SLO County Farm Bureau recognized local agriculture leaders during the 99th Annual Meeting of Members on September 18. The 2021 award winners were:

Pictured above from left to right: SLO County Farm Bureau President Hilary Graves; California Mid-State Fair staff Debbie Twisselman, Brittany App, Kim Daily, Tom Keffury, Colleen Bojorquez, Joel Twisselman, and Jo Ann Switzer; Farm Bureau Board Member Steve Carter; and State Senator John Laird's district staff Clint Weirick. To see more photos from the event, click here.

Asunción Valley Farm is located on 110 acres on the banks of the Salinas River in Templeton, CA. The pastures are fed by the deep aquifers of the Salinas River, and there are both irrigated and native grass pastures available year round for your equine partners. We grow appropriately 85% of our of own hay on-site (both grass and grain hays), and this insures a continuous source of forage with very little variations in the horses diets. From the ground up, the horses mental and physical well-being was our primary goal, and so far, the horses in our care have seemingly given us very positive feedback – they are able to perform at the top levels of their sport, yet they are also allowed to come home to the farm and live like horses.

Lori Johnston & Chris Castillo purchased Asunción Valley Farm the last days of 2013 from the Heilmann family of Templeton (one of the early families who settled the Templeton & Atascadero area of San Luis Obispo County). Our family is honored to take over the reins of this gorgeous valley, after the Heilmann’s watched over it for more than a century.

Our family of four took on the adventure of building a working horse farm, and brought on Alex Azevedo, a Brazilian horse professional with international experience in the show jumping world. We have an incredible team at the farm that includes Josue Celis (farm management), Talia Bravo (rider & barn manager), & Owen Davis (pasture manager & equipment manager). They have become a cohesive unit that operates seamlessly to support the health and well-being of the horses, the farm, and biosphere of the pastures & the hay crops.

2958 Templeton Rd | Templeton, CA 93465

(805) 610-3054 asuncionvalleyeq.com

Kaweah Pump Inc., EC Loomis Insurance Associates, Lori Johnston

UC Davis Managing Weeds in Grasslands and Rangelands Webinar

From California Farm Labors Contractors Association 

CA SB 606 TO BEEF UP CAL/OSHA ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES 

Our weekly E-News is sent out every Friday to our membership and local leaders. If you're interested in an effective, low-cost advertising campaign ($150 a month) please give us a call or send an email to SLO County Farm Bureau Executive Director Brent Burchett.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is rolling out a new insurance option specifically for agricultural producers with small farms who sell locally. The new Micro Farm policy simplifies record keeping and covers post-production costs like washing and value-added products.

www.usda.gov

The 2021-2022 state budget allocated $10 million to Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) to begin the development of a statewide system that provides information to the public about pesticides used around them.

The tool will advance environmental justice and further protect public health by providing transparent and equitable access to information in advance of pesticide applications occurring near where people live, work or play. That information will provide the public with the opportunity to make their own decisions about any additional precautions they may want to take to protect their health.

DPR, in partnership with County Agricultural Commissioners (CACs), is in the initial development phase of the statewide system and is incorporating critical input from community members, farmers and other stakeholders. DPR is launching a process for broad participation across California to collect input from the public to help inform the structure and design of the tool. More information on how to participate is included in the "How to Participate" section of this website.

Learn more here.

As recommended by the University of California (UC), Mustang Maxx (EPA Registration Number 279-3426) has been added to the list of approved products, along with its proper use rates, on the Information for Citrus Growers/Grove Managers document available on CDFA’s website and Citrus Insider. It is incumbent upon the user to follow all label directions when using any of the products approved for spray and harvest as a foliar application. 

For the latest information and additional details on recommended treatments, visit the UC IPM ACP website. 

For questions regarding the changes made, please email Karina Chu or call CDFA at 916-274-6300.

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.