Darin Alvord

Darin Alvord

How important is food? Amazingly, though food is absolutely vital and its quality is of very high importance in the US and around the world, farming is hardly recognized for the incredibly important and highly sophisticated endeavor that it is. This past week, February 10 through 12, was the World Ag Expo, held at the International Agriculture Center in Tulare, CA. Tulare is pronounced, “To Larry”, for those who like to use the correct and local pronunciation. Note that is the “World” Agriculture Exposition. Exhibitors and attendees come from all around the globe for the three days of exposition located near the very center of the richest farming location in the world, the great San Joaquin Valley.

Nearly 2,000 vendors of products and services come to gain exposure for their agriculture-related expertise. Over 100,000 people attend; also including farmers from Denmark, Israel, Russia, Japan, Congo, Argentina, Uruguay and a few dozen other countries where food is important. Huge farming machinery is shipped thousands of miles to be on display. The latest in science and state-of-the-art technology is demonstrated continuously during the hours of 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. New relationships in the ag community are forged and old ones renewed. Social and political topics are discussed in earnest.  Dignitaries of many sorts come to speak and have photo aps and even to have serious discussions with leading members of the farming industry. A tremendous amount is accomplished each year that affects your food supply. And you weren’t even aware it was going on.

Because of the very bad drought occurring the western US, water and its handling was one outstanding theme all around the show. Most of the world battles for the use of sufficient water to grow food to meet the demand in their region. California, and particularly the San Joaquin Valley, has been in a once-in-several-centuries struggle over water. Rain has been far below season averages for 4 years. Water that would normally run into the Valley from the Sierra Nevada Mountains is not only in reduced supply due to a cyclical drought pattern, but environmental interests and demanding urban areas of San Francisco and Los Angeles have successfully diverted huge amounts of that runoff to their own uses. Setting aside the debate over “Climate Change” and Riparian Rights, farmers in this most productive of all farming regions in the world are straining to find water and to extract every bit of efficiency from whatever moisture they can get. There were amazing demonstrations of water collection, pumping, irrigation control and micro-distribution systems as well as water treatment and reuse systems on display and in unusual abundance. An upside to the California drought is the incredible scientific and industrial efforts to assist farming in its ever-increasing need to be conservative with water. This has made a positive effect on farming around the world.

Those who think that such a big show over farming is sort of mundane may also think that food simply comes from the super market. Agriculture will always be of paramount concern, especially to politically oppressed parts of the world. Those who seek political office in the US should pay closer attention to what goes on at places like the WAE. Food production, water use, and the power they will increasingly have in steering politics is already evident. For those who are aware of this, the World Ag Expo is truly The Greatest Show on Earth.

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