work on providing long-term infrastructure, technology, and policy upgrades. None of us will agree with 100% of what he wants to do, but at least he is listening and trying to weigh everything to find workable and sometimes imperfect solutions. Breaking the cycle of rhetoric without action, to try something new. The most recent and monumental examples being the Executive Order expediting groundwater recharge on working farmland in order to assist in providing immediate public health and safety protection from flooding and contributing to the long-term health and safety of our communities by recharging our aquifers. An emergency such as this is absolutely a stressor and a challenge, but perhaps can be an opportunity to see if we can maximize existing infrastructure resources for multiple benefits. A Los Angeles Times column recently serves as the shining example of how we got into this mess in the first place by laying blame, seeking to divide people and groups, and offering no solutions. The article points out that groundwater recharge needs to be improved, yet the same authors oppose the governor’s recent Executive Order allowing just that. This perpetuates the sins of the past in its aim to pit California food producers, especially almonds, against salmon. We’ve heard that one before; it’s getting old. I’m anxiously awaiting something new. Picking winners and losers is the old way of doing things — the way that has gotten us here in the first place. The Almond Alliance is not interested in repeating past mistakes
or joining a chorus of complaints. We are in the business of offering solutions and solving problems, and we will work with anyone who will help us achieve that. Once we are in a drought, and we all know it will be again, it is too late to do anything. As history shows, like other droughts in the past, this drought has not been solved by smart people, government officials, or policymakers. Mother Nature has solved it. So, weirdly enough, during a flood, the real question we should all be asking is, what are we doing to prepare for the next drought ? The Almond Alliance has practical and doable ideas that can be done immediately and won’t break the bank. Because farmers deal in solutions, we firmly believe farmers and working lands are a part of the water, sustainability, environmental, and equity solution, not the problem, and we are committed to being leaders in developing those solutions. We will work with any organization or elected officials — either party — or sit down with any reporter or columnist to offer concrete solutions, not hollow rhetoric, to finally address our water challenges in California now.
Aubrey Bettencourt, President & CEO, Almond Alliance
Want more information like this ? Don’t miss our annual convention April 24 - 27!
The Almond Alliance team has the volume cranked to ten as we prep for this year’s 41st annual convention, Won’t Back Down, in La Quinta, CA, April 24-27, 2023. Register at almondalliance.org/convention/
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MARCH–APRIL 2023
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