Ag secretary addresses water, labor and tariffs in farm visit with Denham

Water. Tariffs. Immigrant labor.

Farmers raised concerns over those points Tuesday when U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, asked what they’re worried about these days.

“I hear you,” Perdue said when an audience member asked about a significant threat from state water officials to irrigation rights on the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced rivers, known locally as the state water grab. “I wish I could snap my fingers and make it go away,” he said.

Perdue said he’s “all in” for protecting Valley farmers’ water rights, but as a former Georgia governor, he’s also reluctant to put federal muscle in a fight between irrigators and state officials.

Denham said foothill reservoirs also provide recreation, electricity and drinking water to several Valley communities. “I want the rest of the state to see how important the Valley is,” he said.

Asked about President Donald Trump’s tariffs policy, Perdue said the United States for too long has been perceived as “Boy Scouts” of international trading, “getting beat up” by nations taking advantage of American good faith. “The president has committed that he doesn’t want farmers to bear the brunt” of trade wars, he said.

But many fear just that, especially here in the Valley, where nuts, wines and other crops face stiff economic sanctions from China, Europe and elsewhere in retaliation for Trump’s threatened tariffs on steel, aluminum and other goods.

Some in Tuesday’s audience, heavily populated with growers, said they’re concerned about having enough field labor with Trump’s immigration crack-down. “I’m feeling it very hard,” a dairy farmer said.

Denham said, “I was willing to take on leadership of both parties in the House,” when he recently employed a rare tool aimed at forcing votes on immigration reform. Stymied by more conservative representatives, and lacking support among Democrats, the effort did not succeed.

Lack of adequate immigrant labor is among the top three issues Perdue hears about, he said, as he travels the country talking to growers.

Denham, first elected in 2010, is sensitive to accusations from his opponent, Josh Harder, that Denham is loathe to host open meetings for constituents. The congressman repeatedly referred to Tuesday’s gathering as a town hall.

Denham said he relied on media and farm bureaus to spread the word, but his staff gave media less than a day’s notice and provided meeting times in Salida and Oakdale only upon receiving response to invitations. He did not Tweet about either appearance before they occurred, and posted the Salida event after.

Garth Stapley: 209-578-2390

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This story was originally published August 14, 2018 at 3:50 PM.