California’s critical role in supplying Americans’ food is in real danger

For many generations, California was looked upon as the Golden State, the land of dreams and opportunities. In the 1840s, gold seekers loaded up their wagons in the hopes of striking it rich. During the Great Depression, John Steinbeck wrote about the likes of Lennie and George and the Joad Family of their journeys heading west to California’s rich farmlands to find work.

California’s diverse agricultural output is immense with a wide array of crops and livestock, but no single crop dominates global production. With more than $59 billion in agricultural sales in 2022, California remains the top producer of agricultural products in the United States and is fifth in the world.

With more than 400 commodity crops grown across the state, California’s agricultural contributions are significant to the nation’s output, accounting for 13% of the total value of U.S. agricultural production. Although the Golden State is home to only 4% of the nation’s farms, it produces a large proportion of the yield.

Here is a more detailed breakdown:

Fruits and Vegetables: California produces about half of the nation’s fruits and vegetables.

Nuts: California is the majority producer of many tree nuts, including almonds, pistachios and walnuts.

Dairy: California is the nation’s leading milk producer.

However, bankruptcy filings are on the rise nationwide within the ag community and California is leading the way. The number of farms decreased by 10% from 2017 to 2022. California peaked at 87,991 farms in 1997. But since 2007, the number of California farms has been declining, falling to 63,134 in 2022. The American Farm Bureau Federation reported in 2024 that 17 farmers in California filed for Chapter 12 bankruptcy, a 55% increase from the previous year.

Higher interest rates on loans make it more expensive for farmers to operate as banks are unlikely to make money available to such an unpredictable industry. It is forcing many farmers to sell off assets and/or leave the business altogether to cope with the challenges of 21st century farming in America. Farmers that are not filing for bankruptcy are struggling to stay in business.

Rising costs for essentials (such as fertilizer), the ever-rising price for fuel and higher labor costs are all squeezing farm profitability. Meanwhile, declining prices for crops is making it difficult for farmers to cover their expenses. And competition from foreign products has been squeezing out American-grown produce in the supermarkets.

California’s “manmade” drought has brought crippling water restrictions, impacting crop yields and increasing the cost of irrigation. Although California has had good rain and snowfall over the last several years, the management of that water has fallen upon the shoulders of inept leadership at the state and local levels. When 18 trillion gallons of water is needlessly dumped into the ocean, followed by an additional 114 billion gallons … this is not merely waste, this is criminal!

Our farms are going fallow. Our cities are not provided with enough quality drinking water. Our forests have been reduced to dry kindling, waiting for an ardent matchstick to set the world ablaze. Just look at some of the recent wildfires that have plagued the state, or when Los Angeles burned and the fire hydrants ran dry.

As the U.S.D.A. announced last July, “American agriculture [is] a key element of our nation’s national security.”

Those that have gotten out of farming and have sold off their properties have seen many thousands of acres of farmland converted into housing and solar energy projects. California is experiencing housing and energy crises, but reducing the amount of land available for agriculture is only going to create an ever-widening food crisis.

The Farm crisis. The Water crisis. The Electrical crisis. The Housing crisis. The Wildfire crisis. Gavin Newsom has been in Sacramento for almost 16 years – almost eight years as governor and eight years as lieutenant governor – and he has not solved anything.

I don’t have to this. I choose to do this. California, my home, is a complete mess with zero accountability. I served on several state boards and commissions and I saw the graft firsthand. It is hard to make changes when no one wants to change. That is why I am running for governor. I still care. I still believe in Reagan’s idea of “The California Dream.

We have taken our food supply for granted for so long that an entire generation believes food comes from the grocery store, with no thought of farms. A country’s food supply is indeed a national security issue, yet We The People treat is like a guaranteed, never-ending resource.

If it is not cherished and protected, it could one day disappear.