Annika Ernstrom, winner of the 2021 National Delo Tractor Restoration Competition and previous member of the JB Dewar Tractor Restoration Program, is auctioning off the winning restored 1948 Allis-Chalmers WC, which once belonged to Alex Madonna. Annika is only the 2nd female winner ever in the history of the competition. The link to the tractor auction (bidding ends in 2 days) and more details can be found here. | |
Urge County Supervisors to 'Vote No' Tomorrow on the Paso Basin Planting Ordinance | |
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SLO County Board of Supervisors will vote tomorrow, December 6, on the Paso Basin Land Use Management Area Planting Ordinance. Read SLO County Farm Bureau’s comment letter to the Board here.
All Farm Bureau members are asked to contact the Board of Supervisors. Even if you do not farm or ranch in the Paso Basin, the Planting Ordinance has bad implications for all of SLO County agriculture. Read the meeting agenda here and background documents here.
How to Comment
- The Planting Ordinance will be heard after 1:30pm. Our Agenda Item 47 is the second item after the board reconvenes at 1:30pm, so it will likely be heard closer to 2:00pm.
- The Supervisors meet in the County Government Center located at 1055 Monterey Street (next to Fremont Theater). Walk in the front door and the Board Chambers are on your right.
- You will fill out a "Board Appearance Request Form" and submit it to the Clerk seated next to the Supervisors. You will have 3 minutes to speak when the Chair, Supervisor Gibson calls your name. You can submit this form any time before Item 47 is discussed.
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Your voice matters! Even a short comment to the Board of Supervisors is impactful. If you cannot come in person, send an email to Boardofsups@co.slo.ca.us or call (805) 781-5450 and leave a message. Include in the email subject line “Comment on December 6 meeting - Agenda Item Number 47.”
For questions, please contact Farm Bureau Executive Director Brent Burchett at 805-543-3654 or bburchett@slofarmbureau.org
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This Week In SLO County Agriculture | |
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Calendar- Upcoming Events:
- Dec. 5-6: Office closed for California Farm Bureau Annual Meeting
- Dec. 6: SLO County Board of Supervisors votes on proposed Paso Basin Planting Ordinance
- Dec. 10: Young Farmers and Ranchers Holiday Party, 4:30pm at Farm Bureau Office
- Dec. 13: How to Control Ground Squirrel Workshop, 9am at Farm Bureau, Register Here
- Dec. 16: Adelaida Farm Center Meeting
- Dec. 23-Jan. 2: Office Closed- Holiday Break
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Community: Free California Ground Squirrel Control Workshop on Dec. 13 at Farm Bureau Office | |
Local Food Truck Rally to operate every Wednesday | Local food truck, Big Wave Sushi created a Food Truck Rally that began operating on Wednesday, November 30 from noon to 6 p.m. Big Wave Sushi along with a bunch of other local food trucks will operate at The Kitchen Terminal located at 4750 Allene way in San Luis Obispo every Wednesday. | | | Adelaida Farm Center Christmas Party- Friday, December 16 | |  |
Young Farmers and Ranchers Holiday Party- Saturday, December 10 | Free California Ground Squirrel Control Workshop on Dec. 13 | |
Local Government: San Luis Obispo County to Conduct Final Election Ballot Count On Wednesday | |
San Luis Obispo County to Conduct Final Election Ballot Count On Wednesday | The San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder's Office will be conducting the final count of election ballots next week, officials announced Wednesday. The final count will take place Wednesday, December 7, at 9 a.m. At the end of the count, the County Clerk-Recorder will then certify the results of the General Election in November, according to the press release. | | | | |
SLO County wedding venues: County too harsh with enforcement, hurting business | San Luis Obispo County thrives in the wedding business; beautiful vineyard and ocean views, but some venues are saying the county is being too harsh with their enforcement, forcing some spaces to no longer host weddings and special events because of recent change. | | | |
California Farm Bureau News: Nominate a CA Agriculture Teacher for the Golden Owl Award | |
Nominate a CA Agriculture Teacher for the Golden Owl Award | |
Nominate a California agriculture teacher who has made a positive impact on your life. There is the opportunity for recognition and cash prizes.
For more information visit: GoldenOwlAward.com
Nominations are due on January 23.
This award is presented by Nationwide, the California FFA and the California Farm Bureau.
