BILL NUMBER: ACR 31 AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 16, 2015 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 3, 2015 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Members Perea and Gallagher (Principal coauthors: Senators Cannella and Galgiani) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Cooper, Dodd, Eggman, Grove, Quirk,and SalasSalas, Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Atkins, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chang, Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Hadley, Harper, Holden, Irwin, Jones, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen, Patterson, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wilk, Williams, and Wood ) (Coauthors: Senators Allen, Anderson, Bates, Berryhill, Block, Fuller, Gaines, Hall, Hernandez, Hertzberg, Hill, Hueso, Huff, Jackson, Lara, Leno, Leyva, Liu, McGuire, Mendoza, Mitchell, Monning, Morrell, Nguyen, Nielsen, Pan, Roth, Stone, Vidak, Wieckowski, and Wolk) FEBRUARY 24, 2015 Relative to California Agriculture Day. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 31, as amended, Perea. California Agriculture Day. This measure would recognize and honor the men and women of California agriculture for their dedication and productivity by observing March 18, 2015, as National Agriculture Day, and designating March 18, 2015, as California Agriculture Day. Fiscal committee: no. WHEREAS, March 18, 2015, is designated as California Agriculture Day, a day of celebration to commemorate agriculture's importance in our daily lives, its vital role in keeping Californians nourished, and its role in keeping the state's economy ranked as the eighth largest in the world; and WHEREAS, The 2015 theme of California Agriculture Day is "California Breaking New Ground" in recognition of the diversity and significance of California agriculture, which is constantly developing new and innovative technologies; and WHEREAS, For more than 60 consecutive years, California has been the number one agricultural state in the nation, producing more than 400 crop and livestock products and accounting for approximately 50 percent of the nation's supply of fruits, vegetables, and nuts; and WHEREAS, The inexhaustible efforts of California's farmworkers have contributed greatly to the success of the agricultural industry; and WHEREAS, California's agricultural community relies on a vital infrastructure that aids in the exclusion and early detection of plant and animal pests and diseases that impact public health, the environment, and commerce; and WHEREAS, With less than 1 percent of California's population engaged in farming and agriculture, each agricultural worker today provides for more than 100 other people, compared to just 13 in 1947; and WHEREAS, Today's agricultural industry offers a diverse range of challenging and rewarding career opportunities, from on-farm cultivation to food science and engineering; and WHEREAS, Over the past seven decades, advances in agricultural production have resulted in a drop in consumer spending on food products from 23 percent of disposable income in 1947 to approximately 10 percent today; and WHEREAS, California is the nation's leader in agricultural exports, shipping more than 18.8 billion dollars worth of food and agricultural commodities around the world in 2012; and WHEREAS, California's agricultural industry constantly seeks to incorporate the latest scientific and technological production and marketing techniques to meet the demands of changing consumer needs and complex world markets; and WHEREAS, Public-private partnerships are continually being developed to improve quality and ensure safe handling practices on the farm, in transit, and during processing; and WHEREAS, California consumers are increasingly demonstrating their preference for "California grown" products, and over the last decade, Californians have greatly increased their support of farmers' markets, community-supported agricultural programs, and farm-to-school programs; and WHEREAS, A broad approach to agricultural education is vital to ensure that agriculture in California continues to flourish; and WHEREAS, California is estimated to lose 500,000 acres of agricultural land by 2050 and more than 300,000 acres of it will have been highly productive irrigated cropland, and thus California should continue to work for conservation to preserve California's agricultural heritage; and WHEREAS, It is appropriate for all Californians to recognize our farmers, ranchers, farmworkers, and others involved in providing such a bounty to our nation and the entire world; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes and honors the men and women of California agriculture for their dedication and productivity by observing March 18, 2015, as National Agriculture Day, and designating Wednesday, March 18, 2015, as California Agriculture Day; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.