Restoring the visions that made our state great

- Spring 99 "Update" Article -

From the director
Now is the time to develop state ag strategic plan

From CATI Publication #9904001
Copyright © 1999. All rights reserved.

Are you ready for agriculture in the 21st Century? Have you thought about the sustainability of your particular commodity enterprises... who your customers will be and how their tastes and preferences may or may not change as their realities change? Have we, as agriculturists, fully considered what the future impact of local, regional, state and federal government policy will be? And lastly but certainly not least, what does an expanded global marketplace really mean and how will we deal with it?

Agricultural industries in other countries are pondering these questions and in some cases developing long-term strategic plans to deal with them. The Australian grape and wine industry, for example, has already developed and is implementing an industry long-term strategic plan to double their production capabilities. Their plan is based on joint industry and government funding for research and development activities, and they have targeted the United States market for their increased production.

Agriculturists in this country have historically been fiercely independent. The fact that their numbers have diminished significantly over recent decades has done little to curb this independence or inspire any meaningful broad-based industry collaboration toward any kind of state or national agricultural strategic plan.

At the beginning of the current century most Californians were closely tied to the land. As a result, by sheer numbers alone they insured that agricultural issues and concerns received a high state and national priority. This is no longer true. Additionally, markets were predominately local or regional and the primary competitor was most often the guy up the road. Increasingly in the future this will not be the case. The primary competition and opportunity will most likely come from the global market place. Will California agriculture seize the opportunity or be consumed by the competition?

California’s agriculture industry has historically embraced cutting edge research and technology. The industry’s willingness to push its limits, its entrepreneurial spirit and an abundance of state natural resources have insured California’s position as the leading U.S. agricultural producing state for 50 years and made it a pioneer global marketplace competitor. However, as the industry stands at the threshold of the 21st Century, increased competition for natural resources resulting from rapid population growth and environmental concerns coupled with heightened global competitiveness will challenge the industry’s resolve. Therefore, it is time for the stakeholders to seriously consider the development of a State agricultural strategic plan.