Letters to the editor

The Salinas Californian
Posted on April 13, 2007


Attack on ag is unwarranted

I can't sit back any longer and read letters attacking the ag industry, accusing it of being a bunch of greedy landowners. It's a cheap shot. If LandWatch had any facts to defend Measure A, it would stick to them. Paul Ceteno's Thursday letter makes it obvious they don't.

If you believe Ceteno, my wife, Lorri Koster, is one of those "greedy" ag people. In reality she is a young mother of two who is the third generation of her family to work in the industry. She and her partner employ over 450 people. They offer year-round employment, competitive salaries and full benefits. They've kept a business running here for 68 years!


I will defend my wife's reputation when Ceteno accuses her and others of "lacking the work ethic of their predecessors." I'm confident the directors of the five nonprofits in which she volunteers as a board member would disagree. I'm confident United Way of Monterey County would disagree. Its campaign exceeded $3.6 million. Who headed it up? Another talented young
mother of two in the ag industry, Margaret D'Arrigo Martin. Campaign awards went to Mann Packing for creating the greatest campaign growth, Valley Pride as pacesetter of the year and D'Arrigo Bros. as community partner of the year. We should be thanking them, not trying to put them out of business.

The Harden Foundation, Boys and Girls Club of the Salinas Valley, National Steinbeck Center, Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, Salinas Valley Fairgrounds and hundreds of nonprofits have been created and supported by the ag industry. That their ancestors came here and built an industry doesn't make them criminals. Check the facts - the opposite is true.
We don't need to save farmland from farmers. We need to save it from LandWatch. If you have a job and own a home in Monterey County, you too will benefit from defeating Measure A. Wanting a job and to own a home is not greed. It's the American dream.

Tom Koster