Why Oceanside’s Measure Y hurts farmers

It may not seem like it, but San Diego County is a farming community.That phrase, “farming community,” may conjure up images of old-timey black and white photos of tractors tilling up huge fields in what may now be a suburban neighborhood. Yet local agriculture continues to be important today.But our farming community is not without challenges. The most urgent challenge is Oceanside’s Measure Y, a ballot initiative that could spell the end of local farming. As president of the San Diego County Farm Bureau, I hope to help local residents understand this threat because of the value farming brings to our region.In 2017, farming contributed nearly $5 billion to San Diego County’s economy. Yes, “billion” with a “b.” To get to that level, 16,000 jobs have been created. While the economic numbers sound good, farming is a profession that requires skill, investment, risk and work. Really hard work. Add to those challenges the cost of water, foreign imports and an acute shortage of farm labor, and it is easy to understand why the number of farmers continues to shrink.An additional problem farmers face is attempts to legislate farming through ballot-box planning. Oceanside’s Measure Y, slated for the city’s November general election ballot, is a prime example.With the challenges farmers already face, it would be a practically unbearable burden if farmers in Oceanside are forced to comply with land-use regulations that no other property owner in Oceanside has to follow.