Summer 2014 SAN LUIS OBISPO - San Luis Obispo County Farm

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SAN LUIS OBISPO
Summer 2014
Country
san luis obispo
Volume 43, Issue 2 s Summer 2014
Writers – Mary Silveira, Lorraine Clark, Joni Hunt
Photographer – Mary Silveira
Cover Photo – Lorraine Clark
Production & Ad Sales – Joni Hunt
San Luis Obispo Country Magazine is published
quarterly—March, June, September, December—
by San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau, 3599 Sueldo
Street #100, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401; (805) 5433654; www.slofarmbureau.org. The subscription price
is included in Farm Bureau membership.
Advertising: Call the San Luis Obispo County Farm
Bureau, (805) 543-3654 or Joni Hunt, (805) 545-9547.
Printer: Layton Printing
©2014 San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau retains
all rights to text, photos and graphics. San Luis Obispo
County Farm Bureau does not assume responsibility for
statements by advertisers or for products advertised in
SLO Country Magazine, nor does San Luis Obispo County
Farm Bureau assume responsibility for statements or
expressions of opinion other than in editorials or in articles
showing authorship by an officer, director or staff member
of the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau or its affiliates.
“We shape our buildings; thereafter,
they shape us.” —Sir Winston Churchill
S
ir Winston Churchill, the great British statesman,
recognized the importance of great architecture and the influence that well-designed spaces have on work and home.
After all, he was born at the monumental
Blenheim Palace—historical residence of
the dukes of Marlborough and the only
non-royal “palace” in England (now a
UNESCO World Heritage site). But it was
at Chartwell, in Kent, where Sir Winston
and family made their home for more
than four decades, that he painted and
conduct the mission of our organization,
wrote, and where the kitchen gardens
but also a friendly gathering place. supplied fresh fruit and vegetables for
The open house and ribbon-cutting
10 Downing Street.
ceremony are set for July 18th at 11 a.m.,
I agree that people take on some of
so please save the date! If you aren’t able
the quality of the buildings where they
to be there, stop in and say hello anytime.
live, work and gather. It’s not a monuWe think this new building will help
mental country house, but here at Farm
shape the future of Farm Bureau and
Bureau we’ve been busily preparing to
help us grow in all
move into our newly constructed buildof the right ways.
ing at 4875 Morabito Place, across from
the airport in San Luis Obispo. It will
Lynn Diehl, Executive Director
not only be an efficient space in which to
San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau
Contents
“We never know the worth of water till the well is dry. ”
~ Thomas Fuller, English author
Cover
Prolonged drought on the Central Coast
has long-term consequences for agriculture
as well as consumers.
04 Drought
2
Fall 2013 s SLO Country Magazine
Scarce rain, a historically repeating
situation on the Central Coast,
affects all residents. Perhaps those
with the most at stake, the most to
lose, are in agriculture. Read why.
www.slofarmbureau.org
10 In the Garden
Two basil plants purchased the same
time and place—one is thriving, the
other not so much. Why the differ ence? Learn about vermicompost
and a local worm farm.
12 Local Links
Events to note
SLO Country Magazine s Summer 2014
3
Drought
A Historical Perspective
by Joy Fitzhugh, Legislative Analyst, SLO County Farm Bureau
T
After very little spring rainfall, hills briefly
showed green cover near Cambria. Cattle found
some feed, but a watering hole remained dry.
4
Summer 2014 s SLO Country Magazine
hose of us in agriculture
in San Luis Obispo County,
along with our rural and
urban neighbors, spent
winter and spring hoping for rain.
“This is the worst drought ever”
and “Three years with hardly any
rain is unheard of” are comments
we hear around town. Wells are
going dry, rangeland has little
to feed the livestock, and crops—
especially some orchards—are
withering and dying. But, is this
really the worst drought ever?
I remember my father talking
about a neighbor who, during the
three-year drought between 1929–
1934, would go out each morning
with his axe and chop limbs from
oak trees to feed his cows. The
cows were waiting to follow along
behind him as he downed the limbs.
Some of us remember the twoyear drought of 1976–1977. During
those years, I pitched loose hay
out of our barn—laid in by my
grandfather in the 1930s—because
there was no feed on the hills. Our
cows licked up that hay like candy.
