November 2007 Newsletter

MONTHLY COLUMNS

President's message

From the Executive Director

From the Ag Commissioner

Farm Bureau has been working for you . . .

Ag News Bites

Ask the Farm Advisor

FFA Ag-tivities

FEATURE ARTICLES

Federal Judge stops SSA from issuing SSN "no-match" letters

Ag Water Outlook 2008 prepares growers
to deal with impending cutbacks

Regional Water Quality Control Board
extends conditional waivers for agriculture

Get a State Fund quote annually

Student Closeup: Scholarship recipient
Luke Schaner follows in father's footsteps

Linda Petty joins Farm Bureau board of directors

Local delegation selected to attend 2007 CFBF annual meeting

Daily weather forecast service returns Nov. 1

President’s message

Let the holiday season put ag challenges in perspective

by Chuck Badger

Farming is an occupation that lends itself to worrying. Quite frankly, there are many things that affect our bottom lines that are completely out of our control. And lately, we’ve had plenty on our plates here in San Diego to keep us awake at night. Whether it’s the Diaprepes root weevil, lack of water, or an inadequate labor supply, we’ve all had to deal with the unknown.

That’s why I like the holiday season we are now entering. It provides a yearly opportunity to stop and count the many blessings bestowed upon us. Thanksgiving is an especially great time to reflect on all that we have. Often, during the course of the year, we take our blessings for granted as we focus on our many challenges. Yet the holiday season allows us to put those problems into perspective. There will be answers to our difficulties as we work together to overcome them.

So don’t let these next few weeks fly by without stopping to enjoy the meaning of the holidays. Spend plenty of time with family and loved ones counting our blessings from God. My hunch is that, wisely spent, these next few weeks will actually energize us and better prepare us for the road ahead. Happy Thanksgiving!

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From the Executive Director

Failure is not an option

by Eric Larson

First, my hat is off to all of you who made the decision and stuck with it to produce a crop and bring it to market. If you recall that specific point in time when you first set your course, I would guess it didn’t include a chat with yourself about water shortages, labor problems, exotic pests, foreign competition, nor income stuck in neutral. Regardless, you are still with it and hopefully you will be for some time.

Certainly not on any list of concerns that you might have had during that moment of clarity that lead you into farming was regulation of the water that runs off your property. So far you have been able to deal with that issue through the application of best management practices and a little common sense. Well, that is about to change, and the next three years will prove to be a real challenge for the farm community as a whole as the approach to runoff compliance opens a whole new chapter.

The recently approved 2008 Conditional Waivers of Waste Discharge Requirements adopted by the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) requires that the farm community pull together and organize a monitoring group that will record every farm site, verify specific compliance information about each site, test runoff, and report to the RWQCB. That’s the bad news. The good news is the requirement that the farm community pull together and organize a monitoring group. Actually, that’s not a contradiction. You see, it will be a very difficult task, but the alternative would be the necessity for every farmer to have their own direct permitting relationship with the RWQCB at an estimated up-front cost of $18,000 plus annual fees for testing. All producers in the monitoring group will have the advantage of sharing the fees and being members of an effort in which they will have a say.

The allotted time for the farm community to get organized is just three years. The original proposal worked out between the RWQCB and Farm Bureau representatives was five years. However, San Diego Coastkeeper, Surfrider Foundation, and the City of San Diego protested and two years were lopped off the allotted time.

This will take an unprecedented effort to organize the more than 5,000 producers in San Diego County plus those in southern Riverside and Orange counties who are under the jurisdiction of the RWQCB as well. While there are a half-dozen examples of similar groups in the state, none faced the huge number of small farms and multiple watersheds that are here in San Diego County. But this must succeed. Failure would mean a monstrous expansion of the RWQCB funded by growers through fees that would be high enough to make some growers re-think their decision on being a farmer.

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From the Ag Commissioner

Bob Atkins, Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer of Weights and Measures

Weights & Measures protects consumers

The mission of Weights and Measures is to promote value comparison and fair competition in the marketplace. This is accomplished through assuring that anything sold by weight, volume or count has an accurate quantity statement and that pricing is accurate.

The Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures routinely conducts price verification inspections at retail locations to verify prices charged to consumers are the same as those posted or advertised.

Price-scanner computers are almost 100 percent accurate. It is the human factor that causes most pricing errors. The main two ways an overcharge occurs is either the wrong price was entered into the computer or (most often) the shelf price was not changed. Stores can quickly change prices in their computer systems but may fail to make changes to shelf stickers and displays, or to price tags on the product. Either way, it is a management problem. Labor needs to be budgeted and assigned to keep the shelf prices accurate with the information in the scanner data base.

With the holiday shopping season just around the corner, it is important for consumers to be aware of the prices they are being charged at the cash register.

Here are some helpful tips when shopping at a store that uses as scanner:

• Pay attention to the customer display screen to make sure you are charged the lowest posted or advertised price.
• Check your receipt before leaving the store and report overcharges immediately to the store manager.
• Ask about the store’s policy on overcharges. They may offer you the item for free or offer a discount from the correct price.
• Report overcharges to the Department. “Notice to Consumers” stickers are posted at each register that uses an automated point-of-sale station (scanner). The notice provides consumers with the Department’s toll-free number, 1-800-TRUE SCAN (878-3722), or go to www.sdcounty.ca.gov/awm/complaints.html to file a complaint.

A County ordinance also requires stores violating the price accuracy statute to post a “Notice of Penalty for Failed Inspection” at each store entrance for 10 days following the completion of any administrative, civil, or criminal action. Stores that do not have any pricing errors in the course of an inspection are provided with a “Notice of Passing Inspection” sign, which may be voluntarily posted for 10 days.

To view a list of businesses that have violations for overcharges, visit www.sdcounty.ca.gov/awm/violations_scanners.html.

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Farm Bureau has been working for you . . .

• Had editorial published in the North County Times on farmers and the water crisis
• Participated in the annual San Diego County Water Conservation Summit
• Provided comments to approximately 15 media stories on water cuts
• Traveled to Washington, D.C. to lobby for immigration reform for agriculture
• Spoke to three community groups on ag water situation
• Represented California farmers at international agricultural conference in Prague
• Testified at Regional Water Quality Control Board public hearing on ag waivers

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Ag news bites

Former Fallbrook FFA student now working for CFAITC

Nicolina Prestininzi, a former Fallbrook FFA chapter Vice President who went on to serve as the California FFA State President in 2003-2004 and recently completed her Bachelor’s degree in Ag Business at California State University, Chico, has taken a full time position working for the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. Prestininzi has received considerable recognition for her longtime commitment to volunteerism and dedication to her community and California agriculture. In 2004, she was named Woman of the Year for the 36th Senate District by Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth. She has also been a three-time recipient of scholarships from San Diego County Farm Bureau as well as from the California Farm Bureau.

AgComplyIT software now available in Spanish

The Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures now offers the AgComplyIT tool in Spanish so that Spanish-speaking producers can form a plan to identify and comply with state and federal regulatory requirements. The Excel-based software program, which was a collaborative effort by state and federal agencies, uses an easy-to-follow, question-and-answer format that generates a list of state and federal regulations that must be followed on any particular farm site depending on location, crops produced, and the number of employees. The software offers farmers complete privacy in determining their regulatory burden, and is available for download from www.AgComplyIt.com.

Web site correction for the Spanish version of California Pesticide Safety Manual

In the September Farm Bureau News, the news bite about the University of California’s Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program’s updated Spanish translation of Pesticide Safety: A Reference Manual for Private Applicators ( Seguridad en el manejo de pesticidas Manual de referencia para aplicadores privados) provided an incorrect Web site address. The correct address is www.anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu. Entering Publication No. 3394 in the Search box will take you directly to that document, where you can order it for $7. The manual can also be ordered by calling the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Publications at (800) 994-8849.

UCCE launches Web site to address coyote problems

A new Web site has been created by a UC wildlife specialist to help homeowners in preventing and solving conflicts with suburban coyotes, which have become increasingly bold throughout the West. Check it out at www.coyotebytes.org.

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Ask the Farm Advisor

by Valerie J. Mellano, Ph.D.
UC Cooperative Extension, San Diego County

Q: I have heard a lot about the “Master Gardener Program.” How do I get involved?

