Farmers in Merced County voiced their concerns about the impact of high-speed rail on ag land at a joint hearing organized by state senators Friday afternoon.

Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres, and Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, who leads the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee, held a joint hearing, "From Food to Rail: High-Speed Rail Impacts on Agriculture" on Friday.

Sen. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, and Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, also attended.

The event weighed the effects on ag land by the proposed railway, intended to carry passengers between San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles by way of the San Joaquin Valley at speeds of up to 220 mph.

Cannella said the event provided a chance for politicians to hear from the agricultural community, a major part of California's economy. It generates more than $30 billion a year in revenue.

Jeff Marchini, president of the Merced County Farm Bureau, said farmers and ranchers have been trying for two years to educate high-speed rail officials about agricultural issues.

"I made it a priority to be at the table with high-speed rail authorities," he said. But the Le Grand almond grower said the authority has rarely answered any of his questions.

"They continue to say all questions will be answered in the draft environmental report," he said.

Marchini demanded the authority provide detailed data about the routes and their effects and give more time for the project's draft environmental impact report -- 90 days instead of 45 days.

"It will give the public additional time to review these documents and ensure the route options aren't detrimental to ag land," Marchini explained.

Kole Upton, another farmer who spoke during the meeting, said he agreed the time frame for the draft EIR should be extended. Upton grows pistachios and almonds in southern Merced County.

The draft EIR would be available in August, Roelof van Ark, chief executive officer of the rail authority, said. The final EIR will be finished once all the comments are examined and incorporated and will be available at the beginning of 2012.

'Unfortunate' impacts

Authority officials say high-speed rail's cost, according to its December 2009 business plan, is $42.6 billion. An updated version of that business plan will be available in October.

Van Ark said a project of that magnitude is a huge task.

"We have focused on the ag and the ag community, and maybe not enough," he said, adding the authority has taken steps to reduce the effects on agriculture.

"Unfortunately, there will always be impacts," van Ark said.

For the Merced-to-Fresno section, he said, about 4,000 acres of ag land would be affected. "There are statistics of ag land over time. Four thousand over the period of five years," he explained.

He said the authority has had 14 agriculture-specific meetings for the Merced-to-Fresno line since December 2009.

DeSaulnier said he wanted to know how many meetings were public and who conducted them.

Other officials, including Cannella, were still concerned about the impact on farmland. For example, he wanted to know what would happen if the rail line bisected a dairy. Van Ark said the authority would work closely with the contractors on the project.

A conflicted position

Merced County Board of Supervisors Chairman John Pedrozo said he had taken a lot of heat for supporting high-speed rail, but "I feel that productive ag and high-speed rail can exist."

He said he believes that the rail line would have less impact on farmland because they use existing transportation corridors.

Pedrozo said the community badly needs the jobs that the project will produce. "I am tired of watching our local economy get worse. We need that infusion that high-speed rail will bring."

He said one of the issues that needs to be discussed is crop loss. One solution could be to consult an ag expert from another country where high-speed rail exists.

"We want answers sooner rather than later. We are not against progress or high-speed rail. I do believe (in) our elected officials to find an avenue of support and unity in our state and protect ... ag land," said Marchini.

Reporter Ameera Butt can be reached at (209) 385-2477 or abutt@mercedsun-star.com.