Our ranch was pretty isolated in
those days, and you didn’t just
haul in truck-and-trailer loads
of hay, even if you could afford it.
Most of us have heard and/or
read about our county’s history
through the knowledgeable writings of Myron Angel, Daniel
Kreiger (our own local historian
to The Tribune) and others. Our
county has quite a colorful weather
history. But what is the real rain
history of San Luis Obispo County?
www.slofarmbureau.org
Unfortunately, official county rain
records only go back to the late
1880s, which is after the “great
drought” of 1862–1864.
“A
ll forage was utterly exhausted,
and where the grass usually
waved in luxuriant growth the wind
swept the dust as drifting sand on
the desert. Fertile valleys were as
bare as well trodden roads.
“Great Drought” of the 1860s
Stories were told of this
drought in terms ranging from
a “severe drought” to an “unmitigated disaster” (Krieger).
Descriptions tell of starving
cattle huddled around shrinking
water holes, dying by the thousands.
Kreiger graphically wrote about
the “sun-bleached bones” of dead
livestock in Looking Backward Into
the Middle Kingdom.
Another account, from the
“Paso Robles 125 Anniversary
Blog,” told of vaqueros who drove
starving cattle on Rancho Santa
Rosa over the cliffs into the ocean
“to put them out of their misery.”
By drought’s end, more than
300,000 head of cattle and 100,000
head of sheep died. One account
reported Santa Margarita Rancho
alone, which ran 200,000 head of
cattle before the drought, was left
with only 5,000 head alive by the
end of 1864. This drought, in effect,
brought an end to the rancho era.
The “Paso Robles 125 Anniversary Blog” also wrote that in Paso
Robles only 0.3 inch of rain fell in
fall 1862, and “no rain fell until the
fall of 1864.” This is corroborated
by a circuit court lawsuit stating,
“in the winter of 1863–64 no rain
fell in California” and “crops failed
and the cattle starved” (1870 Villa
v. Rodriguez).
”
—Myron Angel, 1883,
about 1860s drought
One-Year Droughts
By 1869, Cal Poly had set up
a Precipitation Gauge Station, and
in 1886 Paso Robles started their
own station. From these records,
we see that one-year droughts have
happened many times. With the
average rain for the Cal Poly area
at 21.93 inches and Paso Robles at
an average of 15 inches, we see the
following years were seriously dry.
YearsCal PolyPaso Robles
(meaurements in inches)
1893–949.815.94
1897–987.204.77
1912–138.088.06
1923–248.196.38
1975–7610.425.34
1986–8715.198.74
1998–9917.078.96
2006–0711.036.24
Although these one-year
droughts have not received nearly
the attention of the historic 1860s
drought, I remember my father
saying that my grandparents
Continued on page 6
SLO Country Magazine s Summer 2014
5
moved their dairy cows in the
mid-1890s from their ranch east of
Cayucos to the mountains because
there was still feed to be found there.
(My grandfather claimed there was
never a total bust year on the mountain. We shall see.) Actually, a Morro
Bay record documents only one inch
of rain in 1898.
Miss Helen Ballard, who was
born in Creston and taught there
in the late 1800s, told me the
following story when I was about
six years old. Following a year
of drought, the only vegetable to
survive in their garden was winter
squash. That year they ate baked,
boiled and fried winter squash for
breakfast, lunch and dinner. I was
too young to ask, but my guess is
Miss Ballard never touched yellow
squash again.
Two- and Three-Year Droughts
Two- and three-year droughts
are not that uncommon either.
According to records on websites
for San Luis Obispo County Public
Works and California Rangeland
UC Davis (Annual Rangeland
Handbook), we see at least three
more three-year droughts have
occurred since the 1860s: 1929–1934,
1947–1950 and 1987–1992.
In the 1987–1992 drought, our
Cambria Pinedorado parade sported
a float with an outhouse perched
on the back. At that time, Cambria
was in serious water rationing—a
situation that we have again today.
“
A North Coast cow, with
calf hiding behind her,
finds the usual water
holes dry after sparse
spring rain.
