Column: Farmers, your name isn't mud
By: Bill McEwen

I get it when farmers say don't complain about us with your mouth full -- even though what they mean is don't complain about farmers at all.

So, I'm not going to complain about farmers. I'm going to suggest -- for their benefit -- that they talk a lot less about how tough they have it and start bragging about how well they do. The truth is agriculture has been one of the best performers in California's economy since the housing bubble burst and recession began, according to state statistics and a University of the Pacific economist who has made a point of highlighting this issue.

Yes, there are some farmers, such as those on the west side of the Central Valley, who have been waylaid by drought and environmental restrictions. But, as a whole, farmers are better off than construction workers, real-estate agents and laid-off public employees.

The big-picture view for California is that we should thank our lucky stars that all of our productive farmland hasn't been turned into subdivisions and parking lots. Otherwise, our economy would be a worse mess. But you wouldn't know it from the Dust Bowl landscape of Valley agriculture painted by farmers and ally politicians. Like the farmer who drives an old pickup lest someone think he's making a buck, they peddle fear and pestilence.

And with competition more intense than ever for water -- the one thing farmers can't do without -- this is a terrible message. In fact, it's the wrong message. People who believe it will conclude that the industry is doomed and doesn't deserve our support. Instead, agriculture should talk about how important it is to California and the Valley. It should talk about the value created by adding water and know-how to soil. And it should point out that farming is one of the few industries capable of plodding ahead in difficult times.

There's something else farmers need to do besides bragging more, complaining less and telling the real story. They need to show that they're worth the irrigation water sent their way from the Sierra snowpack by investing more in their local communities.

You'd think that the nation's richest farm-producing region would have a world-class agriculture museum, but it doesn't. You'd think that the "Growers" name would be affixed to a hospital or even the football stadium at Fresno State, but it isn't. You'd think that Westlands Water District would've figured out long ago that if it wants access to water from other parts of the state, it should take more pride in the well-being of the towns in its district. Westlands has been successful, but you wouldn't know it by the quality of life in Mendota and Huron.

Farmers have a choice. They can complain. Or they can talk about their importance to California's economy -- and justify the taxpayers' continued and considerable investment in their industry. Should they keep talking about hard times and Dust Bowls, they'd better prepare for the day that someone believes them.

When that happens, Farm Bills will die and canal gates will close. Even the dumbest of politicians knows it's foolish to throw good money -- much less good water -- after bad.