~Adapted from 2021 California Agricultural Statistics Review~ | |
CDFA Releases 2021 CA Agriculture Production Statistics | |
This past week the California Department of Food and Agriculture released its 2021 California Agricultural Statistics Review, Agricultural Exports, and Agricultural Organics reports. Total exports for California totaled $20.8 billion in 2020 with the top export destination being the European Union. This was a total 2.8% decrease from 2019. Organic sales totaled more than $11.9 billion in 2020, a 14% increase from the year prior. San Luis Obispo County contributed $63,386,159 in organic gross sales which was a 45.7% increase from 2019.
Among the reports, the California Agricultural Statistics Review provides detailed commodity reports by production, county, acreage, and value as well as state weather, rainfall, and crop seasons data. Overall, San Luis Obispo County ranked 15th in the state by gross value of agricultural production contributing $1.057 billion. San Luis Obispo county is ranked 4th in strawberry, cauliflower, celery, flowers and foliage production and 5th in avocado, lettuce, broccoli, and green pea production when compared to other counties within the state.
A more comprehensive report will be released in late 2022, but for more information and prior years reports visit the CDFA website.
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This Week In SLO County Agriculture | |
Community: Farm Bureau Seeking Nominations for San Luis Obispo County Agriculturalist of the Year | |
Farm Bureau Seeking Nominations for SLO County Agriculturalist of the Year | |
Past Winners:
1988 – Don Warden
1989 – Bill & Mary Gerst
1990 – Harrison Wilson
1991 – Ernie Righetti
1992 – Don Talley
1993 – Chuck Kuhnle
1994 – Herman Scwartz
1995 – Joy Fitzhugh
1996 – Walt Nielsen
1997 – George Dana
1998 – Joe Guidetti
1999 – Steve Arnold
2000 – Kaz Ikeda
2001 – Gene Mehlschau
2002 – Bill Weitkamp
2003 – Mike Ryan
2004 – Alex & Phyliis Madonna
2005 – Dana Merrill
2006 – Chris Darway
2007 – Michael Cavaletto
2008 – Blanche & John Comino
2009 – White Family
2010 – Tom Ikeda
2011 – Justin Smith
2012 – Haruo & Rose Hayashi
2013 – Dr. Joe Sabol
2014 – Dale Evenson
2015 – Jim Brabeck
2016 - Hugh Pitts
2017 – Ken Dewar
2018 – Marilyn Britton
2019 – Jerry Lohr
2020 – Jerry Rutiz
2021 – Doug Filipponi
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Rescue to Ride- Horse Rescue Sanctuary Tour & Vine Trail Ride | | |
2022 California Farm Bureau Photo Contest |
The 2022 Photo Contest is open for entries from June 1 to September 30. Members are invited to submit nominations for the contest. This contest highlights California agriculture and what happens on a farm or ranch.
Enter for a chance to win cash prizes!
• Grand Prize $1,000
• 1st place $500
• 2nd place $250
• 3rd place $100
• 6 Honorable Mentions $50
• Budding Artist 1st place $250
• Budding Artist 2nd place $100
https://www.cfbf.com/photocontest
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FARMSTEAD Ed - Film on the Farm: Where There Once was Water | | |
Renown Chef Jeff Olson of Industrial Eats is Sure to Wow at Ocean Breeze Farms - American Grown Flowers and Foliage | How often do you truly think about where your meal came from? Chef Jeff Olson can answer that question with confidence. Jeff, who will be catering the upcoming Field to Vase Dinner in Arroyo Grande in August, owns Buellton, California-based restaurant Industrial Eats, as well as New West Catering. | | | |
County Government: 2022 SLO County Sheriff's Annual Report | |
2021 SLO County Sherriff's Annual Report |
Read 2021 Annual Report by Verdin on Issuu and browse thousands of other publications on our platform. Start here!
Includes the Rural Crimes Unit annual statistics.
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City of San Luis Obispo- State of the City Highlights | The City of San Luis Obispo held the first formal State of the City address in-person since before the COVID-19 pandemic began. City Manager Derek Johnson and Mayor Erica A. Stewart shared how over the past few years the San Luis Obispo community united in times of crisis, built new bridges, designed our own future, and took steps toward meaningful change. Attendees also got a look ahead to understand how we are working together to build legacy projects, prevent and reduce homelessness, and make SLO a more welcoming place. Review the complete recording of the hour-long presentation. Or watch this shorter 5-minute video with highlights of the presentation. | |
State Government: Farm Bureau at Work - Lots of Legislation Impacting Agriculture Moving Ahead | |
California Farm Bureau's Farm Bureau at Work -
Legislative & Government Affairs Report from Sacramento
May 27 Highlights (Full Report Here):
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AB 2183 (Stone), agricultural employee card check legislation, passed the Assembly on May 25, 49-22 with seven absences or abstentions. AB 2183 is a re-tread of AB 616 (also by Stone) vetoed by Governor Newsom in September 2021. As in the past, proponents characterized the bill as a reform allowing mail-in balloting in Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) elections despite the bill’s plain language permitting union agents to distribute, supervise the completion of, gather and return to the ALRB “ballots” envisioned by the bill. Farm Bureau opposes.
