Troubled by tariffs, some Sacramento Valley farmers and ranchers say their profits are plummeting due to new federal trade policies.<\/p>\n
From dairy and beef cattle to pears and poultry, the farming industry generates more than $500 million each year in Sacramento County.<\/p>\n
While valley farmers are used to dealing with droughts and invasive pests, there’s now a growing concern over politics impacting their profits.<\/p>\n
“Our margins are so slim that we can’t afford to lose any markets,” said Ken Oneto, director of the Sacramento County Farm Bureau.<\/p>\n
Farmers and ranchers are now taking their concerns to Congressman Ami Bera, who met with them at the Sacramento County Farm Bureau.<\/p>\n
“We did have a heated conversation,” Bera said. “This is really uncertain times.”<\/p>\n
Wine grapes have traditionally been Sacramento County’s top crop, but now some growers say that’s in jeopardy due to tariffs and boycotts.<\/p>\n
“You don’t see a bottle of California wine in Canadian stores, and they were 40% of our exports,” Oneto said.<\/p>\n
Last year, Sacramento County wine sales totaled more than $167 million. But profits are declining, and this year, many growers have left their grapes to rot on the vine.<\/p>\n
Other agricultural products are also going unharvested.<\/p>\n
“It’s horrible that crops would go to waste when so many American families are struggling to put food on their table,” Bera said.<\/p>\n
A lack of farm labor is also a concern, due to immigration changes.<\/p>\n
“You can’t be all immigration or no immigration,” Bera said. “It’s got to be in the middle here.”<\/p>\n
Bera said local farmers have a lot to lose if tariffs continue.<\/p>\n
“If we get in a trade war, we’ve seen it with China, the first place they go is to go after farmers,” he said.<\/p>\n
Bera added that agricultural problems ultimately impact all consumers.<\/p>\n
“I hear from folks every day that they’re going to the grocery store, they’re spending the same amount of money, but now they’ve only got a have a bag of groceries,” Bera said.<\/p>\n
The congressman says one of his top priorities is passing a new farm bill, which has been tied up in Congress and could provide some relief to local farmers struggling with declining profits.<\/p>\n