A: The Master Gardener program in San Diego County has been very popular since Cooperative Extension began training volunteers in 1983. Over 150 Applicants vied for 32 spaces in the first training course and three of the graduates are still active. The number of volunteers has increased with each new class and there are currently 177 active Master Gardeners. A class of 44 new students will join their ranks when they graduate in March 2008. New training classes are offered every other year and the next one is scheduled to begin in September 2009.

Students selected for the Volunteer Program are required to successfully complete a 60-hour training course in Basic Horticulture and Pest Management to be certifi ed as a UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener. After graduation, each volunteer agrees to perform at least 50 hours of public education activities for UCCE within one year to remain certified. Last year San Diego Master Gardeners donated a total of 14,000 hours of volunteer service.

San Diego Master Gardeners provide information to county residents in many ways. They answer inquiries on home gardening and pest management at the Cooperative Extension office. They can be reached weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. by e-mailing help@MasterGardenersSanDiego.org or by phone at (858) 694-2860. Master Gardeners also staff educational exhibits at the County Fair and more than 30 other community events each year. They help organize and conduct home gardening seminars each spring and fall. Master Gardeners support garden-based learning by consulting with teachers who want to create gardens at a school and use horticultural activities to help students achieve state educational standards. They also published a School Garden Guide on their Web site (www.MasterGardenersSanDiego.org.) and co-sponsor an annual conference for teachers. Master Gardeners also give talks to community groups and conduct classes for visually impaired adults and children at San Diego Braille Institute.

Information provided by Vince Lazaneo, Home Horticulture Advisor, UC Cooperative Extension, San Diego County.

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FFA Ag- tivities

San Pasqual High School FFA

Over the past year, our chapter has had some great accomplishments. We had a competitive Farm Power team which sparked interest in many new members to help them become more involved in FFA. Also, our Floriculture team is outstanding. At the LA County Fair competition in September, they came home with first high team along with second, fifth, and ninth high individuals. They ended last year’s competitions excited for this year. We are hoping to start a Small Engines team this year as we now have a small engines class. We recently hosted a successful opening-closing competition at San Pasqual with 28 teams competing in three divisions. Our officer team placed 5th in the advanced group. Our parents booster group also fed about 240 FFA members and guests after the competition.

We have introduced some new fund raising projects this year, such as selling See’s candy for Easter and rose and carnation Valentine’s grams at school. We are continuing our other successful fund raisers from past years, including the Wags for Wishes dog shows, selling cookbooks and calendars, SPHS stadium cleanup, and the Dodge Truck Scholarship tickets. We plan to use the profits to improve our farm and increase our scholarship fund.

The officer team recently attended a fun leadership conference in Ramona at Tulloch Ranch. We made new friends and learned some really good tips in public speaking, mixers, and about the FFA in general.

Our chapter has really grown. We have increased the number of ag students as a result of extensive recruiting last spring during the middle school registration for high school. We have our fall gardens in and have a crop of poinsettias growing for a Christmas sale. We just finished replacing the roof over our swine pens and are also putting in new roofing over our steer pens to prevent runoff from going through the steer pens into the storm drains. We have more interest in animal projects, and many of our new students are interested in the benefits of FFA.

San Pasqual FFA Wish List

We are very grateful for the generosity of Farm Bureau members over the years and the support they continue to give. Below are a few things we need:

• Handtools: Rakes, shovels, etc.
• Silver paint
• White paint
• Hoses for animal pens

If you can help the San Pasqual FFA by providing any of these items, please contact the Farm Bureau at (760) 745-3023 or High School FFA instructor Doug Moss at (760) 291-6007.

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Federal judge stops SSA from issuing SSN “no-match” letters

A federal judge has halted the Social Security Administration’s plan to issue “no-match” letters to thousands of employers regarding Social Security number discrepancies between the SSA and employee records. The judge’s ruling on Oct. 10 also granted a preliminary injunction against the Department of Homeland Security from enforcing its requirement that employers follow a carefully prescribed process to terminate employees whose Social Security numbers do not match SSA’s records.