Notice
To Consumers of Water
On and after May 3, 1907, all
persons are forbidden to use water for
the purpose of sprinkling or irrigating
lawns or gardens excepting between
the hours of 6 and 8 o’clock a.m.,
and 6 and 8 o’clock p.m.
Any person guilty of willfully or
negligently wasting water shall have
the sum of one dollar per month
added to his water rate until such
wastage shall cease.
—E. A. Branch, Superintendent
Tribune, June 6, 1907
”
What Does Drought Mean
for Agriculture Today?
Drought is a serious matter
for homeowners and renters, but
it sometimes becomes a total loss
for the agriculturalist.
• Some ranchers have been forced
to sell off their entire herds. This is
not a short-term loss. If a rancher
sells a herd of cows, it will take
years before this operation is in a
financially positive position again. The replacement herd probably
will not be the same, maybe not
even the same caliber herd, as the
rancher developed over the years.
With cattle numbers in the country
way down, the cost of replacement
cows or heifers will be pricey.
6
Summer 2014 s SLO Country Magazine
Many of us in ranching today
are hanging on to our herds by purchasing truck-and-trailer loads of
hay. At $300 to $500 per ton, a truckand-trailer load could cost $4,000 to
$5,000 per load and last only a few
weeks. How long can this cost go on?
• Orchard and vineyard growers
have many of the same issues as the
rancher. Their orchard may die as
a result of the inability to irrigate.
Some have already been bulldozed
in areas such as Morro Creek. Other
growers are trucking water at costs
reaching more than $2 million. Will
these growers ever recover?
• Farmers who grow row crops
have higher irrigation costs, since
the lack of rain has forced them to
irrigate this past winter as if it were
already summer. Add to that the
drop in aquifers, and at some point
during this drought farmers may not
be able to continue to plant. While
we already see unplanted farms in
the San Joaquin Valley, our growers
in San Luis Obispo County may be
forced to leave their land fallow as
this drought continues.
• As an added problem, all
irrigators have to look at the effect
of accumulated salt on their crops.
Often winter rains leach out the
salts. As the drought continues and
water basins drop, growers are not
able to leach the salt from root zones
of the crops, and the water itself
increases in amount of salt.
Some of the crops most affected
by salt are avocados, lettuce and
other leaf crops. The salt issue alone
may cause significant changes in the
types of crops that will be grown.
There are no quick fixes during
drought. Dry wells remain dry,
creeks don’t flow. We all have to
conserve water and try to use the
absolute minimum possible. Some
of us are hauling water, be it for
homes or agriculture. We all agree
that this is not an easy time.
I suppose there is small comfort
in realizing that we probably are not
as bad off as in the 1860s, but we all
are still hoping for rain.
www.slofarmbureau.org
San Luis Obispo County Rainfall Update
Courtesy Department of Public Works. Chart is condensed;
see complete information and footnotes at www.slocountywater.org.
Region
Average Annual
Rainfall
2012-13 Water
Year Total &
% of Average
2013-14 Water
Year Total &
% of Average
Cambria
22.0
10.0 (45%)
7.01 (32%)
Paso Robles
14.1
5.8 (41%)
4.98 (35%)
Atascadero
Mutual Water Co.
17.0
17.7
6.9 (41%)
8.4 (48%)
5.67 (33%)
9.21 (52%)
Santa Margarita
Salinas Dam
24.0
20.9
10.3 (43%)
11.5 (55%)
8.62 (36%)
9.52 (46%)
San Luis Obispo
24.0
12.4 (52%)
8.50 (35%)
Lopez
23.0
10.8 (47%)
8.21 (36%)
Nipomo
Nipomo (south)
14.8
16.0
5.9 (40%)
6.9 (43%)
4.90 (33%)
4.65 (29%)
San Luis Obispo County Reservoir Update
Courtesy Department of Public Works. Chart is condensed;
see complete information at www.slocountywater.org.
