A hometown bank's co-founder who also had a big heart for raising funds to help various facets of the Santa Maria Valley community has died at age 82.

Twenty competitions to be represented by Paso Robles students - Paso Robles High School's SkillsUSA chapter has competed in the 2025 Region 2 Conference, held [...]

Judges to evaluate entries based on appearance, aroma, taste - Online registration is now open for two annual competitions hosted by the California Mid-State Fair. [...]

Country music star Keith Urban is bringing his High and Alive World Tour to the California Mid-State Fair this summer.

Workshops will guide beginners in starting vegetable gardens in backyards, pots on balconies, or community gardens - The UC Master Gardeners of San Luis Obispo [...]

Huge Sites Reservoir project and plans to raise the dam at San Luis Reservoir are impacted, causing widespread confusion

The rule, which offers incentives for clean fuels, is controversial because it would raise gas prices.

California passed a sanctuary state law to protect immigrants during the first Trump administration. Now, a sheriff wants to test it at the beginning of the second.

Ricardo Lara said he will look at information from State Farm om the California home insurance market before revisiting previous decision to nix the company's emergency rate hike.

President Trump plans to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting March 4, alongside an added 10% tariff on China, aiming to curb drug imports and strengthen U.S. trade.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on next week's tariff deadline set by the Trump administration. Canada, Mexico and China face increased tariffs on imports beginning March 4. "Farm Bureau supports the goals of security and ensuring fair trade, but farmers and rural communities often bear the brunt of tariffs and tariff retaliation.

The Agriculture Department unveiled 2025 projections that show falling row crop prices and rising cattle and poultry prices. We speak with USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer from the USDA Ag Outlook Forum about the analysis, including the ongoing pressure on egg prices.

Tariffs on Mexico and Canada are set to go into effect next week, and Canada has already announced plans for retaliation. Chad Smith has more. Smith: With time running short on the 30-day delay of implementation of tariffs on Canada and Mexico, the U.S.'s neighbors to the north have already announced plans for retaliation.

The Trump administration’s mass firing of federal employees and its withholding of federal funds during the past month have impacted farmers who for decades have partnered with the federal government for conservation, infrastructure and equipment upgrades, research and other work critical to agriculture.  

California's snowpack is now 85% of average, with more snow in the northern Sierra and less in the south. Amid warming winters, the state is seeing less snow at lower elevations.

States and counties are using a legal strategy that took down Big Tobacco, hoping to make oil companies pay for damage they have denied. But many obstacles remain.

Farmers dealing with extreme weather and other climate impacts say the Agriculture Department has removed important data and resources from its website.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Investigators at the KBS LTER site find differences in soil carbon gain among cover cropped, no-till, and perennial cropping systems after...

FRESNO, Calif. -- The California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) is pleased to announce the speakers that will headline the Industry Workshops during its upcoming 89th...

California Citrus Mutual (CCM) invites growers and allied agricultural industry members to join them for the 2025 Citrus Showcase on Wednesday, March 12, at the Visalia Convention Center in Visalia, CA. The event will feature informational seminars, free continuing education (CE) unit-approved courses, a tradeshow and an industry luncheon.

Business leaders and professionals in Santa Maria concerned about ongoing immigration enforcement got some of their questions answered at a Chamber of Commerce webinar on Wednesday.

Last week, Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) introduced legislation to create a tax credit for agricultural employers to help cover the costs of providing overtime wages to farmworkers.

Advocates on the scene said the Border Patrol raid in Kern County last month indiscriminately targeted Latino farmworkers commuting from the fields and day laborers soliciting work in the parking lots of big box stores.

California's Proposition 12, an animal welfare law, is being targeted by the Trump administration in a bid to reduce egg prices.

USDA released updated guidelines for battling highly pathogenic avian influenza. Chad Smith has the details. Smith: Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins recently announced a blueprint intended to bring avian influenza under control. Bernt Nelson, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, says the current outbreak dates back almost three years.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on USDA's strategy to combat Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. "We appreciate USDA's blueprint for tackling avian influenza. America's farmers are committed to ensuring a safe and abundant food supply, and these investments to advance biosecurity and research will further equip them to combat the threat of HPAI.

Egg prices in the U.S. are projected to rise 41.1% by the end of 2025 due to an avian flu outbreak, with 53% increases reported over the past year.

Paso Robles is where Bay Area wine lovers go to discover something new. Here are 10 of the best places to taste wine, including Tablas Creek Vineyard.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Anyone who says California has no seasons has probably never spent time in wine country during the winter. You won't find snow on the...

California’s winegrape sector continues to reel from a shrinking market that has left the state with too much vineyard acreage and, year after year, an oversupply of grapes. Last year, more than a tenth of the state’s crop was left unpicked, according to industry estimates presented last month at the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in Sacramento. 

Atmospheric rivers earlier this month allow for another boost to expected water supply for Californians and farmland From the Department of Water Resources: Today, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced that recent storms have allowed for another increase to the State Water Project (SWP) allocation forecast for 2025.

From the US Bureau of Reclamation: Today, the Bureau of Reclamation announced major steps to improve California water supply. The initial allocation to be provided to California farmers on the west side of the Central Valley south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta is more than twice what the initial allocation was in 2024, a year with similar hydrology.

DWR approves 15 groundwater sustainability plans in latest round of determinations From the Department of Water Resources: Marking a major milestone towards sustainably managing California's groundwater supplies, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) today announced determinations for groundwater sustainability plans in 16 basins across the state.

Supporters of SB 601 say the bill is a response to a 2023 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court and to a second Trump administration.

By Lois Henry; Freelance writer Hannah Johansson contributed to this article A lawsuit over whether the Madera County Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) improperly conducted an election to assess fees on more than 900 parcels of land to pay for groundwater projects will continue, according to a judge's ruling issued Thursday.

Following storms, California is increasing its forecast of water supplies this year. The federal government also increased water projections for agriculture.

Governor Gavin Newsom proposed climate bond spending on wildfire prevention in various ways. One lawmaker thinks a focused strategy is best.

Each year, legislation aimed at better wildfire mitigation fails - often due to cost or conflict with environmental regulations.