Will New House Leader Be Good for Ag?

Western Growers applauded the ascension of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, to House Majority Leader and see it as a positive step for California agriculture, wrote Todd Fichette in his Farm Press Blog.

McCarthy’s district includes much of the city of Bakersfield and some vegetable and permanent crop ground at the extreme south end of the San Joaquin Valley, where it collides with the mountain range that separates the valley from the Los Angeles basin.

“We are very pleased to have our industry so well represented in the House Leadership structure,” wrote Western Growers President and CEO Tom Nassif of McCarthy’s election to the GOP House leadership post.

Majority Leader-elect McCarthy has provided critical leadership on a number of issues affecting the produce industry, including ensuring passage of a Farm Bill that recognizes the importance of fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts; ongoing work to negotiate a solution to our water crisis; and, of course, working to address the immigration needs of agriculture,” Nassif said.

McCarthy was elected to Congress less than eight years ago and was elected recently to the House Majority Leader spot after former Majority Leader Eric Cantor was defeated in a primary election in Virginia.

Whether this puts California in a better spot politically, particularly in agricultural policy matters, is debatable. Given that House majority and minority leaders come from California (Rep. Nancy Pelosi is from the Bay Area), California’s political standing might improve.

Skeptics argue that California’s 53 votes in the House of Representatives seem to matter little in agricultural policy debates and decisions, as it appears that much of the political clout agriculture carries in this country still hails from other regions. This can be a bit disappointing, Fichette wrote, since California is the most agriculturally prolific state in the nation.

Fichette hopes that McCarthy’s promotion will bode well for California agriculture and the challenges it faces. The most pressing will be water availability, not just for the state’s farmers, but for everyone.