Reservoir
Water
Elevation (feet)
Storage
(acre-feet)
Capacity
(%)
Nacimiento – 2014
2013
724.4
755.0
78,670
168,340
21%
45%
Lopez – 2014
2013
493.1
506.2
26, 780
35, 702
54%
72%
Salinas – 2014
2013
1271.0
1282.9
8,302
13,086
35%
55%
Whale Rock – 2014
2013
178.0
191.1
21,648
27,356
53%
67%
Twitchell – 2014
2013
530.3
< 539
253
<3,500
0.1%
<2%
Note: Water elevation measurments taken in May 2013 and 2014. Historically, Twitchell
Reservoir does not report values below 539 feet.
Sources
• Looking Backward Into the Middle Kingdom: A History of San Luis Obispo County,
Daniel E. Kreiger, Windsor Publishing, 1988.
•January 24, 2014, “Paso Robles 125 Anniversary Blog,” Paso Robles Daily News.
SLO Country Magazine s Summer 2014
7
Vanishing
Time…
If state water allocations are
withheld—as currently declared—
food prices may soar to record
levels, emphasizing the fact that
California certainly is the breadbasket of America.
California is fourth in the U.S.
in cattle production, so downsizing
on a state level certainly changes
national totals. News articles cover
how ranchers are dealing with this
event financially, some having to
sell all their cattle to avoid feeding
until who knows when it rains. The big question is that when it
does eventually rain and ranchers
have feed again, will they be able
to afford to buy cows of the same
quality they previously liquidated?
West Texas cattle producers who
liquidated their herds a few years
ago during severe drought have
found “skyrocketed” prices on
replacement heifers, making rebuilding their herds “questionable,”
according to Jim Simpson in Beef
Magazine, March 2, 2014.
Future cattle prices are difficult
to predict, but if total numbers continue to decline, cattle prices will
likely climb. That means higher
beef prices at the grocery store.
As a small cow/calf producer,
my husband and I bought three
cows from a local rancher when
we first got married. This was
all we could afford, but we kept
heifers to slowly increase our herd
each year. It has taken a long time
to build up close to the numbers we
originally hoped, 23 years actually.
Each year, we choose which cows
to cull (the ornery ones make it
easy…), which heifers to keep.
Each year, a producer works
on replacement heifers, working
with them to fit well into the
situation. There always are those
fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime lookers
you invest three years in, only to
have them prolapse after their first
by Lorraine Clark, Coordinator,
SLO County Ag Education
T
he persistent drought in
California is in the news,
but I haven’t read any
article covering all the
drought impacts. There always
seems to be something missing,
something that nags at me as
we encounter this “historic event.”
This really is an opportunity for
agriculture education, to tell the
real story so that others may gain
insight as to how the drought
actually takes a toll on our lives.
Articles focus on statistics with
increased numbers of cattle going
through the livestock sales yards,
compared with past years. Local
sales have jumped 10 times the
usual numbers for this time of year.
The national cattle numbers are
down 2 percent, with the total head
count at 89.3 million—a reduction
in national numbers by 1.8 million
head, the lowest since the 1950s.
The United States’ population then
was just under 151 million; our
population now is 315 million. That
is almost three times more mouths
to feed, added in the past 65 years.
Across the country, California’s
drought will resonate at grocery
stores from here to Maine. If our
state was an independent country,
it would rank sixth in the world for
agricultural production. California
produces nearly half of all the
fruits, vegetables and nuts for
the entire country. More than
80 crops are grown exclusively
in the Golden State.
8 Summer 2014 s SLO Country Magazine
www.slofarmbureau.org
calf. Other heifers go into labor and
end up with a stillborn, after the
rancher works until exhausted
to pull a gorgeous, but dead calf.
The point is that raising cattle is
painstakingly slow, with a variety
of experiences along the way. Some
are funny, like going out to feed to
find a thundering herd frantically
dashing across the pasture. Way at
the back of the pack is an alarming
noise, a calf with his head stuck
through an empty supplement tub,
desperately trying to catch up.
Some experiences are surprising, like doctoring an extremely ill
newborn calf, too sick to nurse. So
we milked the cow first (an hourplus process) and then bottle fed
the calf, every night after work
under a flashlight. Every night
I was sure the calf would be dead
the next day, but he pulled through.
