SLO County Farm Bureau Celebrates 101 Years at Annual Meeting | |
The San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau held its 101st Annual Meeting on Tuesday, October 24 with many members and friends in attendance. The awards portion of the night celebrated some of the acheivements of our members. Award winners are pictured below. Photos from the evening can be viewed here. | |
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Business of the Year: The Groves on 41
Karen and Jennifer Tallent Joseph are the aweosme mother-daughter team behind The Groves on 41, an award-winning olive oil business. They have been strong advocates for the local agriculture community participating in the SLO County Farm Trail and sponsoring the Farm Bureau's weekly segment on KJUG 98.1 every Thursday among many other accomplishments. We are so grateful for their work and support of the SLO County Farm Bureau
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Heritage Award: Jerry Diefenderfer
The Heritage Award is in honor of a lifetime of service and selfless devotion to the San Luis Obispo County agriculture community. He is a fixture within this community providing his many years of service to SLO County and CA Farm Bureau and his career within local government. Farm Bureau is proud to present the 2023 Heritage Award to Jerry Diefenderfer.
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Farm Bureau Freddy: Richard & Kelli Gonzales
This award is in honor of a lifelong dedication to the protection and growth of agriculture and outstanding leadership to the SLO County Farm Bureau. It is named in honor of one of our great Farm Bureau leaders, the late Fred Righetti. Richard and Kelli have devoted numerous hours and volunteer work to the SLO County Farm Bureau, most often being the first ones to show up and last to leave. The organization would not be what it is today without their dedication and hard work.
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This Week In SLO County Agriculture | |
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It can be a matter of life or death. Be proactive in protecting yourself and others; take the time to create a 5-minute plan to evacuate from fires. With a clear escape route, you can leave at a moment's notice, keeping your loved ones safe from harm.
Remember, waiting for official evacuation orders might be too late – act quickly when it feels unsafe.
To ensure a smooth evacuation process:
Establish a meeting place for your family.
Prepare an emergency kit containing essentials like medication, important documents, clothes, food, and water.
Stay updated with weather reports and Red Flag Warnings.
If it's time to leave, have your emergency bags packed and gather your family, including pets.
Don't delay; evacuate promptly.
For more information on creating a 5-minute plan and staying prepared for disasters, visit firefightersonyourside.org
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Calendar- Upcoming Events & Deadlines:
- November 3 – First Application Cutoff Period for USDA NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
- November 17- Registration closes for CA Farm Bureau Annual Meeting (Contact the office if interested in attending)
- November 23-24- Office Closed for Thanksgiving
- November 28- SLO County Farm Bureau Board Meeting at 5pm at Office (4875 Morabito Pl. in SLO). All members welcome to attend, please RSVP to office at 805-543-3654.
- December 1-6- Office Closed for CA Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in Reno, NV
- December 25- Jan 1- Office Closed for Christmas and New Year's Holidays
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Community: Paso Robles High Schools FFA Program Ranked 5th in the State | |
Paso Robles High School's FFA program ranked fifth in the state | Paso Robles High School’s Agriculture and Future Farmers of America (FFA) program has earned a ranking of fifth out of more than 380 agriculture programs in the state of California. This ranking is based on the statistical performance indicators of the following categories: State FFA Executive Committee Members, State FFA Degrees, American FFA Degrees, State Proficiency Awards, and State Championships. | | |
Register Now! 2024 Agritourism Intensive Training | The UC Agritourism Program is holding the first ever statewide hybrid Agritourism Intensive training in Winter 2024. The Agritourism Intensive training provides participants with a comprehensive introduction to agritourism and a supportive network to explore diversification through the development or expansion of an agritourism enterprise. | | | |  |
Federal disaster relief funds could come to flood-damaged Central Coast farms | |
Federal dollars could be coming to Central Coast farms that flooded last winter.
After months of advocacy from local lawmakers, the Biden administration is now asking Congress for help. This week the White House requested $2.8 billion in disaster aid for farmers and ranchers, including California farmers who faced flooding damage.
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The Nonprofit Story: Farm to School Month | On The Nonprofit Story this week, Dr. Consuelo features Claire Tuohey-Mote, Communications Director & Farm to School Coordinator for SLO Money, Kayla Rutland, Executive Director of City Farm SLO, and Taryn Mohler, Market Manager of Harvestly. We will talk about Farm to School Month and programs that support this event and local produce farmers throughout the County. | | | |
Local Government: San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors Meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 31 | |
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SLO County Board of Supervisors Meeting Oct. 31
The SLO County Board of Supervisors meets tomorrow, Tuesday, October 31 at 9:00am. The agenda can be found here and additional item documents here. The meeting can be viewed live here at the time of the meeting.
