Capital Crawls with Grange Ladybugs
Governor Schwarzenegger meets State Grange President Bob McFarland at California Ag Day.
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The State Grange reaffirmed its support of family farms and local producers at the annual California Ag Day Celebration held March 23 at the State Capitol. Thousands of people visited the Grange booth including legislators, school children, agricultural leaders and the public.
“The Grange is an important participant in Ag Day,” commented Grange President Bob McFarland. “It’s a great opportunity for us to hob-knob with the movers and shakers of California agriculture and remind them of the significant contributions of small scale farming.”
The Grange gave away thousands of ladybugs to passers-by with handouts that read, “I am a ladybug. Please take me home. I want to live in your garden.” The handouts gave instructions for the care of the ladybugs and described their usefulness as a natural alternative to chemical pesticides. Ladybugs feed on a variety of harmful insects. The crawly bugs were a particular favorite of children visiting from local schools.
School kids are enchanted by ladybugs given away by the State Grange at California Ag Day.
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The Grange booth was staffed by members of the newly formed Sacramento Grange, including Cornelius Quinn, Sharon Taylor, Seth Taylor, Ricky Paiva, and Kelly Manna. Also on hand to promote the Grange and answers questions were President Bob McFarland and Government Affairs Director Michael Greene.
Among the dignitaries that McFarland and Greene met with during the day were Governor Schwarzenegger, Secretary of Agriculture A. G. Kawamura and legislative candidate and past-legislator Doug LaMalfa, a member of the Thermalito Grange. Later in the day, McFarland and Greene attended a hearing on the efforts to eradicate the light brown apple moth, chaired by State Senator Dean Florez, District 16.
Ag Day is sponsored by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. This year’s theme was “Healthy Choices for a Healthy California”. Other participants included the Almond Board, Alpaca Breeders, Cattleman’s Association, Poultry Federation, 4-H, FFA, UC Davis, USDA, and Western Fairs.