Widening of Highway 118

The widening of Highway 118 to four lanes would reshape agriculture in the Las Posas Valley, probably for the better.

People need to understand that for farmers to succeed, our products must get to market in a timely manner. For that we rely upon good roads and less congestion.

I guess people think farmers airlift their oranges, lemons and avocados to port. If you look around, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a lot of helicopters lifting from orchards around the Las Posas Valley.

Of course, we have to truck our goods on county roads and state highways. We applaud anyone who fights to improve traffic flow on local roadways, as Supervisor Judy Mikels has. Also, ask any California Highway Patrol official and you’ll be that told four-lane highways are always safer than two-lane highways.

Additionally, Supervisor Mikels already has made strong decisions to improve agriculture in the Las Posas Valley, and countywide for that matter.

Remember, this is the supervisor who personally pushed the reformation and strengthening of the county’s Agriculture Policy Advisory Committee [APAC]. This is a panel of five farmers who review all development and regulatory issues as they pertain to agriculture and report directly to the Board of Supervisors.

With the same action, Mikels asked the APAC to draft a right-to-farm ordinance, which the board subsequently approved. Judy Mikels has focused on agriculture as the business it is, not as an issue about protecting open space for the enjoyment of former city dwellers who happened to move out into the orchards.

SAMUEL A. McINTYRE

President, Somis Pacific Ag Management Inc.

Somis