Items of Interest to Agriculture:
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6 - Request to approve appointments in-lieu of election to the Shandon-San Juan Water District.
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7 - Request to approve appointments in-lieu of election to the Estrella-El Pomar-Creston Water District.
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8 - Request to approve and authorize the Chairperson to sign a professional consultant services contract with Water Systems Consulting, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $296,647, to perform a Paso Robles Groundwater Basin Blended Water Supply Project Water Supply Feasibility & Engineering Study.
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24 - Request to (1) approve the resolution adopting the Second Amended and Restated Joint Powers Agreement of the San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA), as amended by the 2023 County Joinder Amendment, that enables the County to rejoin as a member; (2) authorize the Director of Public Works or designee to execute amendments to effectuate the termination of the current Memorandum of Understanding by and between the County and IWMA; (3) authorize the Director of Public Works or designee to administer the County’s compliance with State solid waste mandates; (4) designate the Director of Public Works or designee as the County’s jurisdictional contact with the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery; and (5) adopt the resolution amending the Position Allocation List for Fund Center 405-Public Works, by deleting 1.00 FTE Program Manger I/II.
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25 - Public hearing to consider a resolution to increase the Solid Waste Management Fee for solid waste collection customers within the County of San Luis Obispo solid waste jurisdiction.
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State Government: CFBF's Farm Bureau at Work for October 27 | |
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This Week in California Farm Bureau's Farm Bureau at Work State Government Report
October 27, 2023
Transportation
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) staff invite you to participate in one of four public online reporting
training webinars on the new Clean Truck Check-Visual Inspection System (CTC-VIS) reporting site. Clean
Truck Check staff held and recorded a webinar on September 27, 2023, to walk fleet representatives through
the reporting process. CARB staff highly recommend watching this recording prior to registering for one of
the webinars below to determine if registering for an upcoming webinar is necessary. Seven training module
videos have also been posted for those who only need to better understand a specific aspect of reporting.
Visit the Database Reporting page to view all reporting training videos.
The upcoming webinars will be held via Zoom. Interested parties must register for a specific date to
participate. The November 16, 2023 and December 5, 2023 meetings will be recorded and made available on the Clean Truck Check Reporting page. Questions answered during the November 3, 2023 and December 18, 2023 meetings will be posted to the Clean Truck Check Reporting page after the meeting’s conclusion. Please click on the Zoom link below to register for the meeting you wish to attend.
- Date: November 3, 2023 (English); Time: 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Date: November 16, 2023 (English); Time: 4:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
- Date: December 5, 2023 (Spanish); Time: 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Date: December 18, 2023 (English); Time: 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Read more here.
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Federal Government: Reps. Carbajal, Brownley, Costa, Lofgren, Panetta Urge White House to Include Agriculture Disaster Relief in New Supplemental Request to Congress | |
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This Week in California Farm Bureau's Federal Policy News
October 26, 2023
- Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson Elected Speaker
- Talks of a Farm Bill Extension Grow
- USDA Announces New CCC Funding for Ag Export Promotion Food Aid
- USDA Releases New Report on Existing Voluntary Carbon Markets
- B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project Plan Approved
- Farm Credit Administration Finalizes New Young, Beginning, and Small Farmer Rule
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Farm Bill faces tough battles in U.S. House, former ag secretary says | Ag producers and their advocates can expect a hard slog in the coming months as Congress tackles the new Farm Bill, which funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns told members of the Colorado Livestock Association this week that with a new, extremely conservative Speaker of the House, Republicans [...] | | | | |
Reps. Carbajal, Brownley, Costa, Lofgren, Panetta Urge White House to Include Agriculture Disaster Relief in New Supplemental Request to Congress | Today, California Representatives Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Jim Costa (CA-21), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) are calling on the White House to include disaster relief funds for California farmers and growers in their forthcoming supplemental request for domestic priorities. | | | | |
Rep. Mike Johnson elected speaker of the House | Johnson emerged as the favorite of House Republicans due to his ability to unify the most conservative members of his party and the moderates. | | | |
Business Member Spotlight:
Greengate Ranch & Vineyard
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your luxury weekend escape.
