At CalCAN’s Summit at the end of October, I shared this quote and some thoughts about it with the 400 participants who attended. 

“Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.”

— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

It seemed to have some resonance, so now I am offering it to our wider network, as we approach the winter solstice and the end of the year—typically a time of reflection and rest. 

It is common in advocacy and political circles to talk about power—who has it and who doesn’t, how to get it, how to build it, how to “map” it, and how to seize it. I believe the most effective way to achieve widespread systemic change is to influence policy, which usually means amassing political power.

This is a time of rapid change and uncertainty ecologically, socially, and politically. As we face the inevitable changes, losses, and uncertainty ahead, I think it is love and care that will get us through—care for one another, love of the land and the non-human beings, and love of the children we know and the ones we can only imagine. As I take stock of the work we have done this year in partnership with hundreds of individuals and organizations, I find evidence of both power and love.

Our work is grounded in the care that the farmers and ranchers in our network take of their lands, their animals, their workers, and their communities. Their experiences, stories, mistakes, and risk-taking inform our priorities and policy positions. Our Farmer and Rancher Advisory Council and our much larger and informal web of producers make us more powerful and relevant. For example, Bianca Soares Shapero of Star Creek Land Stewards, our newest farmer advisor, hosted a tour for East Bay legislators to showcase the critical role of prescribed grazing in reducing wildfire risk and stewardship of rangelands. One month later, the legislature passed SB 675, a bill that codifies prescribed grazing as a statewide fire mitigation strategy and will lead to the development of practical recommendations for using the popular practice.

I think about collaboration and partnership as an act of care and love that can also be influential. Our approach is critically dependent on partnerships with other advocates for sustainable and organic agriculture, conservation, environmental justice, and healthy and just food systems. We are active members of the California Food and Farming Network which brings together organizations across the food system to have a collective impact on state policy. Since 2021, we co-led a group of 15 organizations collaborating on the Food and Farming Resilience Coalition that succeeded in securing investments for a healthy and just food system in Proposition 4, the climate bond measure that voters resoundingly supported on the November ballot.

Our collaborations extend to the federal policy arena as well. Along with 150 other organizations across the country, we are active members of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). Our contribution there is to work alongside other advocates seeking incentives for agricultural solutions to climate change, primarily in the conservation programs of the farm bill. With some partners in the dairy industry, we also led a campaign to advance a federal bill (the COWS Act) to replicate California’s popular Alternative Manure Management Program that provides grants to dairy producers to update their manure management technology to produce compost and reduce methane emissions. This work will continue in 2025 as we continue to build power with partners representing small and medium-sized dairy farmers who are struggling to stay in business while becoming continually better stewards of their land.

Gratitude for Our Community

As the end of the year approaches, I am filled with gratitude for so many powerful and caring people in our community of changemakers:

• CalCAN’s coalition members continue to guide our strategy and vision with integrity and commitment. 
• Our staff team is dedicated and smart, and I encourage you to reach out to connect with them at any time with your ideas, feedback, and offers of engagement. 
• Our philanthropic partners fuel our work with their generosity and make it possible for us to be nimble and impactful. 

Finally, each of you has contributed to this work by paying attention to and caring for CalCAN’s mission and vision, and by raising your voice when we need you. We appreciate your financial support (you can make a donation here), your thought partnership, and your action on the ground.