“Very happy that [Schiff’s] up here touring in Northern California on these important topics with agriculture and water, and our military installations up here too. I think we can find much common ground on the aspects of the bill side of it,” said Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01).
Chico, CA – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) visited the Butte County Farm Bureau for a farm tour and a discussion with local farmers and members of the bureau. During his visit, he toured an almond orchard, one of the top products in Butte County.
Schiff is the first California Senator to serve on the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry in over 30 years. He expressed his support for the agricultural industry, the importance of finding bipartisan support to pass a Farm Bill, and being a champion for farmers, farm workers and agriculture communities.
See coverage below:
KRCR: Senator Schiff visits Chico to champion California agriculture
CHICO, Calif. — U.S. Senator Adam Schiff made his inaugural visit to Chico on Monday, April 14, since assuming office. During his visit, Schiff joined the Butte County Farm Bureau for a farm tour and a discussion on the importance of California’s agricultural industry and his commitment to supporting local farmers.
Schiff’s team noted that he is the first California senator to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in over three decades. “It’s a very challenging environment… and I think it’s always very challenging… so I want to do everything I can to help the farmers and meet the challenges,” Schiff said.
Despite California’s status as the largest agricultural state in the nation, Schiff pointed out the lack of representation on the agriculture committee. “We haven’t had someone on the committee to champion all that we produce… and farmers are facing so much… they really need someone on that committee,” he said.
Schiff also expressed his intent to shield farmers from the negative impacts of reciprocal tariffs, emphasizing that one of his top priorities is to ensure California farmers are included in relief funds when available. He also stressed the necessity for an updated farm bill to address the needs of the state’s farmers. “These are some of the problems I’ve been made aware of and am hoping to address,” he said.
Colleen Cecil, executive director of the Butte Farm Bureau, described the meeting as productive. “We were super excited for the opportunity to have a conversation with Senator Schiff and teach him about California agriculture,” Cecil said. The tour highlighted a variety of crops grown in the region, including almonds and olives.
Schiff mentioned plans to visit Congressman Doug LaMalfa’s farm soon and expressed openness to finding bipartisan support for farmers, despite political differences. He also stated he looks forward to visiting Chico State and Redding later this week.
Action News Now: Adam Schiff Visits Butte County Farm
Alan Marsden: Senator Adam Schiff pays a visit to Butte County tonight. He speaks with Action News Now about the reason he’s here. Senator Schiff is in Chico tonight. The new Democratic Senator from California is on the Senate Agriculture Committee. Action News Now reporter Margot Rowe has more on his visit tonight with local farmers.
Schiff: This is an amazing industry, and I want to represent it well and be a champion of the industry. And I’m really thrilled to be here.
Rowe: California Senator Adam Schiff in January became the first California Senator to serve on the Senate Ag Committee in 30 years. Monday evening, he met with several local farm and ranch leaders at the Butte County Farm Bureau.
Colleen Cecil: I know our goal is always that when that elected official is in that policy making position, participating in a meeting that he remembers and recalls the farmer who told him the story about the issue that maybe he’s discussing at that time.
Rowe: Some of the topics that were discussed included tariffs and how they impacted farmers and as well as introducing a new Farm Bill, which hasn’t been updated since 2018.
Schiff: One profound concern is the lack of an agriculture bill, a Farm Bill. We have traditionally produced them on a very bipartisan basis. Some of that is broken down. Without a new Farm Bill, we can’t really address changing conditions since the last Farm Bill.
Rowe: Another key player in state agriculture policies is Congressman Doug LaMalfa, a Republican who serves on the House Ag Committee. Congressman Doug LaMalfa serves on the House Agriculture Committee. Do you think you guys will be able to see eye to eye on certain issues when it comes to the California farmers’ concerns, or tariffs, or anything like that?
Schiff: I really do. Doug and I are committed to working together in a bipartisan, nonpartisan way. We’re going to be spending part of the next couple days together, and he’s invited me out to his farm, which I’m looking forward to seeing. So, these issues tend to be a nonpartisan, at least a lot of them can be. We’re going to work and find that common ground to make sure that we help our common constituents and serve our common constituents.
LaMalfa: Very happy that he’s up here touring in Northern California on these important topics with agriculture and water, and our military installations up here too. I think we can find much common ground on the aspects of the bill side of it. So, we can certainly find a lot of common ground on that and come to a stage here where we can pass it in the House, and he can help push it on his side over there in the U.S. Senate.
Rowe: Several folks I spoke with who were at the meeting found it productive and are hopeful that Schiff will take action on their concerns.
Blain Moffitt: He was open to different suggestions that we presented him with some of the Farm Bill things, and we were glad that he was accepting of those, and hopefully he can help us get to those points that we need to better our farms and our families. Because that’s what we’re here for, is farms and our family.
FOX40: Sen. Schiff Visits Butte County Farm
Harryman: Today, Senator Adam Schiff toured an almond orchard with the Butte County Farm Bureau in Chico to have important conversations about how he can help support California farmers at the federal level this time. FOX40’s Riley Carroll explains the specific issues that Schiff right now is focusing on.
Carroll: Senator Schiff is the first California Senator to serve on the Agriculture Committee in over 30 years, which he says is surprising considering what a huge role California plays on the national agriculture production stage.
Schiff: Even though we’re the largest agriculture producing state in the union, we haven’t had that representation on the Agriculture Committee. We haven’t had someone on that committee to be championing California and all we produce, and farmers are facing so much they really need someone on that committee.
Carroll: Senator Schiff says now more than ever, California, farmers are facing several threats, the most recent of which is tariffs.
Schiff: I want to make sure that if farmers are subject to retaliatory tariffs from other parts of the world, that when the federal government establishes a relief fund that it doesn’t just go to commodity farmers in the Midwest, that California farmers can also participate.
Carroll: Another issue discussed —
Farmer: We spent some time talking about water, which is always an important topic.
Carroll: All of these conversations to help inform a new Farm Bill. The last farm bill was passed in 2018 so it’s seven years old now and is usually revised every five years.
Farmer: We’re really looking forward to seeing a Farm Bill passed in Washington. And so that was a lot of conversation topic about what pieces of the Farm Bill are critical for farmers in the north state and Butte County and hopefully some more information to send the Senator back to Washington so that he can help advocate for those important pieces in a new Farm Bill.
Schiff: These issues tend to be nonpartisan, at least a lot of them can be. We’re going to work and find that common ground and make sure that we help our common constituents and serve our common constituents.
Carroll: Schiff says today his big priority is getting that Farm Bill passed. Secondarily, though, his next priority in the state, he says, is the high cost of housing and the rising cost of home insurance.
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