Located in the heart of Edna Valley Wine Country on California’s Central Coast, Greengate Ranch & Vineyard is 140 acres, combining recreation areas and lush rolling hills of world acclaimed vineyards. Once a working horse ranch, our property features four incredible vacation rental homes with 13 bedrooms, horse stables, a vintage wood barn, courtyard and multiple grand lawns offering an uncommon venue for recreation, retreat, and celebration. The Pool & Spa Arena recreational area completes our guest amenities and event offerings.
If you’re newly engaged and searching for a one of a kind venue for your destination wedding weekend, we’d love to share our slice of goodness with you. If you’re a traveler looking for a unique experience that includes luxurious accommodations while you partake of the Central Coast lifestyle for a few days, we welcome you. If you’re a corporate executive trying to find an authentic change of pace for your team gathering in the way of a corporate retreat, we're excited you found us!
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USDA: San Luis Obispo USDA Service Center Newsletter - October | |
San Luis Obispo USDA Service Center Newsletter - October | USDA is accepting applications from agricultural producers and forest landowners from CA for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which offers producers financial and technical assistance to address resource concerns on their land. | | | | |
USDA to Provide $3 Billion to Producers Impacted by 2022 Natural Disasters | USDA will provide more than $3 billion to commodity and specialty crop producers impacted by natural disaster events in 2022. | | | |
Orchard: Lemon Price Squeeze Leaves a Bitter Taste | |
California navel crop to see more choice fruit | While greater amounts of rain were welcome in California citrus-growing regions in the past year, the downside has been exterior fruit damage caused by increased thrip populations. | | | | |
Lemon price squeeze leaves a bitter taste | California’s coastal lemon growers squeezed by imported fruit that undercuts their cost of production now face a Huanglongbing quarantine in Ventura County. The added cost of quarantine compliance may force citrus growers to remove their crops because of increased cost of compliance. | | | |
Produce: Tom Ikeda Featured in Ag Alert's From the Fields | |
Organic growers have few tools to fight citrus psyllid | |
As an organic citrus grower and packer in Ventura County, John Wise has long recognized the threat of the Asian citrus psyllid to his business and livelihood.
The threat has become greater now that part of his region is under quarantine as state agricultural officials continue to find more residential citrus trees infected with huanglongbing, a fatal bacterial disease that the insect can transmit.
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From the Fields - Tom Ikeda | The temperature along the coast has stayed fairly steady. We go up into the low 80s occasionally, but we haven’t had those hot spikes into the 90s that not only affect crop growth but also bring a lot of insect and disease pressure. Because of the mild temperatures throughout the summer in all regions, we had good growing conditions. | | | | |
The top 6 pumpkin-producing States grew 1.2 billion pounds of pumpkins in 2022 | Pumpkins were one of the earliest cultivated crops in the Americas and have become one of the most distinctive symbols of fall. With a variety of uses, from pies and spiced coffee drinks to festive jack-o'-lanterns, pumpkins are grown commercially in every U.S. State. Production has trended up over the past two decades. | | |
California strawberry growers track sustainability strides | A recently published white paper has outlined the economic impact, environmental stewardship, research and community investments by strawberry growers across California. | | | |
Thank You Farm Bureau Members | |
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New Business Support Agricultural Member
Community Bank of Santa Maria
Renewing Agricultural Members
Kuhnle & Sons, Julie Diffenbaugh, John Gardner, Lora Eade, Ercole Brughelli, Michele Wineman, Rodney Wiebe, Shields Abernathy, Kaweah Pump Inc, George Marshall, Fred Campbell, Howard Carroll, Richard Stallings, La Panza Ranch LLC, Darline Lindsey, and Pismo Oceano Vegetable Exchange
Renewing Associate Members
Jerry Perney and Robert Bagby
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Featured Member Benefit:
Nationwide
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Nationwide® is proud to be the official insurance provider of the California Farm Bureau®. For over 90 years, Nationwide has been committed to protecting people, businesses and futures. Whether you want protection for your belongings now or a plan in place for your future, we’re here for you the entire way.
Land As Your Legacy®
Whether your farm or ranch has been around for generations or you’re first-generation, Nationwide® offers a no-cost program providing succession planning solutions so your family’s agribusiness will remain a legacy for generations to come. To learn more visit: www.Nationwide.com/cfbf.