- As previously reported, AB 2201 (Steve Bennett, D-Ventura) would codify the Governor’s Drought Executive Order regarding local groundwater well permitting agencies and Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs). The Executive Order does not change permitting authority. Item 9.a. of the order states that local well permitting agencies must receive written verification from the GSA that the proposed well (in high and medium priority basins) is consistent with the adopted Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) and will not decrease the likelihood of achieving the sustainability goals that the GSAs have developed, and item 9.b. states that regardless of basin priority, local well permitting agencies must determine before issuing a well permit that the proposed well is not likely to interfere with the production and functioning of existing nearby wells and is not likely to cause subsidence that would adversely impact or damage nearby infrastructure, thus eliminating the ministerial act of issuing a well permit statewide. The measure passed out of the Assembly 44- 22-10 and is headed to its first Senate policy committee. Farm Bureau remains opposed.
- A measure that would not allow the approval of a groundwater sustainability plan (GSP) by the Department of Water Resources to determine the allocation of groundwater pumping rights. Simply put, groundwater rights are ultimately determined by the courts in adjudications. SB 1372 (Henry Stern, D-Los Angeles) passed out of the Senate on consent this week. Farm Bureau views the measure favorably.
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AB 2840 will worsen food supply chain backlogs, increase food costs and stop improvements to packing houses, cold storage and distribution centers that service Californians from Del Norte to Imperial. This bill, would threaten farms' ability to move fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy and meat products throughout the state. | | | | |
Effects of drought, inflation top Farm Bureau testimony | Not enough water. Too much money in circulation. Sky-high prices for just about everything-except the price paid to the farmers for their crops. All of these and more have created an existential crisis in California farm country, according to California Farm Bureau Administrator Jim Houston. | | | | |
Battle over California bee protection continues | The parties debated whether the California Endangered Species Act includes bumble bees. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) - In a four-year battle between conservation groups and California's leading agricultural organizations, an appeals court in the state Monday heard arguments as to whether or not native bumble bees should be protected under the California Endangered Species Act. | | | |
Federal Government: Commentary - Climate disclosure mandate would burden farmers | |
California Farm Bureau Federal Policy News - May 2
- CAFB's Board of Directors Conducts DC "Fly-In"
- USDA Announces "Phase One" Distributions of Emergency Relief Funds for 2020 and 2021
- USDA Announces Signup Period for Commodity Container Assistance Program
- CAFB & Other Organizations Urge US Solicitor General to Withdraw Brief on Glyphosate Case
- Forest Service Issues Pause on Prescribed Fire Operations on National Forest System Lands
- California Farm Bureau's Western Region WOTUS Roundtable Scheduled for June
- President Appoints New Rural Development Director for CaliforniaHouse Committee Passes Meatpacking Oversight Bill
- Read the full report here
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Farm Bureau board advocates on issues | Arriving in Washington, D.C., amid concerns over global conflict, the pandemic and inflation, the California Farm Bureau board of directors met with members of Congress, federal agencies and others on pressing issues affecting agriculture. Discussions focused on themes including the California drought, trade challenges and immigration and farm workforce issues. | | | | |
Commentary: Climate disclosure mandate would burden farmers | The Securities and Exchange Commission is proposing to mandate extensive climate disclosures by public companies, including measured impacts for their entire supply chain. For many of the farmers and ranchers who feed, fuel and clothe America and much of the world, the impact ... | | | | |
Justice Department sees 'gamesmanship' in latest immigration clash with Texas - Roll Call | Posted May 24, 2022 at 1:55pm Texas asked a federal judge on Monday to block a Biden administration overhaul of asylum processing at the border just days before the rule is set to take effect, a move the Justice Department criticized as "gamesmanship." | | | |
SEC's proposed ESG rule will leave small farms in the lurch, lawmakers from both parties say |
FIRST ON FOX - More than 100 House members from both parties are attacking a proposed Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rule that they say will put "unworkable" regulatory requirements on small farms. In a letter led by Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., the lawmakers said a proposed rule for "Enhanced and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors" could block farmers from working with public companies.
