California’s regulatory environment can be challenging for the agricultural industry, particularly for smaller sized farming operations. Administrator of the California Farm Bureau Federation, Jim Houston recently spoke during a State Board of Food and Agriculture Meeting about addressing the financial concerns of small farms.
“We have to be willing to do one or the other: we either need to lessen the regulatory burden on small farms or we need to provide money to help them comply with the permits and regulations,” said Houston. “Neither of those things are without controversy, but looking it and being intellectually honest, I don’t see how you go any other direction.”
Houston said that the goal of achieving particular environmental and safety outcomes would not have to be sacrificed to assist small farms meet with compliance requirements. “How do we work with small farms, so that they can be profitable, so that they can invest in the practices that are necessary,” Houston noted.
Listen to the report below.
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