And some are experiences
where you just have to scratch your
head in wonderment. A steer we
raised ventured into the dog kennel
and even latched himself in it. I’m
still not sure how he even squeezed
through the narrow kennel gate!
Time is actually what is lost
when liquidating a herd—time it
took to build a herd that functions.
Historically, high cattle prices are
fine—but the unknown cost to get
back into production is unnerving.
Selling heifers that maintain
realized potential is selling future
time necessary to replace them.
With the average age of U.S.
farmers and ranchers at nearly
60 years old now, time is actually
less plentiful for the average aged
agriculturalist. Ranching and
farming is unlike other “factory”
settings; there really is no way
to increase production quickly.
Production is already at 24-7,
cows only create one calf every nine
months or so—there is no easy way
to ramp up production on that!
SLO Country Magazine s Summer 2014
9
In the Garden…
Worm Wrangling
How a Local Worm Farm Helps Improve Soils, Crops & Plants
F
rom a single worm bin at
her home, Cristy Christie
has grown her interest in
healthy soils and composting into an efficient and successful
business. The resulting product,
Black Diamond VermiCompost
and liquid compost “tea,” is in such
demand with home gardeners and
commercial growers that she is
preparing a new business plan
to expand production.
Before starting the Paso Robles
farm in 2010, Christie spent a year
on research, visiting worm farms
around the country and attending
worm conventions. She chose to
follow the methodology of two respected farmers as mentors, one in
Sonoma and the other in New York.
“Worms are efficient at reducing
food waste and composting organic
matter,” Christie says. “They like
a 70 percent moisture environment,
but they can take the heat, from
40–100 degrees. When it’s over
100, they start escaping.”
She found that out when her
first worm bin overheated. After
finding several worms out of the
bin, she quickly cooled their environment and the majority survived.
Soil Amendment
Researchers who study the uses
and properties of vermicompost—a
combination of worm castings and
mature, stable compost—at Ohio
State University and other labs
have found “compelling results,”
Christie says. “Under controlled
conditions, microbes in vermicompost will surround a seed, altering
chemical cues and making the seed
zone unattractive to pathogens.”
Christie understands the chemistry and biology involved in re10
Summer 2014 s SLO Country Magazine
newing soils, and sends vermicompost samples to the lab for chemical
analysis, including nutrient qualities and biology assays for levels
of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, etc. She
consults with agriculturalists and
gardeners, demonstrating how vermicompost can improve their soils,
help reduce nitrates leaching into
groundwater and retain water.
Her own local experiences with
vermicompost and liquid tea confirm the benefits. When a corn crop
at an organic farm failed, Christie
helped to amend the soil. Her team
tilled the crop under, drilled holes
to spray-inject compost tea 18 inches deep, planted a cover crop and
sprayed with tea. One month later,
a “puny” cover crop appeared.
Once again, her team tilled,
injected more tea, planted a cover
crop and sprayed tea. Two weeks
later, a healthy cover crop appeared. Four applications of the tea,
50 to 75 gallons each, provided
enough beneficial microbes at a
depth sufficient to rebuild the soil.
“Vineyards in the planting
stage can use one cup in each hole
to give a major boost to the plants’
immune systems,” Christie says.
Continued on page 13
Photo courtesy of Cristy Christie
Christie (top right) checks the temperature in six bins that hold
separated dairy solids (SDS). The SDS composts in the bins to
kill pathogens and weed seeds. With forced aeration, temperatures
can stay at 135 to 145 degrees.
Once in a bin, SDS sits for one week, is turned into an adjacent
bin to ensure all the material is heated properly, and sits for another week. At the end of two weeks, the compost, full of bacteria
and fungi, is spread on top of the worm beds as tasty food.
Oak trees on Christie’s property,
like many on the Central Coast, have
sparse leaves and are hung with Spanish moss (above). She has done a trial
with three of her oaks, amending the
soil over two years with vermicompost
and having an arborist cut dead limbs
and remove moss. The results (page 11
top) are vigorous, leafy oaks with no
additional moss. Photo courtesy of Cristy Christie
Photo courtesy of Cristy Christie
Photo courtesy of Cristy Christie
Worms eat feedstock (round bowl) to produce mature vermicompost (rectangular bowl).