In all, 118 House members are signing the letter, including two swing-district Democrats in Reps. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Elaine Luria. D-Va. ...
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Ag groups urge withdrawal of SCOTUS brief in Roundup case
Agri-Pulse Daybreak West for May 24
A “stunning” and “dangerous” shift in U.S. policy toward pesticide labeling “poses great risks to our science-based regulatory system and global food systems,” dozens of commodity and other ag groups assert in a letter asking the Biden administration to withdraw a recently filed brief in the Supreme Court.
Led by the American Soybean Association (ASA) and National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), the letter to President Joe Biden takes aim at the brief filed by Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar in a case involving a verdict that found the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act does not preempt state tort law claims.
California resident Edwin Hardeman claimed his exposure to Roundup from the mid-1980s through 2012 had caused his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and that Monsanto had failed to adequately warn him of the herbicide’s health risks. A federal jury awarded him about $80 million, which included $75 million in punitive damages. A district court judge reduced the punitive damages award to $20 million.
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Business Member Spotlight:
Jenny Heinzen Real Estate
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Paso Robles Wine Country & Beyond
The ultimate Vineyard Real Estate expert, Jenny Heinzen Real Estate (DBA Vineyard Professional Real Estate, LLC) serves institutional investors, commercial wineries, growers, and high-net-worth individuals with a focus on exceptional client care. Based in Paso Robles, California with over two decades of industry expertise and $225+ million in closed real estate transactions, count on Jenny for insider savvy to achieve your most ambitious goals.
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USDA: San Luis Obispo County Farm Service Agency is Hiring | |
San Luis Obispo County Farm Service Agency Office is Hiring | View as a webpage / Share The San Luis Obispo County Farm Service Agency (FSA) office in Templeton is hiring a full time Program Technician. Applications must be completed through USAJOBs no later than close of business June 9, 2022. | | | | |
Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Strengthen Food Supply Chains, Level the Playing Field for Growers, and Lower Prices for American Consumers | WASHINGTON, May 26, 2022 - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced more support, resources, and new rules that will strengthen the American food supply chain, promote fair and competitive agricultural markets, prevent abuse of farmers by poultry processors and make prices fairer for farmers and American consumers. | | | |
Thank You Farm Bureau Members | |
New Member
Narges Moosavi Mahvelati and Bill Schwoerer
Renewing Members
Steve Soderstrom, Michael Owens, Michael Bradley, Pacific Organics, Byron Grant, Nicholas Thille, JSC Agricultural Supply, Mesa Vineyard Management Inc., Santa Margarita Ranch LLC, Norman Fawley, W Terry, OSO Libre Ranch Inc., Brandon Wiebe, Jenny Heinzen, Adler Belmont Group Inc., Clint Osborne, Megan's Organic Market SLO, Seacrest Oceanfront Hotel, and Wicks Roofing Inc.
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Featured Member Benefit:
John Deere - Special deals on essential supplies
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When your tractor is pushing 80 hours per week during peak harvest, a stockpile of maintenance and repair supplies is critical.
Thankfully, your automatic Platinum 1 Rewards account with John Deere includes discounts at the online store AND Rewards emails with seasonal coupons for parts. Set up your account at JohnDeere.com/FarmBureau and start stockpiling!
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Environmental: Climate Worries Galvanize a New Pro-Nuclear Movement in the U.S. | |
Climate worries galvanize a new pro-nuclear movement in the U.S. | Placeholder while article actions load Charles Komanoff was for decades an expert witness for groups working against nuclear plants, delivering blistering critiques so effective that he earned a spot at the podium when tens of thousands of protestersdescended on Washington in 1979 over the Three Mile Island meltdown. | | | | |
A Hot, Deadly Summer Is Coming With Frequent Blackouts |
Global power grids are about to face their biggest test in decades with electricity generation strangled in the world’s largest economies.
War. Drought. Production shortages. Historically low inventories. And pandemic backlash. Energy markets across the planet have been put through the wringer over the past year, and consumers have suffered the consequences of soaring prices.