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2022 Election Recap Discussion | Farm Bureau Political Affairs Director Steven Fenaroli spoke with members via Zoom on the outcome of the November election and what that will mean for agriculture in California. You can find a recording of that presentation here. | |
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Join Farm Bureau's Science Data Working Group
The California Bountiful Foundation, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit of the California Bountiful Foundation, is establishing a Science Data Working Group (SDWG) and needs your help. The Foundation was recently established to give a voice to farmers and ranchers by fostering technical and scientific engagement with California academic institutions and to support and inform policy. With a growing population, a changing climate, and increased resource constraints, there has never been a greater need to produce more with less. The California Bountiful Foundation presents a unique opportunity to address those challenges head-on by supporting studies on climate-smart agriculture, farming technology, forest management, and water and economic security.
The Foundation believes that one of the most significant assets that members of the California Farm Bureau have is on-farm data. Farmers and ranchers who work their fields constantly use and collect data daily. Leveraging on-farm data to support science and research that informs agricultural policy is very important while maintaining the confidentiality of farmer and rancher information. The Foundation is looking for farmers and ranchers that would like to join the SDWG. Find out more about the important role farmers and ranchers will play by visiting the SDWG website and please sign up to be part of the program. The SDWG is limited to California Farm Bureau members.
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State Government: Commentary: Lets Reject Politics of Scarcity and Help Our California Farms Thrive | |
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California Farm Bureau's Farm Bureau at Work-
December 2, 2022
Animal Health and Welfare
- The Proposition 12 compliance deadline is quickly approaching on January 1, 2023. In and out-of-state distributors selling covered product (shell eggs, liquid eggs, veal meat, or pork meat) to an end-user in California need to register with CDFA's Animal Care Program by the first of the year. As Farm Bureau members might recall, California voters approved Proposition 12 in 2018. Proposition 12, or The Farm Animal Confinement Initiative, amended housing requirements for veal calves, breeding pigs and egg-laying hens. These amendments include cage-free design and minimum floor space for these housed animals. In order to regulate the new laws, the department has developed the new Animal Care Program within the Animal Health and Food Safety Services division at CDFA. This Program will serve animal agriculture producers and California consumers by promoting and protecting the welfare and care of animals in agriculture so Californians can have access to food that is sourced from humanely and sustainably raised animals. The new CA Code of Regulations pertaining to animal confinement can be found on this page, along with other program information.
- On another note, the National Pork Producers Council and American Farm Bureau Federation have filed a case against Prop 12 that has reached the supreme court. Arguments were heard in October, but the court has not made a final ruling. Arguments against the implementation of Prop 12 have been made based on the disruption of interstate commerce and the requirements that out-of-state farmers must make in order to sell their products into California. The ruling will most likely be released next year, the deadline is June 2023. Farm Bureau continues to monitor these proceedings.
Water
- The Annual Water Right Fee invoices will be mailed on January 10, 2023 and payment is due by February 9, 2023. Payments for Annual Water Right Fees should be sent to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA). Do not send payment to the State Water Resources Control Board. Online payments are accepted on the CDTFA Online Services webpage. Additional information is available on the Water Right Fees webpage or email WaterRightsFees@waterboards.ca.gov if you have questions or need further assistance.
- On September 20, 2022 the State Water Resources Control Board unanimously adopted a 7.2 percent increase in the Water Rights Fees schedule for Fiscal Year 2022-2023. Each year the water board adopts the fee schedules as emergency regulations because they are adopting after the fiscal year, July 1 to June 30 has begun. Once the state budget is adopted in June water board staff begin finalizing their fee schedules recommendation to the board.
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Commentary: Lets Reject Politics of Scarcity and Help Our California Farms Thrive | By Jamie Johansson California Farm Bureau gathers for its 104th Annual Meeting in Monterey beginning this weekend. In a year with extraordinary challenges, California farmers and ranchers persevered-through historic drought, unprecedented water curtailments, supply-chain disruptions and rising input costs-to feed America and the world. | | | | |
Republican John Duarte says he thinks he will win uncalled California House race | Republican John Duarte, a farmer from Modesto, told The Bee on Monday that he thinks that he will win California's 13th Congressional District. "I am honored to be able to go in and fight for the 13th District," Duarte said at a hotel near Capitol Hill, where the second round of New Member Orientation is this week. | | | |
Federal Government: Senate Urged to Pass Farm Workforce Bill | |
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California Farm Bureau's Federal Policy News-
December 1, 2022
- House Passes Legislation to Avert Rail Strike
- 2023 AEWR Set to Climb to $18.65 in California
- Trucking Waiver Denied by Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- Grazing Permittee Feedback Opportunity – USFS “Range Futuring” Effort
- WOTUS Update: New Rule Expected in December
- Judge Denies Temporary Restraining Order Request on New H-2A Rule
- 2022 Ag Census Now Live
- Congressional Leadership Updates
- Farm Workforce Modernization Act Update
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Senate Urged to Pass Farm Workforce Bill | California Farm Bureau President Jamie Johansson speaks outside the U.S. Capitol, urging the Senate to take up and pass the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. Agriculture groups say the legislation, approved in the House, will help protect essential workers for U.S. farmers. | | | | |
USDA invites ag producers to respond online to the 2022 Census of Agriculture | The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) mailed survey codes to all known agriculture producers across the 50 states with an invitation to respond online to the 2022 Census of Agriculture at agcounts.usda.gov. The ag census is the nation's only comprehensive and impartial agriculture data for every state, county, and territory. | | | | |
Biden Echoes Industry Groups in Desire to Avoid Rail Strike | President Joe Biden is encouraging Congress to act in order to avoid a "potentially crippling" rail strike. A variety of industry groups have also been calling for federal intervention to prevent a shutdown of rail freight. The deadline for railroads and workers to meet an agreement is December 9. | | | |
Business Member Spotlight:
Cal-Coast Machinery
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Cal-Coast Machinery has been the California Central Coast’s premier John Deere dealer for over 50 years. Founded in 1968 as a single store in Santa Maria, Cal-Coast Machinery has since grown to operate additional stores in Paso Robles and Oxnard. We serve our customers in Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties.
