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Amended
IN
Assembly
March 10, 2003
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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2003–2004 REGULAR SESSION
House Resolution
No. 18
Introduced by
Assembly Member
Matthews, Maldonado
(Coauthor(s):
Assembly Member
Aghazarian)
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February 19, 2003 |
Relative to National Agriculture Week.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
HR 18, as amended, Matthews.
Digest Key
WHEREAS, March 21, 2003, is National Agriculture Day, a day set aside to honor the men and women of agriculture, and to help promote an understanding of America’s agricultural industry; and
WHEREAS, California’s agricultural production helps feed the nation and the rest of the world and fuels the state’s economy; and
WHEREAS, For approximately 55 consecutive years, California has been the number one agricultural state in the nation, producing more than 350 crop and livestock products and accounting for 50 percent of the nation’s supply of fruits, vegetables, and nuts; and
WHEREAS, For almost 10 years, California has also been the number one dairy producing state in the nation; and
WHEREAS, With less than 1 percent of California’s 33 million people engaged in farming and ranching, each agricultural worker today provides for more than 100 other people, compared to just 13 in 1947; and
WHEREAS, In just 5 decades, advances in production agriculture have resulted in a drop of consumer spending on food consumption from 24 percent of disposable income in 1949 to only 10 percent today; and
WHEREAS, California’s agriculture is considered one of the most diversified in the world, with no one crop dominating the state’s farm economy; and
WHEREAS, The gross sales of California’s agricultural products contributes 27.2 billion dollars annually to the state’s economy; and
WHEREAS, For the second contiguous year, 10 California counties reached an annual production value in 1999 of at least one billion dollars each; and
WHEREAS, Over 13 percent of the national gross cash receipts for farming is produced in California’s 89,000 farms; and
WHEREAS, California’s top 20 crop and livestock commodities account for 72 percent of the state’s gross farm income, of which a large number are specialty crops in which California accounts for most of the United States’ production; and
WHEREAS, California is the nation’s leader in agricultural exports, annually shipping more than 6.5 billion dollars in both food and agricultural commodities around the world and it is estimated that nearly 18 percent of all of California’s agricultural production is shipped to foreign markets; and
WHEREAS, Programs are continually being developed to support improved quality assurance and production of on-farm food safety management practices; and
WHEREAS, A broad approach to agricultural education is vital to ensure that California agriculture continues to flourish; and
WHEREAS, The Agricultural Literacy and Fairs Alliance is a program that provides teachers with curriculum and materials for agricultural projects to complement curriculum in the core subjects, and in exchange, the teachers help ensure that students’ projects are showcased at their local fair; and
WHEREAS, California’s 79 annual county and district fairs provide the public a first-hand look at agriculture and its importance within their community and to their way of life; and
WHEREAS, The California 5 A Day For Better Health Campaign, first begun in 1988, was the precursor for the National 5 A Day Program, which spread the message that healthy eating through the consumption of fruits, vegetables and other food products can reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer by as much as 30 percent; and
WHEREAS, The tireless efforts of approximately 800,000 farmworkers have contributed greatly to the success of the agricultural industry; and
WHEREAS, As the population grows in this country and foreign countries, it is important to recognize the vital role that agriculture plays in our daily lives; and
WHEREAS, It is appropriate for all Californians to say “Thank You” to our farmers and farmworkers for providing such a bounty to our nation and the entire world; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That it takes great pleasure in honoring the men and women of California agriculture for their dedication and productivity by observing the week of March 16 to March 22, 2003, as National Agriculture Week and Friday, March 21, 2003, as National Agriculture Day; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly shall transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.