Valentine's Day Brings Sales and Trials for Flower Farms | |
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From California Farm Bureau Federation's Ag Alert, By Caleb Hampton
The stars are aligned for a good Valentine’s Day for the floral sector. With the holiday falling on a Wednesday and clear skies forecast for most regions in the U.S., flower retailers were preparing for a busy Feb. 14.
“This is going to be a strong holiday,” Camron King, CEO and ambassador for Certified American Grown, an organization that advocates for U.S. cut flower farmers, said last week. “Because it is a midweek holiday, a lot of folks send their loved ones flowers to celebrate versus maybe going out of town for the weekend.”
Two separate consumer data analyses projected record Valentine’s Day flower sales this year. They were conducted by the market research firm Prince & Prince Inc. and the data analytics platform Statista.
“We’re always busy before Valentine’s Day,” said Sherry Sanbo, owner of Golden State Floral, a wholesale florist in Yolo County. Last week, employees there trimmed stems and assembled bouquets for stores across the region.
The holiday typically trails only Mother’s Day in flower sales. To get all her orders filled, Sanbo said she doubled her workforce during the two weeks preceding Valentine’s Day. “Everybody is working real hard,” she said....
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This Week In SLO County Agriculture | |
Community: Allan Hancock College Hosts 3rd Annual FFA Field Day | |
Allan Hancock College hosts 3rd annual FFA Field Day | More than 300 high school students from across California gathered at Allan Hancock College Saturday for the college's third annual FFA Field Day. | | | |  |
Commentary: Mentoring program to assist new farmers, ranchers | |
On Feb. 21, online enrollment will begin for a new program to help prepare the next generation in California agriculture.
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State Government: Will Cataloging California's Top Policy Issues Inspire Politicans to Think Long Term? | |
Will cataloging California's top policy issues inspire politicians to think long term? | California has many long-term policy issues but politicians tend to have short attention spans. Will a new legislative report spur action? | | | | |
CDFA ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2023-24 CA FARM TO SCHOOL GRANT PROGRAM | California Department of Food and Agriculture Media Contacts: Steve Lyle (CDFA), 916-654-0462 , officeofpublicaffairs@cdfa.ca.gov SACRAMENTO, February 13, 2024 - The California Department of Food and Agriculture Office of Farm to Fork (CDFA-F2F) is accepting applications for the 2023-24 California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program, until 5 p.m. PDT April 4, 2024. | | | |
Federal Government: Farm Bill Tensions Ramp Up Over Conservation, Fire, and Food Aid | |
Farm Bill tensions ramp up over conservation, fire and food aid | Leaders of both parties are calling on Congress to quickly pass a revised Farm Bill before funds run out this summer - but tensions are re-emerging over the key ideological divide that helped scuttle last year's farm bill. Members of both parties expressed the importance of not cutting popular food aid and conservation programs, but... | | | | |
Farm Bureau Appreciates EPA Answering Farmers' Concerns | American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall today commented on the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to allow farmers to use existing stocks of dicamba for the upcoming planting season. AFBF sent a letter to EPA earlier this week following a recent federal court ruling in Arizona, which vacated the registration of three dicamba products, critically important tools for farmers in fighting resistant weeds. | | | | |
New Census Shows Alarming Loss of Family Farms | New agriculture census data released by USDA today is cause for concern as the number of farms operating in the United States and the number of farm acres have both fallen significantly. The 2022 Census of Agriculture reports 141,733 fewer farms in 2022 than in 2017. | | | |
Environmental: Bill Proposes Bond Measure for Offshore Wind Energy | |
EPA Updates Efforts to Address Endangered Species Act Parameters | The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has disclosed its roadmap for protecting endangered species from pesticide exposure... | | | | |
Bill proposes bond measure for offshore wind energy | Morgan Hill Times | Morgan Hill, San Martin, CA | In a step toward building the first massive wind farms off California's coast, three Assemblymembers on Feb. 12 proposed a $1 billion bond act to help pay for the expansion of ports. The bill, if approved, would place a bond before voters aimed at helping ports build capacity to assemble, construct and transport wind turbines [...] | | | |
Business Member Spotlight:
Filliponi and Thompson Drilling
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As a Water Well Drilling Contractor for the State of California, Filipponi & Thompson Drilling, Inc. has been serving the Central Coast from Monterey to Ventura since 1974, providing complete water well drilling, and the installation of electrical and environmentally-friendly solar pump systems for residential and agricultural water.