Today, Cal-Coast Machinery is highly regarded by our customers and John Deere company. Over the past 50 years, we’ve built our solid reputation through the efforts of our employees and leadership of our owners. We look forward to serving you for the next 50 years.
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Ag Economics: Agriculture Asks Congress to Act Quickly to Keep Rails Running | |
Railroad unions and their employers at an impasse | WASHINGTON - The prospect of a potentially devastating rail workers strike is looming again, prompting the Biden administration on Nov. 28, 2022, to call on Congress to intervene by passing legislation that would force them to agree to a new contract. | | | | |
Agriculture Asks Congress to Act Quickly to Keep Rails Running | The American Farm Bureau Federation and more than 200 other agriculture-related organizations that are a part of the Agricultural Transportation Working Group sent a letter to Capitol Hill today urging lawmakers to quickly approve legislation to avert a rail strike. | | | | |
USDA Releases 2022 Farm Income Report | USDA's 2022 Farm Income Report released Thursday projects record farm income for the year. Micheal Clements shares the details. Clements: USDA projects 2022 calendar year net farm income up nearly $20 billion, or 13.8 percent from 2021. American Farm Bureau Federation Senior Economist Veronica Nigh explains what is driving the increase. | | | |
USDA: California Farm Service Agency November Newsletter | |
California Farm Service Agency November Newsletter | The 2022 Farm Service Agency County Committee Elections began on Nov. 7, 2022, when ballots are mailed to eligible voters. The deadline to return ballots to local FSA offices, or to be postmarked, is Dec. 5, 2022. County committee members are an important component of the operations of FSA and provide a link between the agricultural community and USDA. | | | | |
FSA National Outreach & Education Update - December 2022 | In early November, ballots were mailed out for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) county and urban county committee elections to all eligible agricultural producers and private landowners across the country. | | | |
Thank You Farm Bureau Members | |
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Renewing Agricultural Members
Russell Hall
Renewing Associate Members
Michael Noble, Greg Wyatt, and Jimmy Pannetta
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Featured Member Benefit:
Ford
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Don't miss this special offer for Farm Bureau members! From now until Jan. 2, 2024, members receive $500 Exclusive Cash Reward on eligible Ford vehicles and $500 Exclusive Cash Reward on F-150 AND Super Duty.
Learn more: bit.ly/3Xez1CJ or click the button below.
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Environmental: CARB’s Climate Goals for Livestock are ‘Troubling’ | |
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CARB’s Climate Goals for Livestock are ‘Troubling’
Courtesy of Agri-Pulse Daybreak West
The California Cattlemen’s Association is concerned about the “inconsistent approach” to livestock grazing in the 2022 Climate Scoping Plan. The Air Resources Board released the final draft of the climate blueprint earlier this month and will likely adopt it in December.
The Cattlemen’s Association calls it troubling that the plan promotes investments in cutting enteric emissions from livestock but also pushes for plant-based and cell-cultured products as alternatives to livestock products. The plan also recognizes the value of grazing to reduce fuel loads for wildfires and to support carbon sequestration in the soil.
Remember: The California Farm Bureau commissioned a study that raises alarms over the plan’s goal for transitioning 20% of agriculture to organic.