Plaintiffs in the case, the AFL-CIO, American Civil Liberties Union, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the American Nursery and Landscape Association, argued the legality of the no-match letters and termination requirements, stating that the SSA’s database was so fraught with errors that using that data to terminate employment would unfairly discriminate against lawfully employed workers and cause extensive workforce disruptions. Plaintiffs also claimed that the action ignores the Regulatory Flexibility Act, which requires the government to calculate the cost of imposing new regulations that significantly burden small-business owners.

“There can be no doubt that the effects of the rule’s implementation will be severe,” wrote U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of San Francisco, and it would result in “irreparable harm to innocent workers and employers.”

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said that the administration is considering whether to appeal the judge’s decision and, in the meantime, will continue its aggressive enforcement of immigration laws.

Because an appeal could take up to a year, California Farm Bureau advises employers at this time to ensure that the I-9 verification forms they have on file for current and future employees are complete.

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Ag Water Outlook 2008 prepares growers to deal with impending cutbacks

by Nancy Walery

The news wasn’t good, but hundreds of growers attended the Ag Water Outlook 2008 held Sept. 27 at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido to learn all they could about the mandatory 30 percent water cuts that the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California will impose on Interim Agricultural Water Program (IAWP) users effective Jan. 1, 2008.

Dozens of representatives from ag-related organizations, including local water districts, irrigation experts, ag equipment and service suppliers, farm advisors and educators participated in a trade show-style event that followed an information-packed presentation sponsored by SDCFB, the California Avocado Commission and the San Diego County Flower & Plant Association. The event was designed to inform growers of the anticipated water cutbacks and provide resources to help them make appropriate business decisions once they receive official notice from their water supplier, which is expected sometime in November.

“This is going to be a very painful period, to be sure,” said Ed Means, Sr. Vice President of the environmental consulting firm McGuire, Malcom, Pirnie and an advisor to the California Avocado Commission on water issues. A 30 percent cut from the State Water Project, where Southern California gets 60 percent of its water, looms large over San Diego unless the region sees a very wet winter. With a dry La Niña forecasted for 2008, that’s not likely to be the case.

Crunching the numbers

Means methodically went through the numbers to a rapt audience: Southern California’s normal annual imported water usage is 2.48 million acre feet (AF). For 2007, the imported supplies were .3 million AF short of meeting those demands and the 2008 shortfall could be as high as 1.2 million AF. Water storage was drawn down this year to make up the difference but storage would be drawn down to dangerously low levels to meet 2008’s full demands. Any short-term water purchases from other sources are guaranteed to be expensive.

“2007 is the driest Southern California year on record, and the Colorado River is in its 8 th year of drought with about half the normal water storage on the Colorado,” Means said. “The shortage of water storage in California is at the heart of the problems we are seeing now.”

To make matters worse, a recent order by a federal judge will restrict water pumping through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta from December to June to protect the endangered Delta smelt. These two events combined paint a dire water picture for 2008—and beyond—for everyone south of the Delta. And even if Northern California is lucky enough to have a good winter with plenty of rain and snow, Southern California could still be left high and dry because of conveyance limitations in the Delta region.

Making up the shortfall

Options being considered by water officials to address 2008’s 1.2 million AF supply gap include cutting groundwater replenishment deliveries; maximizing draws from Central Valley groundwater storage; drawing from local surface storage; publicizing extraordinary pleas for conservation to the public; executing up to 500,000 AF of water transfers; establishing an urban rationing program; and implementing cuts to growers participating in the ag water discount program (IAWP).

Means pointed out that Southern California’s usage of 2.48 million AF has not changed since 1990, a reflection of how much conservation has taken place over the last 17 years while there has been considerable growth. However, if further voluntary conservation by the public is not effective and urban rationing is mandated, more reductions will be added to the 30 percent cuts growers are already struggling to work with.

IAWP has saved growers millions

Since 1994, when the IAWP was adopted to help growers cope with rising water rates, more than $200 million has been saved by California growers in the program. In 2006 alone, the program provided $13.5 million in direct benefits through rate discounts. In exchange for these discounts, growers agreed to accept up to 30 percent cuts in water allocation before municipal and industrial cuts were imposed. Growers in the program are now committed to remaining in the program and making the mandated reductions for the duration of the drought.

