Viewing Louisiana from perspective of a Californian

NRECA is the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Its roots go back the Rural Electrification Act of 1936.
It was enacted by FDR as part of the New Deal. It provided loans to rural electric co-ops who then provided electricity to the rural areas and farms, all because the for profit energy companies refused to serve the rural areas due to the cost of running miles and miles of electric lines to serve just a few customers.
The NRECA is still alive and energized!
It has over 900 member co-ops in 47 states providing service to well over 40 million people. That’s only 12 percent of our nation’s population, but they have 42 percent of the distribution lines. There’s no doubt if I were farming back in the 1930’s, I would have been an original board member fighting to get electricity for my family and farm.
Heck, I probably would’ve started a rural publication to help champion the cause!
Being around this group of rural folks, especially the ones from the great state of California, helped me appreciate their state in a different way.
California gets a bad rap viewing it from the television media. We see them as movie stars complaining about global warming while flying around on private jets.
We see their politicians fighting for sanctuary cities when we all know that is harboring illegal citizens and criminals for the sake of their votes. Am I the only one whocringes when Nancy Pelosi steps up to the mic and claims she represents American citizens?
California is much more than that. When you leave the cities, you find hard-working farmers and ranchers just like here in Louisiana.
California leads the nation in agriculture. They grow over half of all the fruits, nuts, and vegetables. They actually grow as much rice as we do here.
Granted, we grow the fluffy, long-grain rice that’s perfect for gumbo and crawfish ettouffe, and they grow sticky short-grain that’s perfect for sushi.
They produce more dairy products than Wisconsin and are second in the nation only behind Texas in beef production.
All told they farm over 200 crops and lead the nation in 66 food crops, valued at over $40 billion annually.
But this leads me to wonder how the rest of the country views Louisiana?
When I introduce myself being from Crowley, Louisiana, the first thing they ask: Is that near New Orleans!
The second is: Do I know Troy Landry?
Do they think every town has a Bourbon Street? Do they think our children are always in jeopardy of being eaten by alligators?
Do they think we are crazy for putting hot sauce on spicy food?
When they watched TV coverage of Hurricane Katrina did they think we are all selfish looters? I certainly hope not.
I hope they view us as a state with a very diverse economy and culture. I hope they see New Orleans not just as a city with Bourbon Street and Mardi Gras but as an important port city that is the beginning and the end of the massive amount of cargo that travels through the Mississippi river.
I hope they realize that alligators are a $35 million dollar a year industry and not a nuisance.
When they put a few drops of hot sauce on their food, I hope they realize that it is a huge industry here.
The McIhenny Co. employs over 200 people in Avery Island and ships Tabasco sauce to 180 countries!
And when they watch TV coverage of our numerous Hurricanes and floods, I hope that they remember the Cajun Navy rescuers and the hard-working lineman restoring power in hostile envi-ronments, and especially neighbors helping out neighbors in need.
My view of California has definitely changed for the better, I hope yours has too. And please don’t think of Cali-fornia as the state that gave us Nancy Pelosi, but rather the State that gave us Ronald Reagan!
Buck Leonards is a farmer in Acadia Parish and publisher of Louisiana Farm and Ranch Magazine.