Most worm-composting operations are done in windrows—
long, narrow piles of biodegradable materials placed on the
ground—that take 9 to 12 months to process. Christie uses flowthrough worm beds (right and middle right), where she feeds from
the top and harvests from the bottom (right). This more controlled
environment produces compost that tests equally well or better
than windrows—and takes only 2 to 3 months to process.
Once the vermicompost is removed from the concrete pad,
Christie rinses off the residual worm castings into the garden—
“Our veggies love it!” The squash (above) concurs.
www.slofarmbureau.org
Photo courtesy of Cristy Christie
SLO Country Magazine s Summer 2014 11
Local Links
Cattlemen & Farmers’ Day —
Thursday, July 17
Mid-State Fair, Paso
Robles Event Center
This annual ag
get-together includes
visits with friends and
colleagues, cow dog trials, cattle judging,
tractor restoration competition and much
more!
Make early reservations for the barbecue
lunch and steak dinner; find an order form
and discount at slofarmbureau.org.
In the Garden…
Visit www.slofarmbureau.org…
Savor the Central Coast —
Thursday–Sunday, September 25–28
Santa Margarita Ranch
Sunset Magazine presents this annual food
and wine festival with more than 200 wines,
30 chefs, local winemakers, brew masters,
special events and dinners, seminars, exhibits
and adventure tours.
CFBF Photo Contest —
Entry Deadline Tuesday, September 30
Amateur photographers, who are Farm Bureau
members, can win cash prizes for agriculturerelated images in five categories: Kids and
Critters on the Farm, Fresh and Local, All in
a Day’s Work on the Farm, Rural Scenic and
Budding Artists. See slofarmbureau.org.
The Great AGventure —
Wednesday, October 1
Paso Robles Event Center
Fourth-grade students
from SLO County gather in Paso Robles for fun
and hands-on learning about local agriculture.
More than 1,200 students join more than 50
volunteers from the agricultural community who
provide demonstrations and interactive ways
to experience agriculture.
Sponsors and additional volunteers are
always needed. See slofarmbureau.org or call
Ag Education Committee Coordinator Lorraine
Clark at (805) 543-7356.
Worm Wrangling continued
Wigglers
The two 45-foot flow-through
worm beds Christie uses are custom built by her brother-in-law,
an engineer. They are housed in a
structure hung with shade cloth to
keep birds out and some light and
moisture in. Since worms are sensitive to light, they’re active at night.
Christie identifies distinct layers
of worm activity in the beds. The
top layer, closest to where a meal
of separated dairy solids (SDS) is
spread, she calls the “teenagers”
because they eat a lot. The “mating zone” is next so the hatched
”younglings” can go up to fresh
food. Next are the “senior citizens.”
Worms are hermaphrodites (both
male and female) and peel off a
cocoon with an average of three
babies that hatch in about 30 days.
How many wigglers are on the
farm? A head count is impossible,
but one square foot of compost
yields about two pounds of worms.
“That allows for efficient composting,” Christie says.
Twice a week, she feeds the
worms about 800 pounds of SDS;
once a week, she harvests about
400 pounds of vermicompost.
Processing time from food on top
to finished product from under the
bed takes about 60 days. The reduction by half of food to harvest is
the result of major decomposition.
Worm Bins for Home Gardens
Worm castings from home
worm bins provide “good stuff”
for gardeners, Christie says. Bins
do require some work, as they need
to be maintained with fresh food
and moisture. They are sold at most
farm and garden supply stores.
With home-produced vermiccompost, gardeners can add beneficial microbes that provide essential
plant nutrients and strengthen
immune systems to fight off pests
and plant diseases.
“The USDA says that when
organic matter is increased by one
percent, the water-holding capacity is changed by gallons,” Christie
says. “If you add lots of water to
vermicompost, it stays wet for days.
“Worms are such humble critters
and they do such amazing things!”
After harvest, Black Diamond Vermicompost goes through a fine screen
(top) or coarser screen (middle), based
on end use, and then bagged for sale.
