This Week In SLO County Agriculture | | “I love the USA, I love my teammates … the USA hockey brotherhood is so strong. I’m so proud to be American tonight.” - Jack Hughes | | | | Paul had a great day at The SLO Cattlemen's Annual Spring Meeting and Dinner last week! We are grateful to collaborate with other local organizations invested in agriculture! | | |
In order to obtain an Ag Pass Card, applicants meeting the eligibility criteria must attend a 4-hour in-person training. Current card holders seeking to renew must attend a 1-hour online renewal training. To register for upcoming trainings or receive emails regarding future trainings, please fill out an Ag Pass Interest Form.
In-Person Training (4 hour)*
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Tuesday, April 14th, 2026, 5-9PM, CalFire Training Center (Behind Cuesta College)
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Thursday, April 16th, 2026, 5-9PM, CalFire Training Center (Behind Cuesta College)
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Tuesday, April 21st, 2026, 5-9PM, Paso Robles Emergency Operations Center 900 Park Street, Paso Robles - Public Safety Center Conference Room (EOC)
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Thursday, April 23rd, 2026, 5-9PM, Paso Robles Emergency Operations Center 900 Park Street, Paso Robles - Public Safety Center Conference Room (EOC)
* Spots are limited. Registration will be confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis, once all eligibility criteria have been met.
Online Renewal Training (1 hour)**
Tuesday, May 5th, 2026, 1PM
Thursday, May 7th, 2026, 1PM
**To register for the renewal training session, please email agpass@co.slo.ca.us, and indicate which renewal training session you plan to attend. All renewal applicants must re-meet eligibility requirements and submit a new application and waiver of liability.
More Information Here
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| | Desperate California importing oil from Bahamas using century-old loophole as state faces highest US gas prices | California has had to increase its reliance on fuel shipped from the Atlantic due to the closure of the Phillips 66 refinery in Los Angeles. | | | |
Ag Secretary: USDA Reports Must Frame the Market, Not Drive Prices or Outcomes | Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Friday at the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum that the department is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to examine USDA's statistical data collection, analysis and research. | | | |
Number of U.S. Farms Shrank by 15,000 in 2025 | URBANA, Ill. - Pro Farmer's Spencer Langford reported that "the number of U.S. farms shrank by 15,000 in 2025, bringing the total to 1.865 million, USDA... | | | |
Secretary Rollins Announces $263M Food Purchase to Support U.S. Producers and Strengthen America's Food Supply | WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) intent to purchase up to $263 million in dairy... | | | |
Permitting reform vs. farm reality: Will faster federal reviews help producers?
In Washington, D.C., “permitting reform” has become one of the hottest phrases in policy circles. Lawmakers and regulators are debating major changes to how projects move through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Clean Water Act permitting, and related environmental reviews. The stated goal is simple: build things faster. Move infrastructure. Cut red tape. Reduce delay.
For farmers and ranchers, the question is more practical: Will any of this actually make it easier to get real work done on the ground?
Read More Here
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Next Session Date:
March 12, 2026 — Wine grape IPM decisions in a challenging market (1 Hour)
Learn More Here
California Farm Bureau presents the Farm Bureau Extension: Continuing Education Series. Get ready for another year of high-quality Continuing Education designed to keep California agriculture informed, compliant, and ahead of the curve. Our 2026 CE Webinar Series will feature monthly one-hour virtual sessions (9:30–10:30 a.m.) offering DPR and CCA credits, delivered by leading experts. Subject matter experts will share information immediately applicable to your business operations and advance your professional development. CE certificates will be sent for each webinar attended after the successful completion of a simple quiz on the material.