“These cuts will be in place until water or drought conditions change,” said SDCFB Executive Director Eric Larson. “Don’t think it’s going to be over in 12 months or 18 months.”

Enforcement hammer

There are big teeth in the program to ensure the impending cuts happen. Any water district that does not meet its reduced allocation will receive a permanent cut in its overall allocation of IAWP water, Larson said, so water districts will be equally strict in enforcing its cuts to growers.

“Water districts must meet their 70 percent,” Larson said. “You can’t buy your way out of this. Growers must meet the reductions.”

A one-year accounting of each grower’s water usage will allow some flexibility in the event of surplus months that can carry over to the next month. However, growers who exceed their allocation could face stiff penalties that could be as high as triple the normal water rate and even lead to flow restrictors installed on the meters of repeat offenders. Some water district policies may allow for returning penalties to growers if their cumulative annual accounting does not exceed their allocation, but that is for each water district to decide. Although growers cannot give their excess water to another ranch, neighbor or water district, they will be allowed to consolidate meters within any given water district if the meters are under one owner’s name. (Note: Each local water district sets its own rules in implementing the cutback policy for their district, so growers should contact their water district for detailed information.)

The amount of water allocated to each agricultural meter in 2008 will be based on monthly usage in the 2006-2007 water year that ran from July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007. For example, January 2008 usage will be based on January 2007, while July 2008 will be based on July 2006. Growers who have not heard by mid-November from their retail water agency on the allocation rules should contact the district.

Another incentive for growers to make the cuts work involves the long-term preservation of the IAWP.

“There are some people (in the water industry) who would like to see the IAWP program eliminated and want to see it fail,” warned Larson. “Growers should be aware that the IAWP will be scrutinized during this period.”

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Regional Water Quality Control Board extends conditional waivers for ag

New condition requires growers to join a water quality monitoring group

On Oct. 10, the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) voted to extend the conditional waivers for agricultural uses for five years beginning Jan. 1, 2008. The waiver does not set aside any requirement for complying with runoff regulations, but it does mean that individual growers do not have to file their own report of waste discharge and saves them from having their own direct and expensive permitting relationship with the Regional Board. However, the waiver does require that certain conditions be met.

Similar to the previous waiver, the conditions include a requirement that growers employ best management practices to minimize or eliminate any wet- or dry-weather runoff that contains pollutants. Different from the previous waiver is the new condition for growers to join a monitoring group by Dec. 31, 2010. A monitoring group will be a self-governed coalition of growers that will perform water quality monitoring throughout the region and report the results to the Regional Board. Growers who choose not to join a monitoring group will be required to file their own reports directly with the Regional Board. The advantage of joining a monitoring group will be the ability to spread the estimated $18,000 in permit fees among the participants. The cost of water testing and administering the group will also be shared. Growers who choose to go it alone will be subject to the same permit fee and will bear the cost of testing.

Agricultural monitoring groups similar to what the Regional Board is asking for are already in existence in several areas of the state. While a decision to be the organization behind a monitoring group has not yet been made, the San Diego County Farm Bureau board of directors will take up consideration of such action in the next few months.

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Get a State Fund quote annually

Even if you are content with your current workers’ compensation carrier’s services and premiums, State Compensation Insurance Fund is encouraging growers to check with them annually to see if switching to one of the many different Farm Bureau groups at State Fund can offer members a better rate.

Plenty of healthy competition has returned to the California workers’ comp insurance market in recent years, which has helped bring premiums down for many employers. Remember, while premiums may rise and fall with various companies each year, you can count on State Fund, which now serves 25 percent of the market, to offer the best in overall rates over the long haul.

And don’t forget that, with coverage through State Fund, you are helping support your local Farm Bureau through the annual royalties that State Fund pays Farm Bureau. For more information, contact State Fund at (800) 773-7667.

