastly, I thank Congressman Costa for facilitating this visit and for his continued advocacy and partnership.”

Here’s to more conducive meetings and developments for the advancement of fresh produce.

California Fresh Fruit Association