Speaker: Ag needs political voice
Joyce Lobeck
Yuma Sun
03/14/2010
The keynote speaker for the annual Southwest Ag Summit had a few words of wisdom for those attending: Regulators really don't care what impact they have on the industry.
The regulatory community, including much of his staff, doesn't know or understand the issues facing agriculture and "doesn't give a rat's ...," said Charles Hoppin, chairman of the California State Water Resources Control Board.
"They make decisions that impact people's heritage and their ability to make a living," he said. "I understand the need for regulation but that horrifies me."
And that's why it is so critical that those in the agriculture industry get involved in the political and regulatory processes and ensure that they have a voice in the decisions that impact them, he said.
"You can make a difference if you have a relationship with the politicians," Hoppin told the some 1,000 people who attended Thursday's summit, among them 200 high school agriculture and science students.
"It's critical if agriculture is to survive that you stand up to the environmental community," he warned.
It's not that all environmentalists are bad, he said, but some in the movement envision the end of farming as it exists today.
"They have a vision of utopia. They're well organized. It's critical to interface with them ... or you could end up with 40 acres and a mule."
Hoppin holds the distinction of not only being the first farmer to sit on the board that oversees the industry's lifeblood, he also is the first representative of the entire regulated community to have a voice on the board.
Hoppin said he entered the public arena as a board member of the California Rice Industry Association.
In the past, he said, the solution to getting rid of the rice straw was a "couple of matches." There were days when the state Capitol couldn't be seen from across the street because of the haze.
"I realized we couldn't continue to burn. The industry went on the offense. I'm convinced the rice industry wouldn't still exist if we hadn't changed."
What he realized, he said, is that the organization wasn't dealing with politicians but developing relationships with people.
"We didn't talk politics. We got things done."
During his tenure with the organization, including serving as chairman, Hoppin is credited with playing a key role in the implementation of many of the industry's environmental stewardship efforts.
In 2005, his son was getting involved in the family farming business and Hoppin recognized the need to find something else to do.
Inspired by a statement by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that there needs to be a balance between the needs of the environment and the needs of business, Hoppin decided to seek a seat on the water board.
"Sixty percent of the state's water goes to agriculture but no one from the industry had ever served on the board," he said.
That he holds that position came about through a tough fight that was hard fought by environmentalists, Hoppin said. "It got into a statewide smear campaign."
