Agricultural enthusiasts, 108,233 of them, graced the grounds of the International Agri-Center in Tulare, California, Feb. 14-16 for the 56th World Ag Expo.
Beginning the three-day trade show and exposition with a flyover by two Naval Air Station Lemoore strike fighter squadrons – the “Flying Eagles” of VFA-122 and the "Rough Riders" of VFA-125 – World Ag Expo reported attendees represented 49 states and 56 countries.
Speaker of the House and past Central Valley resident Kevin McCarthy addressed attendees Tuesday morning – reminding the audience that farming was the first occupation in America and applauding the agriculture industry for its innovation and improvements. Speaker McCarthy expressed his excitement to be present for the first House Ag Committee Farm Bill Listening Session of 2023 alongside Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-Pennsylvania), Jim Costa (D-California), John Duarte (R-California) and John Rose (R-Tennessee). McCarthy noted his pride to be from Central Valley, to be part of the agriculture industry and his dedication to fighting for the farmer.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (sixth from left) and other leaders listen to producers' concerns at the first Farm Bill Listening Session of 2023. Photo by Matti McBride.Producers, industry professionals, processors and others all vocalized concerns regarding water, crop insurance, trade and market access, research and development funding, labor shortages and eliminating food insecurity in the U.S. during the Farm Bill Listening Session.
Tony Lopes, a dairy producer from Gustine, California, expressed his concerns regarding the dairy industry’s position on the Farm Bill.
“We largely view the 2018 Farm Bill as a legislative victory,” Lopes says. “It provided the much-needed safety net programs – the Dairy Margin Coverage as well as the Dairy Revenue Protection – that has worked well for us through these unprecedented times – through the pandemic and supply chain constraints. However, due to inflationary pressures, constraints related to how much milk volume can be enrolled in these programs, regional expenses and cost structures … 9 dollars and 50 cents is not the same as it was years ago, and it’s different in every shape and size of operator.”
Lopes asked for a level playing field across the country when it comes to producing dairy products and asked for continued promotion of nutrition available in the beef and dairy industries.
Seminars, demonstrations and workshops were available for attendees over the course of the show. Technology and automation seemed to play into the “Taking Care of Ag Business” theme for the year – with many companies displaying the newest automation in each respective industry.