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Produce: Fertilizer Markets Might Come Back Down to Earth in 2023 | |
Fertilizer Markets Might Come Back Down to Earth in 2023 | Amid extreme market volatility and record-high prices, fertilizer consumption suffered in 2022. According to a new Rabobank report, a recovery in consumption is possible in some regions in 2023, with fertilizer prices lowering and commodity prices at historically high levels. When geopolitics meets fertilizer markets, things get bumpy for fertilizers. | | | | |
Center releases new crop insurance resources for small, organic producers | PUBLISHED ON LYONS, Neb. - Managing risk is an essential part of a successful agricultural operation, and crop insurance is one way for farmers and ranchers to do so. However, for some specialized operations crop insurance choices are not always clear. | | | |
Labor: H-2A Regulations Listening Session for Employers | |
H-2A Regulations Listening Session for Employers | |
We are interested in hearing about the experiences of employers, so we encourage employer representatives to include employers’ perspectives in their remarks or to invite employers to share their experiences directly.
We invite you to join the virtual listening session for employers and employer representatives with Department of Labor officials on Tuesday, December 6 from 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. EST. This listening session is a public event.
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Santa Barbara County to Seek State Grant for $1M Farmworker Resource Center | Labor Mobile One-Stop Shop Would Assist with Health Care, Labor Rights, Immigration, and Education With strong prodding from about 20 social justice advocates - about half of whom identifying as children of farmworkers - the Santa Barbara County supervisors on Tuesday voted to apply for a state grant to create a $1 million farmworker resource center, described as a mobile one-stop shop for farmworkers needing assistance with health care, labor rights, immigration, and education. | | | |
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Continuing Education and Training Opportunities- Only a Few Classes Left to Fulfill Your CE Requirements
California Farm Bureau is pleased to offer this year-long program of training sessions presented by Nationwide in 2022. Select topics will be presented in both English and Spanish.
FREE to Farm Bureau Members! Register Here!
Upcoming trainings:
- December 13th
- December 16th
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Cal/OSHA Will Not Alter the Proposed Non-Emergency COVID Regulation Now on Course to Become Effective January 1, 2023 | During a meeting of the Cal/OSHA Standards Board on November 17, 2022, Cal/OSHA's Chief Deputy for Health and Research Standards unequivocally stated that no further modifications will be made to the proposed non-emergency COVID regulation (CA Non-Emergency Regulation) that the Board will vote to approve at its next meeting on December 15, 2022. | | | | |
October 2022 US Farm Labor Survey | The survey, used to help determine the hourly rate for the H-2A program, shows wages for workers were up 7% from the same week in October 2021, to $17.56 an hour. | |
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California Farm Labor Contractors Association Free Webinar: Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Standard: End of the ETS?
Monday, December 9:30-10:00am
Register for free here.
Sponsored by the UC Davis Western Center for Agricultural Health & Safety
After two years of COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards with persistent revisions and readoptions, the ETS is set to expire at the end of the year. The Standards Board is scheduled to vote on a proposed nonemergency standard December 15.
What does this mean for employers? Do COVID-19 Prevention Plans need to be updated? Do contact tracing and notification procedures need to be maintained? Are employees still entitled to exclusion pay? When does this go into effect and when do employers have to ensure compliance? What's up for the next phase of tackling COVID-19? Presenter: William Krycia- Senior Safety & Health Consultant, The Zenith Insurance
Department of Labor’s H-2A Prevailing Wage Surveys FAQ & Listening Sessions
Courtesy of California Farm Labor Contractors Association
The Department of Labor's (DOL) Office of Foreign Labor Certification has issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), Prevailing Wage Surveys, associated with the publication of the final rule, Temporary Agricultural Employment of H-2A Nonimmigrants in the United States (“2022 H-2A Final Rule”).
- Prevailing Wage Surveys FAQ Here
- H-2A Final Rule Here
Additionally, DOL will be engaging in additional rulemaking concerning the H-2A visa program for temporary agricultural employment of foreign workers and will conduct four virtual listening sessions (two for employers and their representatives and two for workers and their advocates) to gather input about possible changes to the H-2A regulations.
- Register for Employers Session on December 6 Here
- Register for Workers Session Here
California Mandated Employer Bereavement Policy
By Erica Rosasco, McKeague Rosasco
Existing Law
Currently, under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA), it is unlawful for an employer to refuse grant an eligible employee’s request to take up to 12 work-weeks of unpaid protected leave during any 12-month period for family care and medical leave. Eligible employers can seek mediation under the small employer family leave mediation pilot program provided by the Civil Rights Department for alleged violations of specified family care and medical leave provisions.
