Not a pretty picture

Editor,

I enjoyed Rick Elkin’s editorial the other day about what the Valley would look like without agriculture. It reminded me about a report from the Agricultural Commissioner that came out about 20 years ago (I say “about” because my memory is not quite as good as it used to be). That report said that 50 years ago (about 70 years ago now) Los Angeles County was the leading agricultural producing county in the world and that today (20 years ago) there was no commercial agriculture in the county.

Today, Tulare County and Fresno County are the leading agricultural producers in the world. Based on past history and the conversion of ag land that is going on in the San Joaquin Valley today, I see a completely different picture than Rick of what the Valley will look like without agriculture in another 50 years. Not a pretty picture.

Roger W. Robb
Porterville