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Labor: Arumbula Bill Would Make Migrant Farmworkers Eligible for Full-Time Housing Aid | |
Arambula bill would make migrant farmworkers eligible for full-time housing aid | The federal government estimates 13% of California's farmworkers are migrants - reporting jobs at least 75 miles apart or moving more than 75 miles for a farm job in a 12-month period. This system requires | | | | |
The Center for Land-Based Learning is creating a training program for the SPANISH-SPEAKING agricultural workforce called AgHiRE. Our aim to help employees with high potential advance into more skilled positions and benefit their companies. If you have Spanish-speaking employees, your responses to this survey will help us understand which positions are most in demand, and what skills your Spanish-speaking employees most need to advance into them. | | | |
You are invited to join a meeting: Card Check and Ag Employers, One Year Later: What Does It Mean for You? What Have We Learned from the First Year of Card Check? | |
Webinar: Feb. 23, 2024
10am
February 23, 2024: Governor Newsom signed the UFW's "card check" legislation (AB 2183) in September 2022 and signed a budget trailer bill with further revisions (AB 113) in May 2023; together, these two bills totally upended the election process under the Agricultural Labor Relations Act.
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Produce: California's Wet Winter Leaves Groves Susceptible to Disease, Waterlogging | |
Report: Fruit and nut production to show mixed trends | While noncitrus fruit production is predicted to remain relatively stable for the next decade, citrus output will fluctuate and nut production is projected to grow, the USDA says in its long-term outlook report. | | | | |
USDA predicts slow growth for U.S. vegetable production | Production of vegetable and pulse crop production is projected to grow only by 4% between 2022 and 2033, the USDA said in its long-term outlook report. | | | | |
California's Wet Winter Leaves Groves Susceptible to Disease, Waterlogging | With El Niño increasingly predicted to last through June, experts advise on how to keep olive tree roots dry to avoid damage from Phytophthora and waterlogging. | | | |
Thank You Farm Bureau Members | |
Featured Member Benefit:
California Grown
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Farm Bureau members in California now have access to a 50 percent discount on California Grown branding and licensing for their agricultural commodities.*
If you are interested in the program and are looking for more information about the California Grown branding, please go to the California Grown website at www.californiagrown.org or call
916-441-5302.
*Some limitations may apply
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Livestock: California Cattlewomen News - Between the Posts | | |
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Paying back ranchers for livestock lost to wolves | The California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirms 16 reports of wolves killing 18 domestic animals since last August. | | | |
Vineyard and Wine: Historic Level of Mildew Affected Central Coast Grapes in 2023 | |
Paso Robles vineyards focus on organics and variety | In the Paso Robles wine region of San Luis Obispo County, where different microclimates, soils and growing conditions support an array of winegrapes, growers say their focus on sustainability and organic farming has built a regional brand and lures tourists. | | | | |
California Grape Crush Shows Modest Increase in 2023 | The recent release of the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Preliminary Grape Crush Report offers valuable insights... | | | | |
Historic level of mildew affected Central Coast grapes in 2023 | California's wine grapes felt the impact of the flurry of atmospheric rivers that slammed the state in 2023. "It was one of the highest mildew... | | | |
Water: More Water Cuts Could Be Coming to SLO County. Here's How Much Your City Faces | |
Lopez Lake spills, county watches Arroyo Grande Creek levee | With more storms on the way as of Feb. 14, county officials were continuing to keep a close eye on the Arroyo Grande Creek levee... | | | | |
More water cuts could be coming to SLO County. Here's how much your city faces | One local city could be required to reduce water consumption by 30% by 2035. | | | |
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 | |
SLO County Agriculture News is distributed by SLO County Farm Bureau for information purposes only. Stories written by SLO County Farm Bureau may be reprinted with attribution. Some outside story links may require site registration. Opinions expressed in stories, commentaries or editorials included in this newsletter do not necessarily represent the views of SLO County Farm Bureau. For information on advertising opportunities, please email info@slofarmbureau.org or call our office at 805-543-3654. | | | | |
