Bakersfield Californian
By Jenny Bertagna Holtermann
Typically, farming is a way of life and not something that you just pick up. My family has farmed in California for four generations. Today, with my husband’s family and now our two children, we continue that legacy in Kern County, growing almonds and supporting the communities and people who keep the state’s second-highest producing agricultural county thriving.
People often call farmers “resilient,” and I’ve seen why. From almonds to alfalfa, farmers rise before dawn, push through droughts and floods, and uphold a $60-billion industry that fuels our economy, and feeds the nation and world.
But, as we farmers and ranchers work to keep California running, we’re often looking over our shoulders, not only at the weather or uncertainty of commodity prices, but at thieves looking to make a quick buck. Rural property and agricultural crime are quietly devastating our communities, jeopardizing livelihoods, and putting public health and safety at risk.
A single theft can cripple and close any farm. Tractors, irrigation pumps, copper wire, solar panels and harvesting equipment aren’t luxuries — they’re necessities. Replacing them can cost upward of six-figures. Earlier this year, thieves in Kern County caused more than $30,000 in damages stealing copper wire — one of many similar cases across the Central Valley. Additionally, in Monterey County, multiple tractors were stolen in a single week.
These crimes ripple outward: Delayed harvest can mean lost crops, higher insurance costs and ultimately higher food prices for families. On our farm, we have had multiple quads stolen, damage to our shops and gates as well as copper wire stolen, well over $100,000 worth of stolen property and damage.
What’s happening in Kern and Monterey counties reflects a larger statewide crisis.
Farm bankruptcies are on the rise again. While 93% of California farms are family owned, and with an industry that is already running on fumes, these impacts are very real, personal and unaffordable.
When it comes to the response to crime, rural sheriffs’ departments are doing everything they can, but are often stretched thin. Many counties face chronic staffing shortages, long patrol distances, and rising calls for service. Officers often are covering hundreds of miles, leading to response times being measured in hours, not minutes like they should be. Many rural counties have three to four deputies patrolling at some hours. With the size of Kern County and our large rural areas, this just isn’t enough deputies to keep our lands safe.
It’s not for lack of effort. It’s for lack of resources. Dedicated agricultural crime units and specialized investigators have proven successful, when they exist. The California Rural Crime Prevention Program, active in the late 1990s, provided training, coordination and intelligence-sharing among counties. It worked. But when state funding ended in 2002, these task forces slowly faded, leaving a gap that rural communities still feel today.
The good news is, we know what works. Crime prevention is not only more effective than reacting after the fact, it’s also far less expensive. Restoring funding to this program is a long-term win that protects farmers, strengthens public safety and rural communities, and safeguards the food system that feeds all Californians.
With state support, counties could reestablish dedicated rural crime teams, install modern crime prevention technology, expand property-marking and equipment registration systems, and improve coordination with utilities to reduce copper wire and infrastructure theft. Task forces could also map high-risk areas, conduct proactive patrols during harvest seasons, and partner with farmers to implement prevention strategies that are proven effective.
In an era when organized theft rings are more sophisticated, a modernized program could connect rural investigations to broader criminal networks, improving deterrence. These efforts would protect farms, but they would also protect California consumers by reducing supply-chain disruptions, helping stabilize food prices, and keeping essential infrastructure, from irrigation to energy, functioning safely.
Farmers and ranchers may not agree on everything but there’s one thing we can agree on: Agriculture is our legacy. We hope future generations will have the opportunity to carry on the work we’ve done. But that farm must still be around for that to happen. By restoring and expanding funding for California’s Rural Crime Prevention Program, state leaders can safeguard farms, strengthen public safety, and ensure that the families who feed us all can continue to do so for generations to come.
Jenny Bertagna Holtermann is the executive director of a water nonprofit for Kern County and a fourth-generation farmer from Wasco who chairs the California Farm Bureau’s Rural Health and Safety Committee. She works to support agricultural communities across the region and advocate for policies that protect public safety and the state’s food supply.