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Large farms account for half of U.S. ag production | Large-scale family farms, which have more than $1 million in annual gross cash farm income, account for 50% of U.S. agricultural production and 33% of the acres, according to 2024 data released by USDA. | | | |
USDA Farmer Bridge Assistance Signup Opens Feb. 23 | Farmer Bridge Assistance enrollment begins Feb. 23, with payments possible by Feb. 28 for eligible crop producers. | | | |
Farm Groups, Lawmakers React as Supreme Court Rejects Trump Tariffs | The Supreme Court ruled President Trump lacked authority under IEEPA to impose certain tariffs, drawing strong reactions from farm leaders and members of Congress concerned about farm input costs and export markets. | | | | | | Stay alert! Did you know the past 5 years were the most destructive wildfire seasons in California history. This is a reminder that wildfires can happen at any time. Stay prepared! Be ready to evacuate early, and make sure you have a 5-minute plan to get out safely and quickly. | | |
Some H-2A workers put on hold, costing growers | Growers who use the H-2A program are pleased with the Trump administration's new rule simplifying the program but in some cases are stymied by so-called "administrative holds" on workers that prevent them from getting to their workplaces. | | | |
Decoding OBBBA Federal Tax-Deductible Overtime for Farm Employees - Farm Employers Labor Service | The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), passed by Congress and signed into law last year by President Donald Trump, allows employees to deduct overtime premiums (the "half" in "time-and-a-half") mandated by section 7 of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) from their income for federal income taxable income for tax years 2025 through [...] | | | |
Post Your OSHA 300A Log - Farm Employers Labor Service | Each year, employers of 11 or more employees must post Cal/OSHA Form 300A Annual Summary. Summaries must be posted by Feb. 1 and remain posted until April 30, in a location where workplace postings are normally made. To avoid disclosing confidential information noted on Cal/OSHA Form 300, Illness and Injury Log, employers should post only [...] | | | |
| | USDA Announces Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers | WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing $1 billion in Assistance for Specialty... | | | | Check Out Your Local Farmers Market! | |
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North County Farmers Market Schedule:
Monday - Baywood 2:00pm- 4:30pm
Tuesday - Paso Robles 9:30am-12:00pm
Wednesday - Atascadero 3:00pm-5:00pm during the winter time change
Saturdays - Templeton 9:00am-12:30pm
More Information Here!
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About:
Companies are built on many things, such as knowledge, experience, resources, and trust. This has never been truer than at DiBuduo & DeFendis Insurance. Established in 1960, Anthony J. DiBuduo and Leonard T. DeFendis turned a lifelong friendship into a highly successful and respected business. Today, DiBuduo & DeFendis is one of the largest independent insurance agencies in California with offices in Clovis, Fresno, Bakersfield, Dinuba, Hollister, Lodi, Modesto, Oxnard, San Luis Obispo, Santa Monica, and Taft. The insurance professionals at DiBuduo & DeFendis provide all lines of insurance to a diversified group of clients throughout the United States.
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Location & Contact Information:
100 Cross Street, Suite 203
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Office Administrator
linda.euler@dibu.com
Phone: 805-593-1400
Learn More Here!
