Becoming aVoice for Farming
The drought has brought increased attention on California
farming from the media and general public. Bays took it
upon himself to try to educate the public on the realities of
farm life. “I try to show them the human element of farming,
the farmers. We’re humans who depend on farming as an
industry for a paycheck and a living, but there’s a lot of
employees in service industries that depend on almonds and
apricots and the various crops that we grow in California to
support their own families,” he explained.
“I also want them to leave with an understanding
that we do our best to use our resources
efficiently. Occasionally I do have to take a
step back and do some basic education as far
as all food takes water and soil to grow and
there’s a cost associated with that,” he said.
“It’s a lot more than planting a seed, kicking
back and letting it grow on its own, and then
coming back six or nine months later. It’s really
more science, praying, hard work and sweat
that goes into it.”
Mel Machado, Director of Member Relations
for
Blue Diamond
, has known Bays since he was a
high school student and has seen him grow into
a capable industry representative. “Daniel is a
wonderful spokesman for agriculture in general
and the almond community, in particular,” he
said. “He’s an absolute pleasure to be around
and a joy to work with.”
With HardWork Comes
Recognition
Bays was recently awarded the California Farm
Bureau Federation’s Achievement Award, an
honor recognizing the operating efficiency of
young farmers and ranchers based on leadership,
creativity and proven success. “It feels nice to
be recognized but a little embarrassing because
there are many other deserving individuals out
there as well,” he said, humbly.
“Hopefully it provides inspiration or interest to
someone else who is up and coming and shows
them there are opportunities out there for an
individual to get involved and grow. Hopefully,
it also shows the older generation that there is an
interest from the younger generation to carry on
the tradition of farming.”
As the award winner, Bays represented
California at the American Farm Bureau
Federation Annual Meeting, an experience he greatly enjoyed.
“There are many differences between a peanut farmer in
Georgia, a vegetable farmer fromMichigan, a corn farmer
from the Midwest and a tree and nut farmer from California
but there are also some issues that we can all share a common
interest in, as we all care for the land and have an appreciation
for the job we do to feed the world.”
Learn more about connecting consumers with growers at
and view the Bays Farm profile
under Cultivators. Also, follow on Twitter and Instagram
@CultivateCA #CAonMyPlate.
MARCH | APRIL 2016
Almond Facts
37
