Calling San Benito County and the tri-county area one of the
country’s best areas for agricultural business, Congressman Sam
Farr told a capacity crowd of more than 200 people inside the San
Juan Bautista Community Center Hall on Tuesday night the county
needs to focus on what it does best
– produce agriculture.
Calling San Benito County and the tri-county area one of the country’s best areas for agricultural business, Congressman Sam Farr told a capacity crowd of more than 200 people inside the San Juan Bautista Community Center Hall on Tuesday night the county needs to focus on what it does best – produce agriculture.
“We are the Silicon Valley of agriculture,” Farr said.
In the third of four town hall meetings throughout the Central Coast area – the only one in San Benito County – Farr spoke and answered questions for nearly two-and-a-half hours as attendees applauded and booed.
Farr, a Democrat from Carmel, is up for reelection in November and has been the District 17 representative for 17 years. District 17 includes Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties. He is being challenged by Republican Jeff Taylor.
In Farr’s opening 30-minute speech he mentioned growing up in the area and traveling to San Benito County to eat dinner and look at the scenery.
“I say this all the time – there is no place in the world, no place in the United States where you have as much diversity in the land,” Farr said. “We sell scenery.”
A part of that scenery is the Pinnacles National Monument, which Farr hopes to change to a national park soon.
“This missing book on geology is Pinnacles National Monument,” he said. “The name change won’t change anything but give it more recognition.”
A large portion of his speech focused on the success of the county and area – mostly the agriculture and schooling. He said there should be a focus on bringing higher-end agricultural jobs to the county.
“The ag that is here is the brain trust for the rest of the agriculture throughout the country,” Farr said. “You always have to sell it and I’m going to be your national campaign. This is an area that we all know and cherish.”
Farr also mentioned that the area has more affordable school institutions than areas such as New York and Boston.
“It doesn’t matter what type of grades you get if you can’t afford the school,” Farr said.
Contention came from the crowd when Farr mentioned the recovery act and the belief that officials needed to “infuse massive amounts of capital” back into the country. Many crowd members shook their heads. Some simply said no.
Questions focused on the health care bill, employment, the economy and Clear Creek Management Area. The group was just about divided in half from those who supported Farr and those who opposed him. Waiting outside were members of the Santa Cruz Tea Party and the Republican Party.
The groups were passing out the literature of Meg Whitman and held signs that said “vote out socialist Sam Farr” and “more freedom and less government.”
See the full story in the Pinnacle on Friday.