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Produce: Weather-Related Damage Lowers Blueberry Crop | |
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Weather-related damage lowers blueberry crop | California blueberry harvest is in full swing, and some growers are picking a smaller crop this year after losing fruit to spring frost and hail. The California Blueberry Commission estimates farms will produce 55 million pounds... | | | | |
Western Growers Publishes Two New Food Safety Documents | The Western Growers Science team just released a pair of documents providing guidance on pre-harvest product testing sampling plans and how to utilize specific tools during root cause analysis (RCA) investigations. | | | |
Labor: Farm Bureau Extension: 2022 Continuing Education Series- June 9 (Credit for 1 hour - other) | |
SLO County farm business underpaid workers, served them spoiled food, U.S. officials say | The U.S. Department of Labor fined five California farm businesses - including four on the Central Coast - for underpaying migrant workers by more than $200,000, according to a news release. The H-2A temporary agricultural workers program allows employers to bring workers from other countries to provide critical labor that supports the country's agriculture - a $49 billion industry in California. | | |
Federal judge extends the blocking of Biden administration's plans to lift Title 42 | A Louisiana judge has extended his temporary block of the Biden administration's plan to lift pandemic-related border restrictions on Monday. In a ruling issued Friday, U.S. District Judge Robert Summerhays in Lafayette wrote that lawyers for 24 plaintiff states had established that a "significant threat of injury" would arise if Title 42, a 1944 federal public health statute invoked by the Trump administration at the start of the pandemic, were to be lifted. | | | | |
California High Court Rules Missed Break Premiums Are 'Wages' | On May 23, 2022, the Supreme Court of California held that premium pay for missed meal and rest periods constitutes "wages" under California labor law and that employers may be held liable for the failure to properly report and timely pay out such wages. | | |
H-2A program sees double-digit gains in positions filled | American growers need more workers, and the H-2A program is answering the bell. U.S. Department of Labor data show that, for the first two quarters of fiscal year 2022, program applications increased 17.5% over the previous fiscal year. | | | |
California Supreme Court Rules Meal and Rest Period Premiums Are “Wages” for Purposes of Labor Code Sections 226 and 203
On Monday, May 23, the California Supreme Court issued a lengthy Opinion in the Naranjo v. Spectrum Security Services, Inc., matter which will significantly affect wage and hour litigation in California.
Plaintiff Naranjo was employed as a non-exempt security guard for Defendant Spectrum Security Services, Inc. (“Spectrum”). Naranjo filed a class action complaint in the Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging violations of state meal break requirements and rest break requirements. Non-exempt employees are entitled to meal and rest breaks under California law. The failure to provide these breaks in compliance with California law entitles an employee to a premium payment of an additional hour of pay at the employee’s regular rate of compensation for the meal or rest period violation. (Lab. Code, § 226.7, subd. (c).) Naranjo sought an additional hour of pay (premium pay) for each day Spectrum failed to provide legally compliant breaks. Additionally, Naranjo alleged two derivative Labor Code violations for failure to report the premium pay separately on employee wage statements and failure to pay the premium pay upon separation of employment. In addition to damages and penalties, Naranjo sought prejudgment interest on the premium pay which he alleged constituted withheld wages. The California Supreme Court took up two questions; whether “this extra pay for missed breaks constitutes “wages” that must be reported on statutorily required wage statements during employment (Lab. Code, § 226) and paid within statutory deadlines when an employee leaves the job (Lab. Code, § 203).” The Court’s Opinion published this morning is a resounding, yes, “[t]he extra pay [ ] constitutes wages subject to the same timing and reporting rules as other forms of compensation for work.”
To read more, click here.
Source: Barsamian & Moody
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Farm Bureau Extension: 2022 Continuing Education Series- June 9 (Free for Farm Bureau Members)
June 9th - 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Topic: Calibration and Nozzle Selection for Effective Spraying
Speaker: Peter Ako Larbi, Ph.D, Assistant Cooperative Extension Specialist, Cooperative Extension (1 hr Other)
California Farm Bureau presents the Farm Bureau Extension: 2022 CE Series held virtually. Join us throughout the year for webinars featuring content that meets your pesticide continuing education (CE) requirements. 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 successful completion of a simple quiz on the material.
