In my family, agriculture is the center of our life and identity. At the age of nine or 10, I was working in tobacco and running the seed cleaner on my family’s farm in Kentucky. We never took vacations growing up, but the big trip each year was going to Louisville for the Kentucky Farm Bureau annual meeting, where we’d get to stay in a hotel with a swimming pool. My parents still farm full-time in Kentucky and today, I’m proud to serve as Executive Director of the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau.

KSBY - "We consistently need groundwater, so we really want a recharge of the groundwater basin. Our crops can't grow based off the rain that falls in a given day, We have to pump water out of the fields and add that to our fields," said Brent Burchett, Executive Director of the SLO Farm Bureau.

Cal Poly

1. Poinsettia and Holiday Sale, Poly Plant Shop: 12/3 & 12/10

2. Cal Poly Student-made Cheese Gift Boxes 

3. Cal Poly Meats accepting holiday reservations: through 12/17

4. 2023 Ag Showcase student-run career fair: 1/25-27

San Luis Obispo & Central Coast

5. Sustainable Nutrient Management and Soil Health Field Day, Salinas: 12/9

6. How to Control Ground Squirrels workshop, SLO Farm Bureau: 12/13

7. Regenerative Agriculture Field Day, McGrath Family Farm, Camarillo: 1/12

8. Morro Bay Bird Festival: 1/13-16

9. EcoFarm Conference, Pacific Grove: 1/18-21

NORTH COUNTY - San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors approved the adoption of a new Paso Basin Planting Ordinance. The new ordinance was greatly opposed by the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau, SLO County Cattleman's Association, Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, and SLO County Planning Commission, among others.

San Luis Obispo County's longest-serving supervisor has been re-elected by a narrow margin. Supervisor Bruce Gibson won re-election by just 13 votes in a district that was recently redrawn to include Atascadero. "We always knew it was going to be a close race and didn't necessarily expect it to be this close.

Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) was sworn in Monday, December 6 as the assemblymember for District 30, and Gregg Hart (D) was sworn in as the assemblymember for District 37 at the State Capitol. Addis ran against Republican Vicki Nohrden for election to the California State Assembly's District 30.

Addis is first Democrat to represent majority of SLO County in State Assembly since 1947 - Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) was sworn in this week [...]

Posted December 7, 2022 at 6:04pm Senators this week questioned whether a recently proposed bipartisan immigration deal can pass before the end of the year, with no legislative text available for lawmakers to review and limited floor time in the lame-duck period.

For nearly 100 years, the history of the largely tracks the history of food production in the United States as the legislation has evolved to meet the needs of farmers and consumers alike. Agriculture's role in providing food security, and in turn national security, to the United States is more important than ever.

PUBLISHED ON DAVIS, Calif. - Did you know that some pesticides used around homes and other structures are toxic to small aquatic organisms living in nearby streams, creeks, rivers and oceans? The UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program has launched a new online course on runoff and surface water protection in California.

Contact: FPAC.BC.Press@usda.gov WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2022 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for December 2022, which are effective Dec. 1, 2022. USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans provide important access to capital to help agricultural producers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment and storage structures or meet cash flow needs.

After two days of bidding, five companies on Wednesday won leases to develop offshore wind energy farms in the Pacific Ocean off California's coast. The companies bid a total of $757.1 million for the 373,268 acres of ocean spaces where floating wind turbines can be erected to generate up to 4.5 gigawatts of electricity.

Big changes could be coming to the coast off Morro Bay as 43 companies vied to nab one of five commercial wind farm leases in the Pacific Ocean. The lease sale, held by the Bureau of Energy Management (BOEM) was finalized on Dec. 7.

The first-ever auction for leases to build massive wind farms off California's coast netted final bids of $757.1 million today, signaling the beginning of a competitive market for a new industry producing carbon-free electricity. The auction - the first on the West Coast - included five sites about 20 miles off Morro Bay and Humboldt County, totaling 583 square miles of deep ocean waters.

Skip to Content The US is auctioning off its first floating offshore wind power sites this week, which could unlock a vast new source of clean electricity along the West Coast.

By Amrith Gunasekara When state policies are established telling farmers how to farm and what methodologies to use, there can be disastrous consequences. Organic farming policies established in Sri Lanka that banned use of synthetic fertilizers recently led to the collapse of the country's food system, resulting in crop failures and far fewer nutritious offerings.

As the development of autonomous farming equipment moves forward, California could be at a disadvantage. The state has largely been a pioneer in terms of agtech development, particularly for specialty crops. However, Walt Duflock, Vice President of Innovation for Western Growers, said that Arizona may be taking the lead when it comes to autonomous equipment.

Labor demands continue to tax the bottom lines of farmers and ranchers, with rising wage rates and record usage of the H-2A visa program. Meaningful reforms to the federal government's guest worker program must be a priority for Congress by the end of the year.

The California Cattlemen's Association has selected Steve Arnold, San Luis Obispo County, as its new president. He succeeds Tony Toso, Mariposa County, whose term expired. Second vice president Trevor Freitas, Tulare County, also stepped off CCA's officer team as his two-year term expired.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Eight years into a U.S. program to control damage from feral pigs, the invasive animals with big appetites and snouts that uproot anything that smells good are still a multibillion-dollar plague on farmers, wildlife and the environment.

A California state judge has extended his ban on enforcement of voter-approved Proposition 12 until July 1, to allow time for the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of the animal welfare law. Justices heard arguments on the farm-group challenge of Prop 12 in October and a decision is expected by the end of June.

SAN SIMEON, Calif. - When George Hearst - William Randolph Hearst's father - purchased a ranch in 1865 it was beautiful, rugged and iconic. One hundred years later, the purchase of the nearby Jack Ranch nearly doubled the size of the operation to 156,000 acres.

PUBLISHED ON ST. PAUL, Minn. - The National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance (NAFA) released the 2023 edition of its popular "Alfalfa Variety Ratings - Winter Survival, Fall Dormancy & Pest Resistant Ratings for Alfalfa Varieties" - a useful tool for hay and livestock farmers, extension specialists, agri-business personnel or anyone involved in the production of alfalfa.

Three wines from Paso Robles winemakers are featured on Wine Enthusiast's top 100 cellar selections for 2022. Assuming you have a cellar, or somewhere to store wine for later enjoyment as it matures, the wine magazines rates these as good picks. Wine Enthusiast reviewers identified the top 100 cellar selections for 2022 using blind tastings.

Press Release - Grow your knowledge as you drive between vineyards. Produced by Vineyard Team, an organization dedicated to bringing together researchers and growers to promote sustainable vineyard farming since 1994, and hosted by Craig Macmillan, Critical Resource Manager at Niner Wine Estates, each episode of the Sustainable Winegrowing with Vineyard Team podcast helps listeners improve the sustainability of their wine business.

In an attempt to stop groundwater from being mined and sold beyond its borders, the Kings County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance Nov. 29 that will require anyone moving groundwater outside of Kings to get a permit. That includes groundwater pumped to backfill for surface supplies that farmers or water districts export out of the area, according to the ordinance.

Farmers and growers may not be pleased with the recent announcement of the water allocation of 2023 by the state water resource.