Local farmers featured in farm history display

The San Diego County Fair's local agriculture barn included a farming history display with life-sized cardboard cutout photographs of local farmers holding signs noting the total United States population and the percentage of the population in farming that census year. Several local farmers were among those featured.

The first United States census was taken in 1790, and the sign that the nation's population was 3,929,214 and that farmers comprised 90 percent of the labor force was held by Ben Hillebrecht of Hillebrecht Farms in Escondido. Although the exhibit did not have information for 1800 to 1830, Ismael Resendiz of Resendiz Brothers Protea Growers, LLC, provided the 1840 figures of 17,069,453 Americans with 69 percent of the labor force in farming.

In 1850 the United States population was 23,191,786 with 64 percent of America's workforce engaged in agriculture. Andrea Peterson of Blue Heron Farm in Morro Hills was photographed holding that year's sign.

Farmers from Olive Hill Greenhouses, Inc., off of Olive Hill Road, were on two of the decade progress reports. Tony Godfrey noted that in 1880 the total population of 50,155,783 included 49 percent in farming. Fred Ceballos held the 1980 sign which indicated that 3.4 percent of the 227,020,000 United States residents were in farming.

Fallbrook farmer Charley Wolk of the Bejoca Company held the 1920 sign which noted that 105,760,620 people lived in America and 27 percent of those were in farming. The 1930 indicator that 21 percent of the 122,775,046 total population worked in agriculture was displayed by Andy Lyall of Lyall Enterprises, Inc., in Pauma Valley.

Archi's Acres is in Lilac, and Karen Archipley provided the 1950 data of 151,132,000 total residents with 12.2 percent in farming. Bob Vice was on the 22nd District Agriculture Association board for 18 years, and he represents Mystery Mountain Grove as well as the regional farm community with his sign that in 1970 the United States population was 204,335,000 with 4.6 percent of the workforce in farming.

The census data ended with the 1990 figures held by Alysha Stehly of Vesper Vineyards in Escondido. In 1990 the American population was 261,423,000 with 2.6 percent in farming. The San Diego County Farm Bureau organized the display, and during a Farm Bureau board meeting the members were asked about being photographed as part of the effort to promote farming in San Diego County. The display also included a Friends of Farming silo. Friends of Farming is a San Diego County Farm Bureau project which encourages the support of those who are not in agriculture professionally.

Farm equipment and a history of farming in San Diego County, including leading crops and water milestones, were also displayed.