California ag secretary speaks at Corn Congress

By Jennifer Bremer

California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura told corn producers that the entire agriculture sector must work together to continue to produce food, fuel and fiber for the world.

"We need to tell the 98 percent of people who aren't involved in agriculture production about how we, in agriculture, are producing products to the best of our ability for them to survive," he said.

Kawamura, a producer himself, said most people don't understand that agriculture producers rely on good weather, the proper amount of water and available markets to be able to continue to produce the products for the world.

"When you live in the luxury of abundance, like we do in our country, we can give people choices. Then those consumers think their opinion matters and they can vote on policy to regulate our industry," he explained. "That is why we need to educate these consumers about what we do, so we don't lose out on producing the way we know best."