Our legacy of produce

The buffet held promise. We were vegetable deficient since Vegas, and the quest for them compelled our actions. The salad bar and broccoli would have to do the trick for that day. Desperate times.

It wasn’t nearly as good as the Cracker Barrel two days earlier in a small Utah town outside Zion. Having never been, we found the green beans and broccoli surprisingly fresh and good, as was the trout. But maybe that was all that jerky in the car talking.

We are spoiled here. Spoiled by the vegetables our temperate climate produces right here for the state, the nation and the world. Having enjoyed garden-fresh produce my whole life, it’s hard to understand that while you can get vegetables everywhere, other parts of the country just don’t have it as good.

It’s part of our legacy here in California and San Mateo County.

But do we appreciate it? Well that’s sort of the big question isn’t it? We may take it for granted, or we may appreciate it, but will we do what it takes to keep it going for the next generation?

That’s the center of a new focus on supporting San Mateo County’s farmworkers that culminated in a summit over the weekend on the coast. Elected officials are interested in helping ensure our legacy of farming continues here in San Mateo County, but it will take hard work and support.

As with any industry in this county, it’s hard to find workers. And working a farm is very difficult. It takes a special amount of unique knowledge of the environment, the land, plants, pests, seasons and whatever nature throws at you. It is physically challenging.

The cost of living, housing, health care and clean water all have an impact. These are topics elected leaders at the local, county and state level are seeking to address. And there is attention now on the plight. According to Joaquin Jimenez, Half Moon Bay’s vice mayor and a farmworker advocate, health care is increasingly becoming a concern since many make too much to qualify for MediCal, but not enough to make a decent living. Housing is also increasingly in focus and there seems to be political energy toward addressing the crowding that comes with rising costs, he said.

Unfortunately, many farmworkers were not able to make the summit Saturday afternoon because they were still working. The rainy winter and early spring has shifted the schedule, and Jimenez hopes to have another summit at a time more can come to share their points of view.

There is hope. And Jimenez points out there are three things when it comes to ensuring our legacy of farming, and its bounty, remains intact: farmers, farmworkers and land. There has been tremendous effort to keep our San Mateo County farmland intact through groups like the Peninsula Open Space Trust, and that work is ongoing. Finding a way to provide good housing and health care will help keep farmworkers here. Farmers benefit from both efforts, but are facing another obstacle, and that is age. The next generation is not as interested in farming as they were in the past. Our current farmworkers might be interested in carrying on this legacy, but need our support.

Our fields of blues, greens and dark browns are perfect for growing. The fog brings moisture and the coastal sun spurs growth. Our extremes are not nearly as bad as other parts of the country. There is no cold snow and baking desert skies. We are lucky.

But as every farmer knows, sometimes your luck runs out and it’s time to make our own luck through hard work — and so it’s not just broccoli and salad bars in our future.

Jon Mays is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Journal. He can be reached at jon@smdailyjournal.com. Follow Jon on Twitter @jonmays.