Statement of-Continued Page Davis, Vernon, Madera, Calif... 1623 deBack, Phil, president, Tomato Growers Association of California, Isleton, Calif. 1587 Dickie, Alex, Jr., president, Texas Farmers Union, Denton, Tex.. 1825 1669 Fernandes, William R., first vice president, Poultry Producers of Central California, Turlock, Calif. 1629 Gibson, Glenn, secretary-treasurer, Oklahoma Beekeepers Association, 1866 Griset, Raymond, vice chairman, Rancho Santa Fe, California Lima Bean advisory board, and member, board of directors, California Gura, Sol, chairman, Valley Poultry Men's Cooperative of San Gabriel Valley, Baldwin Park, Calif., also representing the San Hagen, Hon Harlan, Representative in Congress from the 14th Con- Hanley, James, Jr., Dos Palos, Calif. 1619 Harbour, Thurman, Del Norte, Colo 1770 Hardie, Donald M., president, Milk Producers Association of Central Jorgensen, Walter O., vice president, Association of Texas Soil Con- Kone, Samuel L., San Antonio, Tex.. 1836 Kuhrt, W. J., chief, Division of Marketing, California State Depart- Lewis, Joe C., chairman, California Farm Research and Legislative Long, Frank, Fresno County Chamber of Commerce, Fresno, Calif. - Love, Noble M., La Salle, Colo... 1785 Lovelace, Winston, manager, Pecos Valley Cottonoil Co., Loving, 1753 Lynch, James D., secretary, San Fernando Valley Poultry Co-op, Inc., 1526 Malec, Walter, publisher, the Tribune, Hallettsville, Tex.. 1981 Mason, Floyd B., Durango, Colo.- 1783 Mather, Allen F., executive secretary, Agricultural Council of Cali- 1602 Matlock, Albert, Grier, N. Mex. 1789 McDade, Noel, Clayton, N. Mex.. 1747 McDonald, Mrs. Grace, executive secretary, California Farm Research McDougal, Harvey A., president, California Cattlemen's Association, 1598, 1644 McFarland, Sim, president, McFarland Bros. Bank, Logan, N. Mex Nichols, Dr. Joe D., secretary, Marion-Cass Soil Conservation District, 1956 Pfaffinger, Frank X., president, Poultry Men's Cooperative Associa- 1595 Philpott, George W., president, Sportsmen's Council of Central California and member of the board of the California Wildlife Statement of—Continued Page Roberts, Delmar, president, New Mexico Farm and Livestock 1720 Robinson, R. C., Iowa Park, Tex. 1983 Rooney, Edward T., Jr., United Hop Growers of California, Inc., 1664 Sebbas, A. C., Lovelock, Nev... 1566 Secara, Del, chairman, economic study committee, California Cream- 1679 Shelby, A. K., Earth, Tex. 1984 Shephard, Laura, secretary, Imperial Valley Beekeepers Association, 1598 Smith, Wilmer, president, New Home Cooperative Gin and Plains 1802 Stewart, Charles A., secretary-general manager, Texas and South- 1863 PRICE-SUPPORT PROGRAM WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1955 UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY, The committee met, pursuant to recess, at 9:10 a. m., in the ballroom of the Hotel Californian, Fresno, Calif. Present: Senator Ellender (chairman) presiding. Also present: Senator Bible from the State of Nevada, and Senator Kuchel of the State of California; Congressman B. F. Sisk from the 12th Congressional District of the State of California, and Congressman Harlan Hagen from the 14th Congressional District of the State of California. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will please come to order. Before we proceed, I would like to state that I am very happy to have at my side here your own Tommy Kuchel, your junior Senator, and to my left is Senator Alan Bible, from Nevada, and to his left, Congressman B. F. Sisk and Congressman Harlan Hagen, from California. I understand that Mr. Charles V. Dick, chief, Division of Plant Industry, California Department of Agriculture, Sacramento, Calif., desires to make a few introductory remarks, and the Chair recognizes Mr. Dick. STATEMENT OF CHARLES V. DICK, CHIEF, DIVISION OF PLANT INDUSTRY, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, SACRAMENTO, CALIF. Mr. DICK. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, it is my pleasure, in behalf of the executive branch of our State government, to extend to you and your group an official welcome to the State of California. Gov. Goodwin J. Knight and Mr. W. C. Jacobson, our director of agriculture, have each asked that I convey to you their greetings and best wishes for a pleasant and successful visit to this State. We are very happy that you could hold one of your hearings here in California. There are two other representatives of our State Department of Agriculture present today, Mr. W. J. Kurt and Mr. Merle Huslong. If there is anything that any one of us can do to assist the committee, please do not hesitate to call on us. I have been asked by some of our people to present a brief factual statement as to the importance of California agriculture which might explain why so many different segments of our industry want to talk here today. Agriculture is a very important part of the economy of California. Approximately 10 percent of the people gainfully employed in this State are engaged directly in agriculture. Probably an equal number of workers are employed in activities which are directly related to agriculture, such as the processing of agricultural commoditiesthe grading, packing and preparation of these commodities for market, and the transportation and handling of agricultural commodities in the channels through which they reach the consumer. California agriculture is of vital importance in the national economy, since we are the leading State in total value of agricultural production. For several years we have produced agricultural commodities having an annual farm value of more than $22 billion. This represents about 12 percent of the Nation's cash receipts from farm marketing of crops, and about 6 percent from livestock. There is great diversity in our agriculture due to the wide range of climates and soil throughout the State, and to the fact that we have about 7 million irrigated acres, or about one-third of the total irrigated acreage of the United States. More than 200 different agricultural commodities are produced in commercial quantities. Some of these are crops which are produced nowhere else in the country, while others are the staple or basic commodities which make up the bulk of our national farm production. The three leading agricultural enterprises in California in terms of total income are dairying, cotton growing, and cattle raising. These three account for approximately one-third of the total value of the agricultural production of the State. During the last year our production of dairy products had a farm value of more than $300 million. The value of cattle and calves sold by farmers and ranchers was $274 million. Cotton and cottonseed yielded a farm income of $286 million. Eggs, chickens, and broilers accounted for $197 million of farm income with an additional $50 million derived from turkeys. At the same time, California holds first place among all States in the production of fruits and vegetables, normally accounting for more than one-third of the Nation's commercial fruits (fresh and processed) in terms of value, nearly one-fourth of the commercial vegetables (fresh and processed), and about two-thirds of the commercial tree nuts. The total value of California's citrus crops last year was $139 million. The value of the State's grape crop was $107 million, and the production of deciduous fruits amounted to $183 million. The total value of all fruit and nut crops produced in California last year was more than $500 million, and the farm value of commercial vegetable crops was $330 million. I have appended to this statement, Mr. Chairman, a statistical compilation of the value of these crops. The CHAIRMAN. That compilation will be placed in the record at this point. (The tabulation is as follows:) |