U.S. Representative and Farmer John Duarte (CA-R) says resource abandonment is hurting the U.S. economy, and the practice is becoming a major problem for everyday Americans.
“If you look at what we’re doing with our farm water in California, what we’re doing with American energy policy, what we’re doing with minerals, what we’re doing with the Endangered Species Act enforcement with wolves and bears and delta smelt and salmon -- it’s all causing a resource abandonment that’s coming back down very, very hard on the back of the American consumer,” said, Rep. Duarte, who represents California’s 13th District. “The American working family is just not making it. And, as we see today with the economic news, a lot of families are doing quite well. If you’re on the owl camera and sitting in your home working from home, doing a high-tech [job] or communications or service job, you’re doing great. Wages are going up. Now, the government’s talking about raising interest rates some more. That destroys resource industries, destroys capital investment.”
The California congressman says the problems spread into agriculture as well when ag resources go towards efforts outside of feeding humans. He says bad policy is to blame.
“California passed Prop 12 -- this is disgusting -- and I’ve got a few ways I’m responding to this,” Rep. Duarte said. “We care about how many piggies there are in a pig pen. We care about how a chicken lays an egg, although I don’t think most of the people supporting these policies know of either. But then, on moral grounds, there’s no documented animal welfare issue, or anything else. This is just somebody’s morality, exercised in policy in California, affecting the affordability of animal protein.”
Prop 12 was originally passed in California back in 2018 but official regulation began on January 1, 2024.
Related Stories
Lewis Williamson of HTS Commodities joined us with an update on the historic winter storm impacts and his outlook on today’s ag markets.
RFD NEWS correspondent Frank McCaffrey recently spoke with Dr. Mike Vickers, a South Texas rancher, who says illegal border crossings have dramatically declined in the last year.
New rule speeds leasing and permitting for federal oil and gas development
Payment totals alone do not show financial stress — production costs and net losses complete the picture.
Year-round E15 remains on the table, but procedural caution and competing regional interests pushed action into a slower, negotiated path.
Without additional support, many soybean operations will continue to face financial stress as they prepare for the 2026 crop.