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Wildfire: SLO Tribune - Wildfire risk left this SLO County area in 'extreme peril.' Now there's a plan to help | |
Biden forest plan stirs dispute over what counts as "old" | BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - President Joe Biden's order to protect the nation's oldest forests against climate change, wildfires and other problems devastating vast woodlands is raising a simple yet vexing question: When does a forest grow old? | | |
Prescribed fire operations paused on National Forest System lands | PUBLISHED ON WASHINGTON - Today, because of the current extreme wildfire risk conditions in the field, I am initiating a pause on prescribed fire operations on National Forest System lands while we conduct a 90-day review of protocols, decision support tools and practices ahead of planned operations this fall. | | | | |
Wildfire risk left this SLO County area in 'extreme peril.' Now there's a plan to help | The Salinas River snakes right through the middle of Paso Robles, its banks surrounded by dense riparian plants that provide a natural habitat corridor in the city. Perhaps in decades past, the river would always run year-round - water rushing along the sand would moisten the soil and get sucked into the plant life. | | |
Wildfire Outlook - March 2022 to June 2022 - RedZone | Below are summaries from the National Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook, provided by the National Interagency Fire Center, for the period of March 2022 through June 2022. Additionally, the full wildfire outlook can be located here. Source: https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/nfn.htm Fire activity increased in February, especially across the Southern Area. | | | |
Livestock: 6 hurt when bull escapes Northern California rodeo arena | |
6 hurt when bull escapes Northern California rodeo arena | REDDING, Calif. (AP) - Several people were injured when a bull jumped a fence and escaped an arena during a popular Northern California rodeo, authorities said. The escape occurred Friday during the final section of the Redding Rodeo's bull riding event, the Redding Rodeo Association said on Facebook . | | | | |
Ermias Kebreab: What do seaweed and cow burps have to do with climate change? | Part 4 of the TED Radio Hour episode Repair, Repurpose, Reimagine About Ermias Kebreab . Each year, one cow can belch 220 pounds of the greenhouse gas methane. Animal scientist Ermias Kebreab experimented with alternative cow diets and found a surprising solution: seaweed. | | | |
Vineyard & Wine: Winegrape Growers to See Benefits of New Emergency Relief Program | |
Winegrape Growers to See Benefits of New Emergency Relief Program | The disaster assistance provided through the new Emergency Relief Program (ERP) from USDA will be providing some significant support to growers that experienced certain losses in 2020 and 2021. President of the California Association of Winegrape Growers, John Aguirre said the ERP is a notable improvement from the assistance provided under the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus. | | | | |
U.S. wine imports reach nearly $7.5 billion in 2021 | In the United States, growing consumption of wine has contributed to an increase in wine imports, from 127 million gallons in fiscal year 2000 to 456 million gallons in FY 2021, reaching nearly $7.5 billion in value. Most wine imports come from the European Union (EU), accounting for 75 percent of the total value and 50 percent of the volume. | | | | |
Toward more sustainable wine: Scientists can now track sulfur from grapes to streams | Each week during growing season, California winemakers coat their precious grapes with sulfur fungicides to prevent powdery mildew infection. It's an effective defense against a potentially crop-devastating disease, in one of the state's largest industries. But when it rains and the fungicide is washed away, where does all the sulfur go? | | | |
Water: New Times SLO - New Paso basin water regulations would 'exacerbate overdraft' | |
Santa Barbara County Supervisors Approve Water Well Permitting Urgency Ordinance Amid Drought |
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved a water well permitting urgency ordinance Tuesday that expands the review process, in response to a drought-related state executive order. "
Drought conditions in California are now considered to be severe across at least 95% of the state. Santa Barbara County is currently experiencing the driest 10-year rainfall period on record,” said Lars Seifert with ...
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New Paso basin water regulations would 'exacerbate overdraft' |
A new set of proposed Paso Robles Groundwater Basin rules would result in more vineyards and a spike in basinwide pumping, which would "exacerbate" the aquifer's overdraft, according to a draft environmental impact report (EIR) released on May 20. ....
SLO County Farm Bureau Executive Director Brent Burchett said his organization was still reviewing the draft EIR. But in prior comments submitted on the ordinance, the Farm Bureau said that "our concern is the ordinance creates more problems than it remedies."
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SLO County Water Resources Advisory Commission Meets June 1 | The next WRAC meeting will be at 1:30pm Wednesday, 6/1/2022 at the City of SLO Council Chambers, The Committee will receive a presentation from staff regarding the Governor’s updated Drought Emergency Proclamation (Executive Order N-7-22) and a presentation from Purlieu Landscapes related to rainwater catchment and other drought-responsive landscape strategies. The Planning & Building Department has released the Draft EIR for the Paso Planting Ordinance. | | | |
California Senate proposes $2 billion program to balance water supply and water rights | The California Senate has proposed a $2 billion reconciliation framework to rebalance water supply and water rights, as part of proposed investments of $7.5 billion in state and federal funds spread over three years for climate resiliency. It is the most sweeping land retirement proposal since the landmark 1992 Central Valley Project Improvement Act. | | | | |
California Drought Could Nearly Halve Hydropower Output, Boost Electricity Prices |
(Reuters) - The extended drought in California could lead to hydropower producing 8% of California's electricity generation compared with 15% under normal precipitation conditions, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Thursday.
In its supplemental outlook, the EIA expects that the dip in hydropower generation would lead to an 8% increase in electricity generation from natural gas, an increase in energy-related ...
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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 | | | | |