New Law
On January 1, AB 1949 will expand employee rights provided under the CFRA by making it unlawful for employers with five or more employees to refuse to grant a request by an employee to take up to five days of bereavement leave on the death of a family member. For the purposes of AB 1949, a family member is defined as a spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, domestic partner, or parent-in-law.
An employee is eligible for bereavement leave once they have been employed for at least 30 days before the commencement of leave. Bereavement days need not be taken consecutively. However, the leave must be taken within three months of the date of the death of the family member. The bereavement policy established by AB 1949 is required to be taken pursuant to an employer’s existing bereavement policy. Continue reading here.
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Livestock: National Geographic - Meet the Ranchers and Producers of Central California's San Luis Obispo County | |
Bird flu: What is it and what's behind the outbreak? | The world is going through its worst-ever outbreak of bird flu. The highly infectious H5N1 strain of the disease is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of wild birds and millions of domestic ones. Bird flu is an infectious disease of poultry and wild birds that has been around for a century. | | | | |
National Geographic - Meet the Ranchers and Producers of Central California's San Luis Obispo County | It might be halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, but San Luis Obispo County is a world away from the fast buzz of the city. "Perhaps it's the slower pace of life, but people here haven't lost their connection to the land. | | | |
Vineyard & Wine: Study: Wine's Economic Contribution to California is $73 Billion-Plus | |
Study: Wine's Economic Contribution to California is $73 Billion-Plus | A new study supported by two wine industry groups puts the economic contribution of the industry in California annually at more than $73 billion in California and $170.5 billion for the U.S. The report touted the direct and indirect influences from wineries, vineyards and related businesses. | | | | |
Why California's $46 Billion Wine Industry Is Better Prepared For Climate Change Than Some Of Its Competitors? | Climate change poses a significant threat for all of agriculture, but it has particularly disruptive potential for the wine industry. This is because wine quality is closely linked to weather and quality is linked to value. Adaptation will be the key, but this can conflict with tradition | | | | |
Winegrape Market in Balance After Three Short Crops | President of Allied Grape Growers (AGG), Jeff Bitter said that the winegrape market is seeing more of a "stable environment" after three short crops in a row. While acreage has not been reduced to the level that AGG was calling for a few years ago, the shorter crops have helped bring balance to the market. | | | |
Water: California Drought Costly to Growers, Jobs as Farmland Shrinks. New Study Shows How Much | |
Kings Co. wants to block selling groundwater to Southern California. Will a new measure solve the problem? | Kings County Supervisors took a crack at a long-promised push to restrict the ability of swashbuckling Kings County farming giants to sell their groundwater to far-flung southern California locales. | | |
Community Voices: The water supply crisis is devastating California's farms. It's time for a crisis-level response. | For decades, California has been paralyzed, prevented from securing an adequate water supply by endless debate, red tape and litigation over where, how, and even if the state should create more water supply infrastructure. | | | | |
California Drought Costly to Growers, Jobs as Farmland Shrinks. New Study Shows How Much | As California prepares for a fourth consecutive year of drought and farmland across the Golden State increasingly goes idle, growers continue to face mounting economic challenges. In a new report about the financial toll of the state's extreme drought conditions, researchers estimated that the state's irrigated farmland dropped by 752,000 acres, or nearly 10%, from 2019 to 2022. | | |
Water potential not lost in coastal fog | In a warming and drying California, water agencies across the state are looking for new water sources and trying to better utilize the ones they have. Pacifica has a potential source of water not available to many communities: the drippy gray moisture that blows ashore in the form of fog. | | | |
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Applications for SGMA grants are due by Dec. 16
Courtesy of the California Farm Bureau Foundation - Ag Alert
The California Department of Water Resources has extended the application deadline for its second round of Sustainable Groundwater Management Grant Program applications.
The new deadline is Dec. 16 at 10 a.m.
The grant program seeks to promote projects that provide multiple benefits while also improving groundwater supply and quality.
The state Legislature last year allocated $180 million in general funds for Sustainable Groundwater Management Act implementation projects, of which $171 million was available for grant awards. An additional $60 million was allocated for the 2022-23 budget year, with another $60 million to be provided in 2023-24.
Grants may fund projects that do the following:
• Develop and implement a Groundwater Sustainability Plan or an approved alternative.
• Promote the sustainable use of groundwater, or educate the public on groundwater sources and uses, and ways to protect it.
• Provide technical assistance for under-represented communities to help with SGMA compliance.
• Research information on sustainable groundwater best management practices.
• Work to ensure public funds are spent on initiatives that best suit groundwater needs in California.
For more information, visit https://water.ca.gov/sgmgrants. Questions may be directed to SGWP@water.ca.gov.
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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 | | | | |