Farm Bureau Retirement Plan
Nationwide® created a retirement plan sponsored by the California Farm Bureau available only to employers that are agricultural members, even those that already have a retirement plan. The Farm Bureau Retirement Plan provides a cost-efficient method to comply with the new CalSavers law applicable to employers with 5+ employees. For more information contact Paul Yossem, Regional Vice President, at 858.997.8863 or Yossem@nationwide.com.
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For your family:
- Life
- Automobile*
- Property
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For your Home:
- Homeowners
- Renters
- Condo
- Personal liability/ umbrella
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For your business:
- Commercial
- Farm & ranch*
- Commercial agribusiness
- Retirement plans
- Worker’s compensation*
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*Select discounts may apply.
To learn more about Nationwide’s breadth of products and solutions, visit Nationwide.com/cfbf.
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Labor: Upcoming AgSafe Training on November 14 in SLO | |
Upcoming AgSafe Training on November 14 in SLO | | |
Ag Labor Forum- November 2-3 | |
Registrations start at just $325 per person! Register now before prices go up for on-site registration. Plus, you can receive a 15% discount when registering 3 or more attendees. Please contact us directly at info@calflca.org to take advantage of this offer.
Check out the full Ag Labor Forum brochure as well as some session highlights below in this email. Don't miss the 23 sessions on critical issues impacting Farm Labor Contractors; valuable information will be shared to prepare you for the next year - register now here.
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Livestock: New Organic Rules Announced by USDA Tighten Restrictions on Livestock and Poultry Producers | |
New Organic Rules Announced by USDA Tighten Restrictions on Livestock and Poultry Producers | Livestock and poultry producers will need to comply with more specific standards if they want to label their products as organic under final rules announced by the U.S. | | | | |
Incoming cold may raise the risk of wildfowl-borne avian influenza | FAYETTEVILLE -- A change in the weather may intensify the fall migration of wildfowl and poultry flock owners will need to redouble their biosecurity efforts to stave off potential infections of a deadly type of bird flu, according to Dustan Clark, extension poultry veterinarian for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. | | | |
Vineyard and Wine: PRWCA November Vit Tech: Irrigating for the Future on November 28 | |
PRWCA November Vit Tech: Irrigating for the Future | As climate change progresses, the resulting increase in the volatile weather patterns and frequency of drought in the Western United States impacts water use restrictions, and in turn, grape vineyards irrigation practices. Join us for our next Vit Tech Seminar on Tuesday, November 28 from 9 - 10:30 a.m. | | | | |
Lightsabers and Jedi: A Discussion on Technology in the Hands of Viticulturists | |
Monday, November 13th I 5:00-7:00pm I Arroyo Grande, CA
We will hear from Dr. Terry Bates about the intersection of technology and viticulture. During the conversation, we will examine the metaphorical connection between lightsabers and skilled vine cultivators, and discuss how cutting-edge tools could transform modern viticulture.
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Water: SLO County Gets Big Grant to Study Desalination and Water Resuse Projects | |
Biden's $8 billion quest to solve America's groundwater crisis | Infrastructure funding is reviving dormant plans for pipelines and reservoirs to replace vanishing groundwater in the U.S. West. | | | | |
SLO County gets big grant to study desalination and water reuse projects | San Luis Obispo County was awarded $550,000 in matching funds to launch a study of ways to transform seawater into drinking water. | | | | |
Salinas River is 'not ready' for possible upcoming rain; Ag leaders fear repeat of floods | The National Weather Service is ramping up their operations this week as we enter into the winter season. | | | |
Farm Bureau Membership Matters | | |
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We cannot support your freedom to farm and ranch without your membership.
Join SLO County Farm Bureau now or renew your membership online. Go to slofarmbureau.org to join, or download the membership form PDF.
Have your renewal notice available to speed up the process; you will need to enter your membership number, name and ZIP code. Renewal dues may be paid online or over the phone by credit card.
We're here to help! Call us if you need us to lookup your member number or we can process your membership for you, at 805-543-3654.
All California county Farm Bureau memberships are processed through the California Farm Bureau Federation, but please reach out to our SLO County office if you need your membership number or have questions.
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Thank You Platinum Members | |
SLO County Agriculture News is distributed by SLO County Farm Bureau for information purposes only. Stories written by SLO County Farm Bureau may be reprinted with attribution. Some outside story links may require site registration. Opinions expressed in stories, commentaries or editorials included in this newsletter do not necessarily represent the views of SLO County Farm Bureau. For information on advertising opportunities, please email info@slofarmbureau.org or call our office at 805-543-3654. | | | | |