Black Diamond VermiCompost
Cristy Christie – (805) 674-0194
blackdiamondvermicompost.com
All Types of
ElEctrical Work
• Licensed • Insured
• CAStateCertified
• ReasonableRates–$65/Hour
• EstimatesAvailable
• DiscountsforRepeatCustomers
PB&B Electrical
State Lic.# 375854
12
Summer 2014 s SLO Country Magazine
(805) 481-0457
www.pbandbinc.com
The company sells worms, vermicompost and tea to home gardeners and
agriculturalists (farms, orchards, vineyards). Workshops cover building better
soil, making successful compost piles,
composting with worms and brewing
quality compost tea.
Starting the same, the basil at right developed a better root system with vermicompost.
www.slofarmbureau.org
SLO Country Magazine s Summer 2014
13
Anthony Abatti Trucking
805/929-5397
Acquistapace Farms, Inc.
805/614-6100; jim.acqfarms@verizon.net
Adler Belmont Dye Insurance
805/540-3900;
dbelmont@adlerbelmontdye.com
Ag Box Company – 805/489-0377
Allan Real Estate Investments
805/473-7500; allanrealestate.com
Andros Corporation – 805/227-2801
Byron Grant/Century 21 Hometown
Realty – 805/441-2560
www.www.byron-grant.com
California Meridian Insurance Services
805/466-3400
ted@californiameridian.com
C&M Nursery – 805/929-1941
Business Members
See complete listings
for businesses that
®
support San Luis
Obispo County Farm
Bureau on the website: slofarmbureau.org.
To become a Business Member, call Farm
Bureau at 805/543-3654.
Eagle Energy, Inc. – 805/543-7090
Marcia@eagleenergyinc.com
Madonna Inn – 805/543-3000
www.madonnainn.com
Nick’s Telecom – 805/441-3135
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
805/595-6340
Pacific Sun Growers, Inc. – 805/929-1986
www.pacificsungrowers.com
Pat Phelan Construction – 805/929-1739
Quinn Company – 805/925-8611
Electricraft, Inc. – 805/544-8224
www.electricraftinc.com
Roadrunner Construction – 805/238-2500
Farm Supply Company – 805/543-3751
www.farmsupplycompany.com
C&N Tractors – 805/237-3855
Central Coast Propane – 805/237-1001
www.centralcoastpropane.com
Heritage Oaks Bank – 805/369-5203
www.heritageoaksbank.com
J. B. Dewar Inc. Petroleum Products
805/543-0180
Lexington Inn – 805/549-9911
www.lexingtoninnsanluisobispo.com
Summer 2014 s SLO Country Magazine
E. C. Loomis & Son Insurance
Associates – 805/489-5594
EcoSpray – 805/929-1457
Filipponi & Thompson Drilling Co.
805/466-1271; www.ftdrilling.com
14
Summer’s the Time for…
San Luis Obispo Downtown Association
805/541-0286; www.downtownslo.com
O-M-G
®
ORGANIC MATERIALS FOR GROWERS — Premium Liquid Organic Fertilizers
Products for all your growing needs and the ultimate solution for natural soil fertility—
• O-M-G ® Soil 5-1-2
• O-M-G ® Phos Plus 4.5-2-1
• O-M-G ® Nature’s Balance 4-3-4
• O-M-G ® X-tra 3-2-0
• Phytamin® Clear 4-0.5-1
100% soluable organic nitrate fertilizer
Also for Summer…
National Organic Program (NOP) Compliant Material
What Amendments Are Best
for Your Soil and Crops?
Santa Maria Seeds, Inc. – 805/922-5757
www.santamariaseeds.com
Gypsum & Compost
• Call RON BEVERS – 805-503-8424
The Thom Group – 805/546-6022
www.TheThomGroup.com
• Broadcast Gypsum
• Solution Gypsum
• Custom Compost Blends
• “All Green” from plant sources
• Dairy and Poultry
• Grape Pomace and Bio
• Email rbevers@superiorsoil.com
TriCal Inc. – 805/928-2430
Umpqua Bank – 805/704-5120
www.umpquabank.com
SLO County Farm Bureau Member
California’s Largest Supplier
of Bulk Conventional and
Organic Soil Amendments—
Serving Farmers Since 1983
SLO Country Magazine s Summer 2014 15