Los Banos Rotary Club History
Rotarians See Farm Operation

Something new and different in the way of programs was provided for members of the Rotary Club here Tuesday of last week as one of the members, Randall Fawcett, arranged a luncheon for the group in the dining hall of the West Side Growers Assn. labor camp south of town on Center Avenue, and later took the group via Patchetts bus, on a quick tour of the Fawcett Farms.

At the luncheon Fawcett briefly explained the plan under which the labor camp is operated, and how the Mexican National workers are recruited for needed jobs in this area. He emphasized that the Mexican workers are restricted in the type of work they are permitted to do so there can be no competition or interference with local resident labor, classifying the jobs mostly as "stoop" labor such as melon picking, sugar beet thinning, and similar laborious jobs that are generally unattractive to local labor. He also emphasized that the Mexican National is not underpaid, the agreement with the Association being to pay the regular going wage for comparable work in each given area.
Before the luncheon Fawcett and Association manager Sal Espana showed the group through the spic and span kitchen, housing units and the large rest room and shower facilities, all maintained in top sanitary condition.
Later the group, riding in a Patchetts bus, made a quick tour of the Fawcett ranch, inspected the 3-lift irrigation system, and stopped at the 250-cow Grade A dairy, where the mid-day milking was just getting underway. He classed the 1200-acre farm owned by he and his father, H. G. Fawcett, as a small large farming unit with highly diversified production.

He said there are 14 permanent families employed at the ranch, in addition to large numbers of seasonal workers which would amount to an average of about 30 persons for the whole year. Discounting the common opinion that small farms spell the most prosperity for a community, Fawcett emphasized the economic importance of the larger farming units to a community, with probably more permanent and casual employees than could be supported on smaller individually owned or leased acres. Today's advanced machinery and automation, he said does replace manpower in some instances but in total provides a definite and important economic fact to the community in equipment purchases, family shopping support, and a healthy agricultural condition that means substantial economic influence to the business men of the community.

June 20, 1958

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