Many of the family farmers who participated in the protest are not in the market for new equipment, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. They hoped the action would bring public attention to the broader crisis they face, characterized by some as "catastrophic."

"I'm here today because if something drastic isn't done soon none of us will be around next year," Jim Diedrich, 54, a fifth generation farmer from Merced, California, who raises tomatoes, almonds, and beans, told the Militant. "I support ending the sales tax on equipment, but there's a lot more that has to be done even on the tax question. Taxes on land, on fuel, and the cost of diesel fuel are killing us. Diesel fuel used to cost 10 cents a gallon. Now it goes up 10 cents a day! It's over a dollar a gallon. What the energy companies are charging us is outrageous!"

Farmers are especially hard hit as California's energy providers try to pass skyrocketing costs onto consumers. Copies of one farmer's energy bills provided by Cadoza's office showed an increase from $18,312 for the month of February last year, to $85,033 this year, even though he used less gas.

"Everything is going up but the price the farmer gets for his product," said Alan Sano, 38, who grows processing tomatoes, wheat, almonds, and cotton. "We're only going to get 40 percent of the water we're supposed to this year and the supplemental water is twice the cost!"

No family farmer spoke at the rally. The speakers list was dominated by politicians, businessmen, and representatives of farm and governmental agencies. The few handmade signs seen in the crowd seemed to better address the concerns of those who in some cases had traveled hundreds of miles to bring their message to the state. The signs read "California Farmers: #1 Endangered Species" and "No water; No farmer; No food."  
 
 
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