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Student Closeup:
Scholarship recipient Luke Schaner follows in father’s footsteps

by Nancy Walery

Along with his seven siblings ages 7 to 22, Luke Schaner has worked on his father’s 45-acre Valley Center farm since he was a toddler. Even now, when he and his two brothers return home from college each summer, they happily resume their chores on the family farm that grows assorted citrus, avocados, vegetables and herbs, and raises chickens for eggs that are all sold at the weekly Pacific Beach, Del Mar and Santa Monica farmers’ markets. But Luke is the only one—so far—who is studying agriculture and planning to join his father, Peter Schaner, a San Diego County Farm Bureau board member, in a career in the local ag industry by helping to run the family business.

“Growing up, I loved helping my dad work on the farm,” said Schaner, a junior at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo majoring in bio-resource ag engineering. “I remember times when I would have rather continued working than even go to soccer practice.” That’s coming from someone who has participated in the sport since kindergarten, played Junior Varsity and Varsity all four years at St. Augustine High School in San Diego, was named offensive MVP, and has also coached local youth soccer teams.

Schaner is not put off by the challenges inherent in a farming career, even when he replaced 80 percent of the avocado trees planted during the summer of 2006 that were lost to the January 2007 freeze. A strong, can-do work ethic is evident in this energetic and driven self-starter, who is not only dedicated to his educational and career goals but also looks forward to his studies helping him find ways to improve the family farming operation. “My greatest satisfaction is found,” Schaner wrote in his scholarship application essay, “not when I earn an exceptional grade in the classroom, but when I put into action those tools learned to better an existing agricultural system.”

“I hope to take advantage of all that my dad started on his own here,” said Schaner, who is a recipient of a 2007 San Diego County Farm Bureau Scholarship as well as a Fran Hillebrecht Memorial Scholarship. “I see all the hard work and dedication that he has put into this, sometimes without getting much back in return, but I can see why he does things a certain way.”

Schaner chose his major, bio-resource ag engineering, because he wants to receive the full spectrum of engineering experiences, including substantial exposure to mechanical, electrical, and—seeing the wave of the future—alterative energy studies. Many of his classes also have an irrigation emphasis, because he sees water, energy, and conservation as the issues of his generation if farmers are to keep agriculture thriving in Southern California. Meanwhile, he’s also developing a keen eye for the business side of ag.

“I see this farm as a business, maybe more so than my dad, so I’m always trying to do things to keep the money coming in and the farm growing,” said Schaner, who, in addition to working on the family farm this past summer, also took a full-time summer intern job working in construction management at McCuskey Group Inc., where he was exposed to contract documents and construction design specifications. “I like to think I’m contributing more of a business mindset that will complement my dad’s farming expertise.”

The Fran Hillebrecht Memorial Scholarship was established in 2006 by San Diego County Farm Bureau Scholarship Committee to recognize Fran’s long-time involvement, dedication and commitment to the local 4-H, FFA and Young Farmers & Ranchers programs. To contribute to the Fran Hillebrecht Memorial Scholarship, simply make your check payable to the San Diego Ag in the Classroom (the foundation established to support ongoing agricultural education). Write “Fran Hillebrecht Memorial Scholarship” in the memo section of the check and mail it to San Diego County Farm Bureau, 1670 E. Valley Parkway, Escondido, CA 92027.

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Linda Petty joins Farm Bureau board of directors

by Nancy Walery

Linda Petty recently joined the San Diego County Farm Bureau’s board of directors, having retired a few years ago from a 35-year career in the banking industry working for Wells Fargo Bank. During her last 10 years at Wells Fargo, she had served as the Western regional president based in Colorado before switching to manage all corporate acquisitions in her last few years there. Her husband, Rua, owned and operated a residential property management company. During the mid-1990s, they felt the time was coming to begin planning what they wanted to do and where they wanted to live in retirement.

The Pettys looked westward and, in 1996, purchased some Rainbow property that included an ailing avocado grove. Thus began their foray into the agriculture industry, something completely foreign to them other than the purebred Angus cattle they still have roaming in the Rocky Mountains near the small town of Fairplay, Colorado—unless you count Linda’s childhood experiences growing up on an Iowa farm.

“I was a corn, bean and cow girl,” said Linda of the sum total of her agricultural experience. Thanks to an introduction to a local avocado grove manager, the Petty’s were able to bring the grove back into production. Although they were still living in Colorado at the time, they purchased an adjoining eight acres, then several more contiguous parcels expanding RJT Ranch to nearly 40 acres. In 2001, they moved into their Rainbow home and expanded avocado plantings to a total of about 17 acres.

