By Lynn Morgan
Data from the 2012 Agricultural Census, shows that the primary owner/operators of our farms in California are white males. For example, of all farms in California, 18% are owned and operated by women, implying that the remaining 82% are operated by men.
Regarding race and ethnicity of operators, over 90% are owned and operated by white farmers, with the remaining 10% operated by Latinos, Asians, American Indian/Alaska Native and African Americans, in descending order.
In the walnut industry, many women participate as part of a husband/wife team. Further, there are minority growers who work tirelessly on their farms but who do not actively seek to become board members. Additionally, there are walnut growers and handlers who represent non-white ethnicities, but the membership of the walnut boards does not reflect this diversity.
This data represents a simple picture about both California farmers in general, and walnut operators specifically. It is reasonable to look beyond walnut farmers and processors alone to see a diversity of people engaged in the walnut industry in California. Varying cultures and races, as well as genders, are employed in the industry as marketing analysts, sales representatives, advertisers, retailers, production researchers, medical experts, nutritionists and others. It is critical for the walnut industry to entice a diversity of people to run for board positions to help guide the successful promotion and sales of walnuts worldwide. Having a strong ethnic and gender representation on the walnut boards will greatly aid in understanding cultures and markets in other countries.
With the election of new members to both the California Walnut Commission and the Federal California Walnut Board scheduled in 2015, we encourage a greater participation in the electoral process.
