[LINK] "Scenes from the New American Dustbowl"

[rfmcdonald]

Alan Heathcock's Medium article takes a look at the consequences of California's catastrophic drought for the dying farm communities of the Central Valley. Written very much from the perspective of farmers, with as one commenter notes little attention being paid to the migrant farm workers who actually grew the food or to the environments who make good points about the viability of farming in a semi-desert climate, "Scenes from the New American Dustbowl" chronicles a sad story of utter collapse. Is this what the future will look like, with despair and resentment aplenty?

Andy Vidak, cherry farmer and senator for the 16th district, [. . .] for the next 20 minutes goes deeply and conspiratorially political. He educates me on a long series of decisions made by a “small percentage of politicians who also hold the most power” in collaboration with radical environmentalists who have worked to destroy the farmers of the Central Valley. “This is perfect politics,” Vidak says. “The perfect war. This valley is conservative.” He contends big-city liberals are aware they can save the salmon, don the hero’s crown for environmentalists, all while eliminating conservative political opposition.

I respectfully suggest that one of the most productive agricultural valleys in the world couldn’t possibly be sacrificed in the name of politics — there’s a population base, functioning towns.

“No,” Vidak counters. “People in New York or Boise, Idaho, don’t care where their produce comes from.” The valley of farmers could go away, and so long as the product came from elsewhere no one would care.

He tells me a story of a local food bank. It was mid-summer and the men in line would be working if so much land wasn’t left unfarmed due to the water crisis. If that wasn’t bad enough, he noticed the food bank was handing out cans of carrots grown in China.

“Carrots from China,” Vidak says. “All while we have two of the largest carrot growers in the world down here. That’s just wrong.”