Over the next few years, the concern over local water supplies took center stage. In 2005, Rua joined the Rainbow Municipal Water District board of directors, and they decided to halt any further expansion of thirsty avocado production. They were hatching another plan. Since moving to Rainbow, they had become acquainted with two local large-scale producers of protea flowers, Resendiz Brothers Protea Growers and Rainbow Protea. Fascinated by the flower, the Petty’s decided that, with the protea’s lower water demand, a compatible local growing climate, its uniqueness and market potential, they, too, should pursue commercial protea production. With the help of a family friend who had been in the business, the Pettys launched their operation, which now occupies about six acres, with plenty of room for further expansion as the market develops.

“ Proteas are still an untapped market with so much potential, because so many people don’t know what they are,” said Linda, who joined Farm Bureau in 2002. “It’s also a fun field to be in, even as we are trying to figure out how to grow the market.” The Pettys are very involved with the protea trade organizations in this respect as well as in the planning and coordinating of events and conferences. Rua, who is a past board member for the California Protea Association, was named president of the International Protea Association in 2006 during its bi-annual meeting in San Diego, and they are looking forward to attending the 2008 international conference in South Africa, the birthplace of the protea.

As a Farm Bureau board member, Linda looks forward to sharing her knowledge and experience from her involvement in protea production with Farm Bureau. She also looks forward to the fellowship of the Farm Bureau membership as a whole, something she misses since retiring from the structured corporate world. But she remains involved in the financial industry, consulting in a financial planning capacity for three other small business operations (serving as chief financial officer for one), which includes budgeting, planning, management and control.

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Local delegation selected to attend 2007 CFBF annual meeting

The San Diego County Farm Bureau delegation has been selected to the California Farm Bureau Federation’s annual meeting which will be held this year in Sparks, Nevada December 2-5. SDCFB President Chuck Badger will lead this year’s delegation and has selected to join him 1st Vice President Michael Anthony Mellano., 2nd Vice President Noel Stehly, and board members Janet Kister, David Van Ommering and Julie Walker. The delegation, most of whom are experienced in the convention process and procedure, includes growers from the avocado, citrus, and dairy industries to seasonal blooming plants, cut flowers and potted plants.

The format of CFBF’s annual meeting follows a “bottom-up” approach, where representatives from local Farm Bureaus throughout the state dictate the important issues to CFBF, and those issues then set CFBF’s policies and agenda for the upcoming year when they address those issues to the state legislature and Congress. This bottom-up approach guarantees that Farm Bureau remains a grass-roots organization, with the power firmly in the hands of the counties. The SDCFB delegation will ensure that the small farms prevalent in San Diego County are represented fairly as CFBF establishes its 2008 statewide agriculture policies.

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Daily weather forecast service returns November 1

Popular Farm Bureau member benefit runs through April 2008

by Nancy Walery

One of the many benefits of your Farm Bureau membership is your seasonal access to a weather forecasting service. Back by popular demand and running from Nov. 1 to April 30, 2008 is the daily weather forecast reporting service that helps farmers stay in the know on rainfall and potential freezes.

Provided by Fox Weather and sponsored by Corona-College Heights Orange & Lemon Association, this exclusive reporting service is available at no charge to Farm Bureau members and includes:

• Unlimited access during the six-month service period
• Satellite Rain Analysis (SRA)
• Local area forecasts for North San Diego County
• Fruit frost extended forecast updates

Reports are updated and recorded twice daily and are available by calling a special weather information line established exclusively for Farm Bureau members.

To take advantage of this service, simply contact the San Diego County Farm Bureau office at (760) 745-3023. After a staff member has verified your current voting member status, you will be given a phone number that provides the daily weather forecast.

NOTE:

To enable Farm Bureau to accurately track user demand for this service, and to prevent release of this information to unauthorized persons (which dilutes the value of your Farm Bureau membership), please do not share the weather forecast service phone number with others. Each interested member needs to contact Farm Bureau directly to request access to the service.

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