| | Thank You Farm Bureau Members | | |
New Agricultural Members
Mason Davis
Renewing Business Support Members
DiBuduo & DeFendis Insurance Brokers LLC
Renewing Agriculture Members
John Walter
Paul Clark
Oceano Packing Co
Renewing Associate Members
Richard Kitzman
Jerry Reaugh
Mike Buzzetti
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NCBA: Farm Bill 2.0 Provides Additional Certainty to American Cattle Producers | WASHINGTON - House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson released the text of Farm Bill 2.0 (the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026). The... | | | |
Backyard Poultry at Risk for Bird Flu as Virus Lingers in Environment | DAVIS, Calif. -- Poultry owners should remain vigilant about protecting their birds because the risk of avian influenza can change as quickly as the weather,... | | | |
| | Grape Glut Lessens as Growers Scrap Vines | SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A global downturn in wine consumption in recent years left California with a persistent oversupply of grapes. However, while wine sales continued... | | | |
GUEST COMMENTARY: Recharge the valley: Why California's water future depends on groundwater | By Jim Mayer and Michael Saunders By any honest measure, California is living in water extremes. Long droughts empty reservoirs, idle farmland, and impact our environment. Then, atmospheric rivers roar through the Sacramento Valley, sending millions of acre-feet of freshwater to the ocean in a matter of days. | | | |
'Small water user:' Some farmers facing a Cuyama Valley groundwater rights lawsuit could get help from new state legislation - Santa Maria Sun | There's plenty of legal jargon that goes over Jake Furstenfeld's head when he tunes in via Zoom to court proceedings tied to a Cuyama Valley groundwater dispute. This wasn't the case, however, when the local rancher and others with stakes in a lawsuit over water rights for a critically overdrafted basin heard a judge's tentative [...] | | | |
New Los Osos Well Completed | It's been a long time coming but Los Osos Community Services District's new drinking water well is finally done and ready to pump. Called the "Program C Well," the new water well is located at the south side of Los Osos Valley Road near the end of South Bay Boulevard on Bay Oaks. | | | |
New idea offered for Paso Robles basin water fee - and there's no way out this time | Under the new plan, property owners wouldn't be able to protest the fees. | | | | |
SLO County Farm Bureau Members Community Discounts:
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Talley Farm Box - SLO Farm Bureau Members Receive $15.00 off your first Talley Farms Box with Code: SLOFB
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JUSTIN Winery - SLO Farm Bureau Members Receive 20% off sitewide using code SLOFB20
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CAMBRIA Hotel-Templeton - SLO Farm Bureau Members Receive discounted booking rate
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Agricultural & Equipment Discounts
• Grainger
– Special Farm Bureau pricing on industrial/ag supplies
– Free standard ground shipping
• Case IH
– $200–$500 off eligible tractors, hay tools, balers, windrowers
• John Deere (Platinum 1 Rewards Tier)
– Commercial mowers: $200–$1,700 off
– Residential mowers: $50–$150 off
– Utility vehicles: $100–$250 off
– Tractors: $150–$250 off
– Compact construction equipment: $550–$1,400 off
• O’Reilly Auto Parts
– 5%–20% off parts & supplies
– FREE local delivery at many locations
Supplies, Home & Business Discounts
• Dunn-Edwards Paints / Kelly-Moore Paints
– Up to 30% off paint & coatings
• A4 Promotions & Incentives
– Up to 20% off select promotional & branded items
– 50% discount on licensing for CA Grown branding
Health & Emergency Services
• AirMedCare Network
– Discounted air ambulance membership coverage
• Prescription Discount Program
– Up to 75% off medications at 68,000+ pharmacies
• RespondR Emergency Alert Program
– 50% off membership for Farm Bureau members
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Travel, Vehicles & Lodging
Car Rentals:
• Avis — Up to 35% off base rental rates
• Budget — Up to 35% off base rental rates
• Budget Truck Rental — 20% off truck rentals & mileage
• Ford— $500 Cash Reward on select vehicles for active Farm Bureau Members
Hotels:
• Choice Hotels — 20% off Best Available Rate
• Wyndham Hotels & Resorts — Up to 20% off lodging
Family Travel & Entertainment:
• Great Wolf Lodge — Up to 30% off resort stays
• Theme Parks & Attractions — Discounted tickets to select attractions
Energy & Utilities
• AmeriGas Propane
– $0.05 per gallon discount
– FREE service check
– No Run-Out Guarantee
– 24-hour emergency service
Business, Labor & Financial Services
• Farm Bureau Bank
– Member banking services: loans, credit cards, savings, business accounts
• Farm Employers Labor Service (FELS®)
– $100 off annual enrollment
– 20% off FELS products, seminars & publications
Insurance
• Nationwide
– Exclusive member access to discounted insurance programs:
– Home, Auto, Farm/Ranch
– Business & Workers Comp
– Pet, Powersports, Life
| | Farm Bureau Membership Matters | | | | |
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.
| | Thank You Platinum Members | | Thank You Business Support 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. | | | | |
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