Pour no more: Small wineries oppose Santa Barbara County tasting-room ordinance
Many small wineries in rural areas of Santa Barbara County such as the Santa Ynez Valley may be unable to house tasting rooms or hold special events if county officials approve changes to a winery ordinance that has been in place since 2004.
A fungus among us: Team hopes to cultivate truffles on Central Coast
A group of French and Chilean truffle farmers are sniffing out the Central Coast’s potential to grow the highly prized fungi. A team from Beyond Truffles, a Chilean truffle producer, and Agri-Truffe, a French truffle-tree nursery operation, are reaching out to San Luis Obispo County farmers and vintners in hopes of launching large-scale production Read More →
Funding farming’s future: USDA tags Tri-Counties for program
A $10 billion federal fund from the U.S. Department of Agriculture could provide much-needed assistance for developing water systems and other infrastructure in the Tri-Counties, where the region’s agriculture industry has suffered tremendous losses from the drought. The USDA has designated Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties as “drought disaster counties” as Read More →
Crop values hit $4.4B as drought parches strawberries
Drought conditions sapped 12 percent of the value of strawberry production in Ventura County while wine grapes surged for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties to help boost the region’s crop values to $4.4 billion, according to reports on last year’s crops.
Santa Maria farmer files Chapter 7 amid legal battle with bank
A Santa Maria produce broker and farmer has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy with about $1 million in assets and $9 million in liabilities as his family companies sue the region’s largest bank on allegations that it failed to come through on millions of dollars in promised loans.
