By Jenny Holtermann, President, Kern County Farm Bureau
‘Tis the season for being grateful, remembering what we are thankful for, and blessing others with holiday cheer. Easier said than done sometimes. I know agriculture has its ups and downs, and it seems like we have had more downs than ups lately. But during this time of year, it is important to reflect on the positives and focus on being thankful.
I recently had the opportunity to tour the old Shafter Cotton Research Station as the county contemplates the next steps for the facility. Amid the historic buildings, old equipment, and acres of opportunity, I found a few old bookcases loaded with history. One book that stood out to me was the 1955 Water Yearbook of Agriculture from the United States Department of Agriculture. That year holds value to my personal and professional life — 1955 was the year my parents were born, and it was also the year the Water Association of Kern County was founded. I am naturally drawn to books of this era and had to take a peek inside.
This was an important year for water in California, as the aqueduct was being discussed and water in the west underwent a big transformation. I have been told countless stories of the foundation of agriculture during this time and the frustrations many faced in getting others to understand the need to adapt and move forward lest they get lost in the shuffle. There was a dynamic beginning to the yearbook’s Forward I felt compelled to share.
“I have little need to remind you that water has become one of our major national concerns. Nearly everyone in this country in the past few years has experienced some problem caused by too much water when we do not want it or too little water when we do want it.”
It goes on to say, “Farmers know only too well the difficulties that attend getting enough water for irrigation, the need for supplemental irrigation, the hazards of pollution, and the deficiencies of good water for house, stock, gardens, and crops…. those problems and many more like them you know. What have we done about them? What more can we do to solve them? We have to know where water comes from and what happens to it. We have to know how much water can be used and when and how our land practices influence our behavior. We have to stop wasting water. We have to use it more efficiently in industry, in towns and cities, in general farming, and in irrigation, which is destined to be adopted in all parts of the nation.”
It was like hearing someone write about modern agriculture and water. The deeper I delved into this Yearbook on water, the more it made me reflect on the present. How much have we learned? How much have we moved forward? There is so much to learn about our past. Not just the mistakes but the victories and successes. Why are we still facing the same dilemmas and problems we faced 70 years ago?
We must look back on the year, the decades, the centuries before us, and grow from it. We must be able to trace the steps in what we have accomplished and move forward with gratitude. We must learn from the past and not get stuck in it. When we forget the past, we are more likely to repeat it and not learn from it. Now is our time to be grateful for the year we have placed behind us and look to the coming year for blessings and opportunities for growth.
